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December 10, 1998 - Paddling Lake Marratooka10A • The Suffolk Times • December 10, 1998 Paddling Lake Marratooka Canoeing in December is usually considered a pretty crazy idea by most, but not so this year. What with the unusually mild weather we've had, it made sense to Barbara and me to get out and stretch our muscles with a bit of paddling. But where to go? Orient has the FOCUS great body of ON called Hallocks Bay. NATURE Then there are by Paul the many creeks StoutenbuMh throughout our north shore that prove excellent canoeing. Or maybe we should try one of the freshwater lakes we have on the East End. Reviewing them in my mind, Marion Lake, Great Pond, Laurel Lake and Marratooka flashed by. Each had its own appeal but the one that won out was Marratooka, that great kettlehole opposite Mattituck School. We're told it was formed thousands of years ago when the last great glacier created our East End. A huge chunk of ice was forced into the ground and when it melted it created Marratooka Lake. What made Marratooka shine in my mind was its usual abundance of waterfowl and its easy access, as Southold Town owns a parcel on the south side of the lake on New Suffolk Avenue. It didn't take Barbara and me long to untie the canoe from its rack along the side of the driveway and put it in the back of the pickup. Then paddles and life jackets were thrown in and we were off. We parked at the edge of the road where the split -rail fence pre- vented us from getting off the busy highway. Parking is somewhat of a hazard as you have to park right on the curve, so be careful. With little effort we car- ried our light Kevlar canoe down to the lake. Before we got in we both scanned the lake with our glasses to check over the waterfowl. From this area you can see the ducks and geese clearly. There was a continual murmur of geese coming from the lake. Seems we had been seen and a lively discus- sion was taking place about our arrival. Most were Canada geese, about 250. Off to the right amongst them were three snow geese. Their pink bills and black- tipped pri- mary wing feathers marked these otherwise pure white visitors from the North. We reminisced about seeing these white Snow ge geese by the thousands straggle years ago when we took a foraging group of birders to Chincoteague to see the fall spectacle of their arrival. There we saw them come in and settle before us like some giant white snowstorm — their chorus and calls and clamor a sight and sound Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh ese can be recognized in flight by their white bodies and black wing tips. We get straggler The Perfect Holiday Gift! Adults and kids can quickly learn the songs of 20 birds that live on or visit the Eastern End of Long Island in 3 easy steps. Birdsongs with Tom Damian Name Address To Order Fill Out this Ad: City State—Zip Phone email CD $14.95 (each) Cassette $ 9.95 Tax $1.23 (each) Tax $ .82 Shipping for up to 3 items: $2.25 Available at Wild Bird Depot, Mattituck, NY Mail Ad with Payment to: Birdworlcs, IIne.TK PO Box 1728 Shelter Island, NY 11964 516 -749 -1655 www.onisland.com/birdworks we shall never forget. Snow geese are always a nice find as it's hard to predict just where they might be. That's why whenever I see geese, whether it's out on a sod farm grazing or a string flying high above, I check closely to see if there are any canoe. Barbara spotted a small prickly pear cactus among the mowed grasses. This colorful yellow flowering cactus surprises most who think that cactus can only be found in the desert. Here on the East End it's often found in dry, sandy places. The best place to see this handsome cactus is at Orient Beach State Park, where it truly dazzles your eyes when it blossoms in late spring. P.S. Don't handle it, as its tiny spines each year as they pass from their Arctic nesting grounds to their wintering areas along the Middle Atlantic states. white ones among them. Snow geese spend the summer in the Arctic tundra where they nest. Then it's off to the Middle Atlantic states to forage in grain- and cornfields throughout the winter months. It's during these flights between their summer and winter habitats that we occasionally get glimpses of these magnificent birds as the few stragglers stop in to refuel on their way south. The majority of them pass high and to the west of_ us where we never get to see them. Swinging our glasses over to the smaller ducks, we were rewarded with a nice flock of a hundred or more ruddy ducks. These small, dark -col- ored ducks with a white cheek patch can be spot- ted easily because of their unusual upturned tails and blue bills. It's nice to see them, especially in such quantities. Further along the shore we spot- ted widgeon, formerly called baldpate. The male has a gray head with a bright white crown that was easily picked up by our glasses. It's a rather unusual visitor to our neck of the woods because, like the ruddy duck, it is found mostly on freshwater lakes and Southold has few of these. I count- ed about 125 black ducks and 200 or more mallards. All would take off when we got too close. The latter can be found in both our fresh- and salt- water habitats. I was surprised to see a sprinkling of bufflehead ducks over on the east side of the lake. These are the small black - and -white ducks seen throughout the winter in our creeks and bays. They continually dive and frolic in small groups as they glean sleeping killies and snails from the bot- tom. will inflict a painful prick. It was good to be paddling once again and, seeing there was little or no wind along the lee shore, we moved effortlessly along. Frost had killed most of the tender plants and all that was left were the dried stalks of the swamp loosestrife and the bare branches of trees and shrubs. Two that could be easily recognized because of their dried flowers were the button bush and the sweet pepperbush, both of which love to have their feet in the moist surroundings of our freshwater wetlands. We passed the remains of a red - winged blackbird's nest woven neatly amongst the now -dry vines and shrubs of yesterday. Many, many years ago, before Marratooka's edges became popular building sites, it was part pasture where cows roamed up and down its steep slopes. Harry Waite and I learned the basics of freshwater fishing from that shore. I can remem- ber being startled half out of my wits one quiet evening when two huge creatures came rumbling down the embankment to investigate those who had intruded into their lakeside pas- ture. They turned out to be as gentle and friendly as our cows. I've often wondered if that brief encounter had something to do with us having our own cows all these years. There were still a few red leaves of the pepperidge tree that thrives in wet areas. Its winter silhouette is easily recognized around any of the freshwa- ter areas of our East End. We saw a few dilapidated wood duck nesting boxes that must have been put up years ago by some concerned citizens. Sorry to say, they've been forgotten and age has taken its toll, leaving in many instances just the galvanized Paul and Barbara explore the Mattituck lake on a warm day in December. Anxious to get going After checking this mecca for wild- fowl from the shore, we headed for the See Focus, next page