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April 12, 2001 - After the storm, life goes on14A • The Suffolk Times • April 12, 2001 ter t e storm, life goes on Photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh This small sharp - shinned hawk flew into our window in pursuit of its favorite prey, a small bird. It hit with such force that It was killed instantly. These aggressive little hawks will terrorize the small birds at your feeder and they are often the cause of the THINK BACK wrrH ME to two Friday; ago when we had that howling south easter with its torrents of windblowr rain. Sit with me in front of our big pic• ture window that overlooks our lawr and pasture that are finally turnin€ green. Rain is pouring down the FOGU$ windowpane, cre- ating rivulets of ON motion. Outside becomes blurred. NATURE Every once in a by Paul while the wind Stoutenburgh builds up to a gale force with sheets of pale gray rain that saturate the lawn, creating huge puddles of water. Nothing stirs during these tormented spells of sheer rain and wind except when there is a lull in the storm. Then our three birdfeeders become active when from out of nowhere busy goldfinches arrive to glean a few thistle seeds before the next wind and deluge of rain that make foraging impossible. The tall, 80- year -old hickory trees sway in a mad mixture of lulls and tempest. The whole tree sways under the pressure of the storm. Should this combination of wind and rain occur when the leaves are on the trees, there would be more than just swaying trees and limbs. With their sails up (their leaves on) the limbs could break and with the soggy ground, trees would start to go down. Have you ever watched a tree go down because, of wind and rain? I have. I can remember when I was in Southold High School watching the then -huge trees in front of the school go g- r- a -d -u- a-1-1-y down in the 1938 hurricane. (Barbara remembers as well watching a huge black walnut tree in the back yard of the old farmhouse s- 1- o -w -1 -y make its way to the ground in that storm.) Again the cause of their demise was that combination of rain and wind. I had rained heavily the day before that fateful day, making the ground soggy. The leaves still on the trees create more wind resistance, then with the hurricane -force winds, we were in "the perfect storm." A terrible crash Another day, as I sat writing, a ter- rific crash made me jump to my feet. Had Barbara dropped some large cooking pot or bowl on the kitchen tile floor or had a big bird hit our liv- ing room window? I've heard other birds hit windows but nothing like the crash I'd just heard. Even Barbara said she heard it way down the other end of the house. What could it be? She'd check outside. Within a few minutes she returned with a limp, dead sharp- shinned hawk in her hand. No wonder the sound was so loud. This hawk is one of two or three woodland hawks that terrorize the small -bird population. This swift and aggressive, and often ruthless, predator evidently took our window's reflection of the woods as fair passage and crashed into it. The same thing happened last week when we reported that a goldfinch had hit our window, but luckily that time the bird survived. "Sharpies" live almost exclusively on small birds (less than robin size). This deadly trait is often the reason for the sudden lack of birds around your feeder. Often callers will tell of a hawk that has flown in and taken one of "their" birds. Cotty Tuthill tells me one hawk sits out- side her kitchen window just waiting for a bird to arrive at the feeder. The reason we don't see these fierce hunters more often is that they are small, about the size of a dove. They are easily hidden by the shrubbery or trees where they are in constant pursuit of small birds. Often the only way I know one is around is by the lack of birds at my 11V feeder. If you're lucky Ot enough to see one of these hit hot pursuers, you can recog- nize it by its short, rounded wings and long tail. The one Iik e that hit our window was, a cr first -year bird in its tradi tional mottled brown an In St long, dull, banded tail. Most first -year juveniles succumb to the many pitfalls of youth that he ahead o them. The lack of hunting skills takes its toll plus fail- ure of finding suitable unoc- cupied territory takes up to three- quarters of the young of all birds. Before we leave this relentless hunter, let me tell you about my most memo- rable experience with a sharp - shinned hawk. It occurred out on Narrow River Road during a winter's birding trip to Orient. We had stopped the car and gotten out to look over some winter ducks just east of the road when all of a sudden a flock of terrified snow buntings flew by. Then out of nowhere dropped a sharpie and plucked one of the birds right out of the flock. In an instant it was all over and we were left with our mouths agape and feathers floating. A sharpie had plucked the weak- est bunting out of the flock and was gone right before our eyes. Trip W Gardiners Island Two weeks ago I had the privilege of visiting Gardiners Island. It was only a short day trip but it's always a rewarding one. Already the herring and black- backed gulls have paired off and are getting ready to lay their eggs. They'll be placed in bulky nests of dried grasses on the ground. When I first visited the island 60 or so years ago they were mostly herring gulls nesting in small colonies e heard on both ends of the island. her birds Today they have taken over not only the sandy WindOWS, ends of the island but have ut nothing moved inland. It's very the discouraging for they have forced the once - active ash I'd terns and black skimmer heard.' colonies off the island. There are still a good many ospreys nesting on the island. The problem is that when the eggs are laid it's a constant battle by the adult ospreys to keep the gulls away from first the eggs and later the Young. The good and the bad news is that there is now a crow roost on the island in a clump of pines near the landing. While crows are not that choosy about whose eggs and young they snatch, it is hoped they will put their greatest effort into reducing the gull population, and leave other birds alone. As I went around the island I saw a lingering rough - legged hawk soaring over the open fields. I mention this because it's one of the big hawks we see occasionally on the North Fork during the winter, particularly over Orient. They're as big as the red - tailed hawk that we see most often here in our area. Soon the rough - legged hawk will be making its way back to the far north where it will nest in the Arctic tundra. It lives mainly on voles and mice. P.S. Have you heard the robins call- ing? Have you noticed the goldfinches beginning to change into their bright yellow and black summer plumage? Have you noticed how much brighter the throat and head of the white- throat- ed sparrow are eettine these days?