February 15, 1979 - Winter survivalVIRGINIA RAIL — Without the open waterways left in our little creeks and streams, birds such as this surely are doomed
WINTER SURVIVAL
focus on nature
by Paul Stoutenburgh
Monday night, or should I say evening, for
it's just 5:15, and its still light out. We've
had a bitter cold week, with snow on top of it
all. If that wasn't enough to let us know
who's in charge. the winter winds started to
blow and drifted the snow into beautiful
layers all along our snow fences. As the wind
blew. it drove the snow away, leaving the
bare soil which then blew about and made
our gorgeous snow dirty brown. Our pasture
down below had taken on an unclean look,
but lo, it's snowing again. Super fine. almost
dust -like flakes have turned their magic on
and are transforming the pasture back into f
its pristine white again.
For most of us who sit in a warm house it f
is hard to realize how difficult the outside
world can be. I see it around our place in o
many ways. The chickens are no longer seen 1
wandering across the lawn or scratching in a
the woods out back, but are huddled close in g
the chicken coop. The only ones who brave v
the outside are the geese, and they show e
their discomfort by sitting on their feet most n
of the time to keep warm. Their thick down s
serves them well against the cold. s
Our horse, who shuns the barn most of the t
time, now seeks shelter from the zero o
weather by standing inside and looking out.
His coat so thick that some of the snow from
five days ago still clings to his hack un-
melted. Nature has protected him well from w
winter's weather. T
Signs of cold are everywhere. When I h
collect the eggs I find some cracked, frozen
solid. At night, when I go out to get wood for s
the kitchen stove and the wind is howling in r
the treetops, I can actually hear the trees
cracking. One hickory in particular by the
back door literally groans and snaps as the
wind blows through its frozen body.
Rhododendron Thermometer
Of course the snow we all walk on also has
a different sound beneath our feet when the
temperature drops way low. My cold
weather barometer, the rhododendrons,
have not uncurled for the past week. It
seems incredible they could shrivel any
more, but when the warm weather comes
the miracle will be performed and they will
unfold and become themselves again.
My birdfeeders seem to be used more
during this week than any other time. The
cardinals have just left after feeding con-
tinually for more than a half hour, gathering
enough energy to hold them through the
night. Food means heat and energy to them
and one night without it in zero weather is
enough to do them in.
But how does the cold affect the natural
world away from home? For a while there
were some areas in our creeks and bays that
remained open because of tide or wind; but
now the wind has dropped off and all has
rozen over. This can be disastrous for those
�vho rely on these areas of open water for
ood and warmth. The water is relatively
warm to ducks, compared to the harshness
f being out of the water in these extremely
ow temperatures. And, of course, there's
]ways the danger that when the duck or
ull is sitting on the ice they become more
ulnerable to predators, such as fox, dog,
tc. Ducks, swans, herons, rails and the like
eed these open areas desperately for
urvival. Like the swamps and fresh water
pots that are continually being filled
hroughout our land, these open salt water
ases are the means of life or death for
many.
Hard Times War of Survival
Each year we have a few clapper rails
intering over in our open creek areas.
hey're found around the water spots that
ave a movement of water from the ground
r bog, and therefore are warm enough to
tay open. The same is true of a few Virginia
ails who spend most of their time in fresh
water areas, which also remain open
ecause of the flow of underground springs.
roundwater temperature is approximately
0 degrees and is always flowing from
pland into the salt water. Both of these
ails, for some unknown reason, try to make
through the winter up here instead of
ying south as most of their-kind do. There's
place in Orient I can almost always find a
ail feeding, provided it's not too harsh.
mall killies and insects collect here in the
arm waters and therefore provide food for
em. Other birds that visit these areas are
e kingfisher. the beautiful Wilson snipe,
birds such as this are surely doomed ,
along with an occasional stray black -
crowned night heron or great blue heron.
These bigger birds also tackle larger prey,
such as mice and rats that visit the area. It's
a deadly game that's played in the world of
survival and these hard times.
Not far from the creek's end the owls work
the marsh and fields by night. Titeii• game is
seek and ye shall find. bet this story is
changed drastically when the snow corers
their food supply of mice and shrews. Now
their super sight is of no avail, for beneath
the snow in a myriad of tunnels these
rodents can maneuver about undetected.
Should there be a blockage of grass or debris
interfering with their route it will be eaten
away to become part of the tunnel system.
Already 'ye had calls about dead owls being
found. presumably through starvation. But
all this is part of the evolutionary process.
Those who can't make it die and their
remains become part of the duff our world is
made of. Those wise in the ways of survival
pass this knowledge unknowing: en 1'1 their
young, who in turn are just a tiny bit more
able to tatce care of themselves in the real
world.
• 3'•es.' ne�Z:ec`'Zira o�',c k7a.?we0 dbi, ,C,,:sd 4. -S
SONG
IS BORN!!!
4.*
A new novelty song -- "A1E -OW i
WOW WOW" words and music by ,g
Southold composer Bert O'Neill
piano arrangement by Wes Smith -- 6`>
will be played and recorded for the s'
first time publicly by Frank Anthony ,
and his Orchestra at The Cherry o-
Pickers Annual Ball, American G;
Legion Hall, Shelter Island, Sat. ie
Eve., 9 P.M., Feb. 17th. Copies of �>
lyrics will be distributed free.
ea'
E THERE—
Y° HEAR!!!
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
.ills: ,.'.,I': ` 1 :T ■ 110,,
C;F'EN DAILY 10 �5 .- ,1--;;.tii
0/1
Q''iUtest j17Dair_ e c \t
,l
1 . How much does a
Gnome weigh?
2. Where do Gnomes
live?
3. Why do forest
animals share
their food with
Gnomes?
Answers to these questions
and more —
available in
N.Y'. TIMES
BEST SELLER
for 56 weeks
now in
PAPERBACK!!!
Phone Orders On
Visa and blaster Charge
C
tl+
�1