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November 19, 2009 - Florida sights: triggerfish and frigate birdsSUFFOLKTIMES.COM I NOVEMBER 19, 2009 1 11A BARBARA AND PAUL STOU IZNBURGH PHOTOS Left: What a surprise to see some familiar monarchs flying around or resting on milkweed plants in Florida! They are undoubtedly on their way to Mexico for the winter. Right. They say triggerfish are good to eat but not easy to clean; the body is fine and the skin is like sandpaper. And you have to be careful, as they have a nasty bite. Below. This large graceful frigate bird was a delight to see as it flew above us on the dock while we were fishing. Often they seem to follow alongside us as we pass the bridge to the mainland. Florida sights: triggerfish and frigate birds We left home last week to spend some time in the warm sun of Florida. We arrived just as it was getting dark then an hour's ride and we were at our little Shangri-La on the west coast Bags were brought in, water turned on and we found all the essentials were working fine. It wasn't long before nodding heads found their way to never -never land. I was up early the next morning and the voices I heard were of fish crows and laughing gulls arguing over who saw the half -eaten fish head fast in the shallows just in back of our place. The fish crow is common down here FOCUS ON NATURE andisalmostidenti- cal to our common '? crow up north with the exception that it is smaller. The fish crow has a raspy voice that helps iden- tify it. I've seen these PAUL STOUTENBURGH fish crows congregate in small groups in late afternoon and head off to their roost, as our northern crows do. So far the Florida weather has done its best liv- ing up to its reputation of sun and warmth. It was 81 degrees when I got up, quite a change from the temperatures before we left home. Even before we arrived here we had been told the fishing was good, so we thought a short walk to the pier that is noted for its fishing would tell us whether or not we should at least buy some bait So off we went. Sure enough, it looked like a good day for fish- ing, so we returned to pick up our fishing gear and stopped by the little bait shop on the pier to get some live shrimp and squid. Halfway out on the pier we dropped our lines. In minutes the bait was taken and I could see a dozen small fish following it Jerome L. Swann Your Third Year in Heaven In Our Hearts Forever Your Loving Partner Nancy, Family & Friends As the day went on, we moved farther out on the dock and eventually caught a small grouper, some sheepshead, a few triggerfish and even a small blowfish. It was exciting but didn't put anything on our table. Down here you need a license for saltwa- ter fishing. A friend of ours had caught a 21 -inch grouper that morning. It was a great way to start off the winter down here in Florida. The most interesting to me of all the fish was the triggerfish, not one I'm familiarwith at all. The triggerfish likes to hang around dock pilings, which was where I caught three of them Their eyes are high up on their head and they have a little round mouth but sharp teeth that bite. We were able to identify the young triggerfish we caught by the dark blotches on its sides. The name triggerfish is the most interesting thing about this fish. Nature has given much of wildlife interesting characteristics to help them with their survival. At home we have the angler fish, which lures in small fish with the bait -like appendage on its head just above its mouth As the smaller fish approach the "waving bait," the angler fish opens its mouth and it's dinnertime! Now we ve learned about the triggerfish's inter- esting lifesaving trick. On the top of the fish there is a spine that can kill a predator that bites down on it. These spines are very flexible. The sharp first dorsal spine, or "trigger," can move up or down at will. When a predator bites down on the first spine, a second spine moves forward to lock it in place. This trick also works when the fish is threat- ened or ready for sleep at night or wants to secure itself against wave action. The fish goes into a Rocky Point Jewelers We will buy your old gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, gold and silver coins, diamonds, sterling flatware and tea sets, Rolex watches, pocket watches, old paper money, antique and estate jewelry. Absolute highest cash p 7cespaid Anthony Bongiovanni, Jr. A.G.S Certified Gemologist Calif- Daily Quotes 2 LOCATIONS 29 Rocky Pant -Y*ank Rd (61$W7 -9-0 Rocky Point • 744 4446 137 Main Street (f doo wrib often ogice) Stony Brook • 751 -3751 hole, sticks up its top trigger, flexes the next one and then locks them both in place. They say once locked in place, the fish is hard to release from its sleeping position. While out on the pier we spotted frigate birds gliding overhead. The frigate bird is a large, black seabird with extremely long, angled wings and a scissor -like tail that it often folds to a point. We sometimes see them drifting alongside us as we travel the bridge the mainland. d. They eat in the air by chasing flying fish or forcing seabirds to disgorge their catch, or they just pick up floating dead fish with their bills as they fly above the surface. We were glad to catch a few sheepshead with their familiar vertical black bands that stand out against the dull white or gray background of their body. They are a good eating fish. Ours were not ready for the table, but when big enough, we enjoy them in a grouper sandwich for dinner or, as we had them the other day, grilled over a Caesar salad for lunch as we sat on the pier and watched the traffic pass through the Inland Waterway. What a surprise to pull up a blowfish just big enough to sit in my hand for a photograph — the first one I've caught down here. It reminded me of all the great blowfish we used to catch back home. Wouldn't it be great to see them back again? So much to see and do down here. While out driving we were glad to see some old friends, the monarch butterflies, as they were passing through on their way to Mexico. We also have the pretty little blue and tan skippers, smaller than the mon- archs but equally pretty, as they settle down on some of the flowers around our place. (j�r KARDIO KICKBOXING MastarKimMartiaiArt...c:am r4jt" 1116 Main Road, P.O. Box 1010,Aquebogue, NY 11931 ■ 722 -5554 ■ Lose Weight With Our Triple Fat - Burning Workouts ■ Dramaticalk Improve Your Weight Loss ■ Increase Your Strength, Endurance And Flexibility ■ Burn Caloncs?rc� Build Muscle • See R-(dts Quickly • Bum Over 1,000 Calories Each Workout • Lose Up To 10 Pounds Each Month GET IN THE BEST SHAPE OF YOUR UFEI Call 631- 722 -5554 SUFFOLKTIMES.COM I NOVEMBER 19, 2009 Florida s4i hts, tri2.eerfish and friRate bird We left home last week to spend some time in the warm sun of Florida. We arrived just as it was gettin€ dark, then an hour's ride and we were at our little Shangri-La on the west coast. Bags were brought in, water turned on and we found all the essentials wer working fine. It wasn't long before nodding heads found their way to never -never land. I was up early the next morning and the voices I heard were of fish crows and laughing gulls arguin3 over who saw the half -eaten fish head first in the shallows just in back of our place. The fish crow is common down here FOCUS ON NATURE and is almost identi- cal to our common crow up north with the exception that it is smaller. The fish crow has a raspy voice that helps iden tify it. I've seen these PAUL STOUTENBURGH fish crows congregat in small erouvs in late afternoon and head off to their roost, as our northern crows do. So far the Florida weather has done its best liv- ing up to its reputation of sun and warmth. It was 81 degrees when I got up, quite a change from the temperatures before we left home. Even before we arrived here we had been told the fishing was good, so we thought a short walk to the pier that is noted for its fishing would tell us whether or not we should at least buy some bait. So off we went. Sure enough, it looked like a good day for fish- ing, so we returned to pick up our fishing gear and stopped by the little bait shop on the pier to get some live shrimp and squid. Halfway out on the pier we dropped our lines. In minutes the bait was taken and I could see a dozen small fish following it. m z 0 J a z a a a m v w 4j 0 v a00 va) SA 3N t w O ro a) C v ao 'm E � � t O +' b C G1 3 b� +t+ L N S O t 2%4 ro O u � T c L > O ~ L � v o -`o' -0 o 0` 'i CQ o v E c N. � 1n $ c C 'C ab W c C a, N4 2 -o `O 3 C E 3 M o c -0 3 -0 W 0 o � ro C c E u O +° — ''o aJ 0 v 0 3 E a, � o � � i o W oov -0 0 0 Los �o L ra L � v 3 As the day went on, we moved farther out on the dock.and eventually caught a small grouper, some sheepshead, a few triggerfish and even a small blowfish. It was exciting but didn't put anything on our table. Down here you need a license for saltwa- ter fishing. A friend of ours had caught a 21 -inch grouper that morning. It was a greatway to start off the winter down here in Florida. The most interesting to me of all the fish v the triggerfish, not one I'm familiar with at all. The triggerfish likes to hang arou where I caught the high up on their h round mouth but sharp teeth that bite. We were able to identify the young triggerfish we caught by the dark blotches on its sides. The name triggerfish is the most interesting thing about this fish. Nature has given much of wildlife interesting characteristics to help them . with their survival. At home we have the angler fish, which lures in small fish with the bait -like appendage on its head just above its mouth. As the smaller fish approach the "waving bait," the angler fish opens its mouth and it's dinnertime! Now we've learned about the triggerfish's inter- esting lifesaving trick. On the top of the fish there is a spine that can kill a predator that bites down on it. These spines are very flexible. The sharp first dorsal spine, or "trigger," can move up or down at will. When a predator bites down on the first spine, a second spine moves forward to lock it in place. This trick also works when the fish is threat- ened or ready for sleep at night or wants to secure itself against wave action. The fish goes into a hole, sticks up its top trigger, Ilexes the next one and then locks them both in place. They say once locked in place, the fish is hard to release from its sleeping position. While out on the pier we spotted frigate birds gliding overhead. The frigate bird is a large, black seabird with extremely long, angled wings and a scissor -like tail that it often folds to a point. We sometimes see them drifting igside us as we travel the bridge to the mainland. They eat in the air by chasing flying fish or forcing itch, or they just pick -ir bills as they fly We were glad to catch a few sheepshead with 'their familiar vertical black bands that stand out against the dull white or gray background of their body. They are a good eating fish. Ours were not ready for the table, but when big enough, we enjoy them in a grouper sandwich for dinner or, as we had them the other day, grilled over a Caesar salad for lunch as we sat on the pier and watched the traffic pass through the Inland Waterway. What a surprise to pull up a blowfish just big enough to sit in my hand for a photograph — the first one I've caught down here. It reminded me of all the great blowfish we used to catch back home. Wouldn't it be great to see them back again? So much to see and do down here. While out driving we were glad to see some old friends, the monarch butterflies, as they were passing through on their way to Mexico. We also have the pretty little blue and tan skippers, smaller than the mon- archs but equally pretty, as they settle down on I some of the flowers around our place.