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April 28, 2005 - A walk on Florida's wild sideThe Suffolk Times • April 28, 2005.7A A walk on Florida's wild side How Lucxy BARBARA and I have been to enjoy and share a world of interest wherever we go. By that I mean a natural world that is all about us, whether it is cramped into a city's hustle and bustle or on a boat, big or small, near or far, or even in our own back yard. I guess what I'm saying is don't get in a rut and let FOCUS your life be wast- ed on emptiness. O N There's a world of doings out NATURE there, so get in- volved. Barbara y and I go over - Stoutenburgh board and have too many fields to play in. Right now we're in Florida, and all about is that wonderful world of things to see and do. We're only a block or so from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with its wide, white beaches and gently rolling surf. A walk always turns up something. Just last evening we watched the sun be swallowed up by the impatient evening sky that charged in with an extravaganza of color. Prior to the sun's setting, we watched the "peeps" or least sandpipers play tag with the waves as they came rolling in and then receded, leaving a new and fertile path for those three busy shorebirds to feed on. These, like other shorebirds, were replenishing the fat they had used up on their long trip from the other end of the earth somewhere in South <` A TimeslR ew photos by Barbara Sloulenburgh WlIlets can be found nesting along our south shore. The large shorebird has a long, straight bill that lets It probe for worths, small mollusks and other organisms_ The photos show one wilet searching for food (right) and the other taking a break. America. This piece of beach, like many others, was one of their rest and food stops Never mind they had to share the beach with occasional swimmers or beach walkers; these tiny bits of fluff had to refuel and rest. Then they'd be off on the next leg of their journey, perhaps to the sand flats in Moriches Bay or the marsh edges along Flan- ders Bay in Riverhead. We also saw the big shorebird, the willet, that nests along our south Preston's Gallery FOR MO'1'H R'S DAY Preston's Gallery is filled to the gunwales with new spring items to make your Mother's Day shopping easy. Along with our huge supply of nautical lamps, rugs, furniture and giftware, you'll find the following items that are sure to make Mother's Day special! • Tableware and Linens • Stationery and Cards • Vera Bradley Bags & Accessories • Limited and Open Edition Lithographs and Posters • Nautical Gifts and Decor • Fine Nautical Jewelry • Aromatique Preston's Gallery 112 Main Street — Greenport — 477 -1990 Come see us I New things are happening every day! shore. It's a bird of drab coloring, but when it takes to the air it flashes broad white stripes on its wings It, too, was working the water's edge, probing deep with its long, straight bill. These large shorebirds inspired Barbara to bring out her camera, and she got some good shots of this long - legged shorebird that had previously eluded us We'll hope that later, when we get her card developed with the photograph of the willet, it's as good as the picture of a willet that Alex gave me years ago that still hangs on my wall at home. Then there was one lone black -bel- tied plover that was still in its winter plumage. Soon it, too,will head for the great expanse of the northern tundra — but by then it will have traded in its winter coat for one of speckled black and white above and a black chest, making it quite handsome. We'll see this robin -size migrant along our shores at home, often on the sod farms We are on a long, nar- row island that is teeming with vacationers; therefore there is a heavy demand for road space. The main highway sometimes gets plugged up with traffic and to alleviate the situation the city runs a free trolley the length of the island. Not having any reference books down here that we can call upon, we decided to take the trolley to the pub- lic library, which, by the way, is first class We needed to do some checking because when we went on a walk this morning we saw three birds going through their mating and courtship maneuvers They looked like the kingbird we have at home, but slightly differ- ent. We checked with our binoculars and took pictures, but the only way to check it out for sure was to come here to the library. We had a Florida natural history book we brought along with us, but it had a limited amount of information and we needed something more specific. Sure enough, we found our birds to be gray kingbirds, much at home along the coast of Florida.This was a new bird for both Barbara and me and, once again, it showed that a single walk can turn into a mini- adventure. The reason these large flycatchers are called kingbirds is their aggressive behavior toward anyone who dares to venture near their nesting area; crows and grackles are particularly targeted by these scrappy flycatchers Often you can find these birds perched on a dead branch just waiting for some unsuspecting insect to pass by. Then, in its characteristic attack, it will By out and snatch the insect out of the air only to return to the perch where it awaits its next meal. Years ago beekeepers came down hard on kingbirds, as they would often snatch bees from their apiary. Today in a more enlightened world, we know that the few bees taken by the king- bird are more than offset by the good the bird does in ridding the air of the more pesky and harmful insects it takes Last but not least, I want to report on the osprey we see down here. Yes, not all the ospreys go north in the spring. Some are year -round residents here and build their nests on a wide assortment of structures One nest near where we are staying is on top of one of the communications towers We see the nest but as yet haven't seen any signs of incubating. By now most of the ospreys are back on long Island from their win- ter quarters and have pretty much finished rebuilding last year's nest. Remember, ospreys usually mate for life, but when disaster strikes or one of the pair dies, the survivor will take another mate. it's hard to tell just where "our" os- preys go in the winter. We do know by tracking some with radio and satellite equipment they go as far as Central America and the tributaries of the mighty Amazon. One thing we know for sure — Flor- ida plays host during the winter to many of the birds we see in the spring- time passing through or even nesting in our area. How this annual event of spring and fall migration came about is still not thoroughly understood and, you know. I kind of like it that wag A single walk can turn into a mini - adventure. The News- Review • April 28, 2005 A walk on Florida's wild side 1 imes /Review photos by Barbara Stoulenburgh Willets can be found nesting along our south shore. The large shorebird has a long, straight bill that lets it probe for worms, small mollusks and other organisms. The photos show one willet searching for food (right) and the other taking a break. HOW LUCKY BARBARA and I have been to enjoy and share a world of interest wherever we go. By that I mean a natural world that is all about us, whether it is cramped into a city's hustle and bustle or on a boat, big or small, near or far, or even in our own back yard. I guess what I'm saying is don't get in a rut and let FOCUS your life be wast ed on emptiness. ON There's a world of doings out NATURE there, so get in- volved. Barbara by Paul and I go over - Stoutenburgh board and have too many fields o p ay in. Right now we're in Florida, and all about is that wonderful world of things to see and do. We're only a block or so from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with its wide, white beaches and gently rolling surf. A walk always turns up something. Just last evening we watched the sun be swallowed up by the impatient evening sky that charged in with an extravaganza of color. Prior to the sun's setting, we watched the "peeps" or least sandpipers play tag with the waves as they came rolling in and ther receded, leaving a new and fertile patl for those three busy shorebirds to feec on. These, like other shorebirds, were replenishing the fat they had used up on their long trip from the other end of the earth somewhere in South America. This piece of beach, like many others, was one of their rest an( food stops. Never mind they had to share the beach with occasional swimmers or beach walkers; these tiny bits of fluff had to refuel and rest. Then they'd be off on the next leg of their journey, perhaps to the sand flats in Moriches Bay or the marsh edges along Flan- ders Bay in Riverhead. We also saw the big shorebird, the willet, that nests along our south shore. It's a bird of drab coloring, but when it takes to the air it flashes broad white stripes on its wings. It, too was working the water's edge, probing deep with its long, straight bill. These large shorebirds inspired Barbara to bring out her camera, and she got some good shots of this long - legged shorebird that had previously eluded us. We'll hope that later, when we get her card developed with the photograph of the willet, it's as good as the picture of a willet that Alex gave me years ago that still hangs on my wall at home. Then there was one lone black -bel- lied plover that was still in its winter plumage. Soon it, too, will head for the great expanse of the northern tundra — but by then it will have traded in its winter coat for one of speckled black and white above and a black chest, making it quite handsome. We'll see this robin -size migrant along our shores at home, often on the sod farms. We are on a long, nar- row island that is teeming with vacationers; therefore there is a heavy demand for road space. The main highway sometimes gets plugged up with traffic and to alleviate the situation the city runs a free trolley the length of the island. Not having any reference books down here that we can call upon, we decided to take the trolley to the pub- lic library, which, by the way, is first class. We needed to do some checking because when we went on a walk this morning we.saw three birds going through their mating and courtship maneuvers. They looked like the kingbird we have at home, but slightly differ- ent. We checked with our binoculars and took pictures, but the only way to check it out for sure was to come here to the library. We had a Florida natural history book we brought along with us, but it had a limited amount of information and we needed something more specific. Sure enough, we found our birds to be gray kingbirds, much at home along the coast of Florida. This was a new bird for both Barbara and me and. once again, it showed that a sinele walk can turn into a mini- adventure. The reason these large flycatchers are called kingbirds is their aggressive behavior toward anyone who dares to venture near their nesting area; crows and grackles are particularly targeted by these scrappy flycatchers. Often you can find these birds perched on a dead branch just waiting for some unsuspecting insect to pass by. Then, in its characteristic attack, it will fly out and snatch the insect out of the air only to return to the perch where it awaits its next meal. Years ago beekeepers came down hard on kingbirds, as they would often snatch bees from their apiary. Today in a more enlightened world, we know that the few bees taken by the king- bird are more than offset by the good the bird does in ridding the air of the more pesky and harmful insects it Last but not least, I want to report on the osprey we see down here. Yes, not all the ospreys go north in the spring. Some are year -round residents here and build their nests on a wide assortment of structures. One nest near where we are staying is on top of one of the communications towers. We see the nest but as yet haven't seen any signs of incubating. By now most of the ospreys are back on Long Island from their win- ter quarters and have pretty much finished rebuilding last year's nest. Remember, ospreys usually mate for life, but when disaster strikes or one of the pair dies, the survivor will take another mate. It's hard to tell just where "our" os- preys go in the winter. We do know by tracking some with radio and satellite equipment they go as far as Central America and the tributaries of the mighty Amazon. One thing we know for sure — Flor- ida plays host during the winter to many of the birds we see in the spring- time passing through or even nesting In our area. How this annual event of spring and .all migration came about is still not horoughly understood and, you know, kind of like it that way. A single walk can turn into a mini - adventure.