December 09, 2010 - Counting crows and landing a ladyfish8A I DECEMBER 9, 2010 1 SUFFOLKTIMES.COM
Counting
crows and
landing a
ladyfish
Our sons came down to spend the Thanksgiving
holiday with us here in Florida After a big turkey
dinner with friends from the North Fork at the wa-
ter's edge, we were anxious to get out visiting some
of our favorite places along the west coast and do
some fishing in the beautiful weather.
There is alittle rustic caf6 in the fishing village
across the water from us where, for a modest fee, you
can rent a boat with a captain for a few hours. It was
a bit windy but we finally began to catch a few of the
smaller fish: little lady -
FOCUS ON NATURE fish, a lizard fish and
even asnake fish, but
nothing of any size.
Then — ziiiiii-
��� innnng— mylinetore
out of the reel and my
pole bent double as
though something big
PAUL S UUitiVtiUiii.;H was trying to get away
with it. I had previ-
ously set the drag on the reel so that if the occasion
came up it would let the fish take the line out but
prevent it from breaking. I reeled in as my prize tried
to escape. Then again — ziiiinnnnng —more line
went out. The captain moved the boat about as the
fish went first toward the bow, then underneath and
then to the stem of the boat
Off it would charge, only to be brought back by
my reeling in.
"Get the net," someone called as my silvery-white
prize broke water off to the side of the boat The line
passed a knotted section of my spool, which told me
this was old backup line and who knew how strong
it would be. Reeling in, I got the good line back on
the spool and now we could see the glistening White
fish below. My sons passed the net back and forth
from one side of me to the other and the fish kept up
its fight trying to escape in every direction. It felt like
I was fighting a big bluefish back home.
I knew the fish was weakening and I was, too.
Our captain thought it might be a black -tipped
shark when she saw the tip of its tail but no, as
we brought it in closer and finally into the boat it
proved to be a ladyfish, a member of the tarpon
family, which accounts for its breaking water as I
was reeling it in Our captain said she had never
seen such a big ladyfish before.
BARBARA STOUTENBURGH PHOTOS
Fish crows come in to roost by the thousands. some landing on boats, some on fishing shacks, all getting ready to fly off
to their island roost across the bay.
On the North Fork we see great blue herons, but we never
see them nesting as we do down here in Florida. Here a
mother watches over her two young.
We were fishing fairly close to shore, where big
pines grow over the water and great blue herons
nest We see these great blue herons on the North
Fork, but they do not nest there.
To add to our day's fishing, a school of porpoise
circled the boat chasing mullet, which leapt out of
the water. We followed the dolphins as they turned
to go into a boat canal and swam alongside after
the mullet As we headed toward the end of the
canal, we could see what looked like huge turtles'
backs on the surface of the water.
They were manatees resting in the sun; others
were moving about at their slow lumbering pace. We
could even see the young swimming alongside their
mothers —down they would go to feed, then up for a
DIM
BEAT �B
by D.W. Papers
est
1Fme
B Facial en OXO
the North Fa,k
eJa t a
.L 9) C"y 05 P-111-1
Wishing all our friends and neighbors on the North Fork
many joyful and warm memories of this holiday season.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Gift Certif catesAreAvaikbk
Visit us at www.paulizak.com
55 Route 48 • Mattituck, NY 11952 • Phone 298 -1119
HOURS: Tues., Wed., Sat. 10 am - 6 pm, Thurs., Fri. 10 am - 8 pm
gulp of air. We had neverbefore been so close to these
gentle creatures as they surfaced alongside the boat.
After a great day on the water we headed for a
quiet place to eat. Alongside some working boats
on a small canal, by a fish market and close to
a boat yard, we found just the spot We ordered
mostly seafood for dinner and sat at an outdoor
picnic table enjoying our late- aftemoon meal
Then, what I consider one of the great spectacles
in the bird world started to happen. You can't go to
Florida without hearing the raucous call of the fish
crow. These birds seem to be everywhere. We began
to hear a few crows calling. Looking up into the
blue sky, we noticed crows all flying in one direc-
tion. We ate our meal and occasionally looked up
and saw the crows were still flying, all in a westerly
direction. And they never stopped.
They must have been heading for a roost. We
paid little attention at first but then as they in-
creased in numbers and darkness started to close
in, we could count hundreds, no, thousands, of
these squawking fish crows. We knew they must be
dropping down nearby.
After we finished eating we started to look for
their roost; in and out of fishingplaces, up and down
streets we kept looking, listening and following them.
No matter where we looked, we saw and heard crows.
This reminded me of the American crows up north
that will do the same thing every evening when they
come in to roost, but nothing like the quantity of
what we were seeing and hearing.
Finallywe turned around a comer and there, at a
shipyard, we could see the crows all around us. We be-
came a part of the scene and the sound. The immensity
of it all was almost mesmerizing, and so our busy day
in the sun ended with some good eating and fishing
and watching the crows as they gathered to head for
their roost on a mangrove island across the bay.
DECEMBER 9, 2010 1 RIVERHEADNEWSREVIEW.COM
sons came clown to
(holiday with us here in Florida. After a big turkey
dinner with friends from the North Fork at the wa-
ter's edge, we were anxious to get out visiting some
of our favorite places along the west coast and do
some fishing in the beautiful weather.
There is a little rustic cafd in the fishing village
across the water from us where, for a modest fee, you
can rent a boat with a captain for a few hours. It was
a bit windy but we finally began to catch a few of the
smaller fish: little lady -
FOCUS ON NATURE fish, a lizard fish and
even a snake fish, but
nothing of any size.
Then — ziiiiii-
°� "����"� -�� innnng— my line torc
4 out of the reel and my
pole bent double as
though something big
PAUL STOUTENBURGH was trying to get away
with it. I had previ-
isly set the drag on the reel so that if the occasion
me up it would let the fish take the line out but
event it from breaking. I reeled in as my prize tried
escape. Then again — ziiiinruinng— more line
snt out. The captain moved the boat about as the
h went first toward the bow, then underneath and
an to the stern of the boat.
Off it would charge, only to be brought back by
my reeling in.
"Get the net," someone called as my silvery-white
prize broke water off to the side of the boat. The line
passed a knotted section of my spool, which told me
this was old backup line and who knew how strong
it would be. Reeling in, I got the good line back on
the spool and now we could see the glistening white
fish below. My sons passed the net back and forth
from one side of me to the other and the fish kept up
its fight trying to escape in every direction. It felt like
I was fighting a big bluefish back home.
I knew the fish was weakening and I was, too.
Our captain thought it might be a black -tipped
shark when she saw the tip of its tail but no, as
we brought it in closer and finally into the boat it
proved to be a ladyfish, a member of the tarpon
family, which accounts for its breaking water as I
was reeling it in. Our captain said she had never
seen such a big ladvfish before.
Counting
crows and
landing a
ladvf*lsh
the North Fork we see great blue herons, but we nev,
them nesting as we do down here in Florida. Here
We were fishing fairly close to shore, where big
pines grow over the water and great blue herons
nest. We see these great blue herons on the North
Fork, but they do not nest there.
To add to our day's fishing, a school of porpoise
circled the boat chasing mullet, which leapt out of
the water. We followed the dolphins as they turned
to go into a boat canal and swam alongside after
the mullet. As we headed toward the end of the
canal, we could see what looked like huge turtles'
backs on the surface of the water.
They were manatees resting in the sun; others
were moving about at their slow lumbering pace. We
could even see the young swimming alongside their
mothers — down they would go to feed, then up for a
n �
,
41"k V
BARBARA STOUTENBURGH PHOTO
Fish crows come in to roost by the thousands, some landing on boats, some on fishing shacks, all getting ready to fly 01
to their island roost across the bay.
gulp of air. We had never before been so close to mese
gentle creatures as they surfaced alongside the boat.
After a great day on the water we headed for a
quiet place to eat. Alongside some working boats
on a small canal, by a fish market and close to
a boat yard, we found just the spot. We ordered
mostly seafood for dinner and sat at an outdoor
picnic table enjoying our late - afternoon meal.
Then, what I consider one of the great spectacles
in the bird world started to happen. You can't go to
Florida without hearing the raucous call of the fish
crow. These birds seem to be everywhere. We begar.
to hear a few crows calling. Looking up into the
blue sky, we noticed crows all flying in one direc-
tion. We ate our meal and occasionally looked up
and saw the crows were still flying, all in a westerly
direction. And they never stopped.
They must have been heading for a roost. We
paid little attention at first but then as they in-
creased in numbers and darkness started to close
in, we could count hundreds, no, thousands, of
these squawking fish crows. We knew they must be
dronninc down nearby.
After we finished eating we startea to ioux iur
their roost; in and out of fishing places, up and down
streets we kept looking, listening and following them.
No matter where we looked, we saw and heard crows
This reminded me of the American crows up north
that will do the same thing every evening when they
come in to roost, but nothing like the quantity of
what we were seeing and hearing.
rinaiiy we turnea arouna a corner ana there, at a
shipyard, we could see the crows all around us. We be-
came a part of the scene and the sound. The immensii
of it all was almost mesmerizing, and so our busy day
in the sun ended with some good eating and fishing
and watching the crows as they gathered to head for
Itheir roost on a mangrove island across the bay. _