Loading...
December 17, 1998 - Feeding the buffalo; confounding squirrelsSuffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh The cattle egret is a bird of the Old World. Somehow it crossed the Atlantic and was first seen in Florida in 1941. It has now spread along the Gulf Coast and up the Atlantic seaboard as far north as Canada. A late date for this white pasture bird was Dec. 5, when seen feeding with Ed Tuccio's buffalo herd in Riverhead. Now Available! Unvented heaters by Vermont Castings • Vanguard 99.9% fuel efficiency, no electricity required. December 17,1998! The Suffolk,Times o4SA Feeding the buffalo; confounding squirrels Seems to me I've seen more and more field corn grown here on the East End. Field corn can usually be distinguished from sweet corn (the type we eat) by its tight planting and tall growth. All corn is super tender when it comes to frost and the mere nearness to that fatal temperature is enough to change its summer green to the dead tan of Focus fall. It will stand for ON weeks, even months, drying and awaiting the NATURE day of harvest. by Paul There was a time Stoutenburgh when the cattle corn was left in the field until needed. The stalks would be bunched togeth- er and stacked upright awaiting winter. Of course between the cornstalks, away from the cold, the mice and rats would play. Here was paradise, a warm nesting area and plen- ty to eat. What more could a mouse ask for? Of course, their paradise only lasted until the farmer needed more folder for his cattle and then they were left exposed, which usually meant the stomping feet of the farmer and then the wild chase of his dogs. At Hallockville Museum Farm, just over the border of Southold Town on the North Road, they have two cows that add a bit of nostalgia to the barns and surroundings. The cows are in retirement but they still have to be fed. Hay is their mainstay but we like to give them a treat, which is usually corn, and that's where I come in. Ed Tuccio, one of the board members, has a herd of buffalo up on Roanoke Avenue in Riverhead and raises acres and acres of corn for his hungry herd. On display in our showroom. Come on in! Direct -Vent and Vent -Free Models.Vent -free model can be installed directly against a wall. VAN DUZER APPLIANCE COO NORTH ROAD, SOUTHOLD 40 765 -3882 or 765 -3452 He offered all the corn we could use. Needless to say, it didn't take long for us to take advan- tage of his offer, so Saturday morning I was in my pickup at his farm ready to load. Of course, I couldn't just get the corn with- out taking advantage of seeing his herd of buf- falo. "Sure, follow me," Ed said as he hopped on his tractor and headed up the lane. I fol- lowed and soon found myself alongside a huge row of six - foot -high rolls of hay. These had just been delivered for winter feeding and that great pile of baled hay gave me a true idea of how much these huge animals eat. When I say huge, I mean huge. I stand six foot and when two of the big bulls wandered out of the herd to inspect us they, too, were six feet high, their massive shoulders tapering down to their rather small rear ends. In front they have a massive head with two menacing horns. There must have been 20 or more, from young calves of this year to the two granddaddies who ruled the herd. All seemed in excellent condition. Already they had their thick, dark -brown win- ter coats on. I stood there mesmerized by their enormity and stance. I was so captivated by these champions of the past that I didn't even see a white bird walking among them. Ed asked, "What is that ?" To my surprise it was a cattle egret, the same white egret we see on TV when we are taken on one of those wildlife adventures in Africa. Often we see them standing on the back of a rhinoceros or some other grazing animal. Their natural habit at is the grassland where they feed among the animals that stir up insects while grazing. Then it is short work See Focus, next page y� A g IFFERENT F HOMELESS Dear Friers _ ` V The holiday season is a very special time of year. We celebrate the joys of the season and give thanks for our friends and families. Many of our families also include very special members who give us an added sense of happiness and warmth all year - round. They share our joy and our sadness; they comfort us; and they give us unconditional love. These family members often change the very lives of the people they touch. These are our pets. Kent Animal Shelter is celebrating its 30th anniversary of helping homeless animals. This holiday season give the gift of new life to a homeless animal. Our rescue program saves thousands of animals from an untimely death. Your contribution to the Kent Animal Shelter can help to give a second chance to unfortunate animals and feed and shelter them until new homes can be found. The shelter is a not - for- profit 501(c)3 organization and your gift is tax deductible. E:'_ N OPEN 7 DAYS C�1l1 Kent Animal Shelter at ANIMAL SHELTER, INC. 727-5731 Visit our Web site: A humane organization dedicated to the welfare of animals. http : / /www.kentanimalsheiter.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Yes, I would like to help a homeless animal this holiday season. My tax deductible gift is enclosed. I cannot contribute a gift at this time but I would like more information about the Kent Animal Shelter and its programs. Name _ Address Please make check payable to Kent Animal Shelter. r Send this coupon to Kent at 2259 River Rd., Calverton, NY 11933. a 14A • The Suffolk Times • December 17, 1998 Christmas Trees Cut V -20' • Table Top Balled and Burlap • Assorted Greens • Doping • Holly • Wreaths • Poinsettias • Holiday Plants North Road, Southold Open 8 -5 Daily 765 -3600 msb®® Focus on Nature... ►From previous page where they feed among the animals that stir up insects while grazing. Then it is short work for these pasture birds to pluck up the goodies as they scurry out of the way of the moving animals. This cattle egret should have left long ago for a warmer climate where insects are still hopping about. Those of you who have gone to Florida and other places south see these white egrets along the roadside, hunting. You'll even find them in the parking lot medians or around your favorite con- dominium lawn. Usually they stay in groups and, as with gulls, if good feed- ing is found they soon attract others. This bird was almost pure white. It had lost its orange rusty dusting of the head and breast. That's usually saved for courting and nesting time. Cattle egrets are so common down south that few people stop or even give them a second glance. Yet in our lifetime it excited the bird world when first found in Clewiston, Fla., back in 1941. Just how it got from the Old World of Spain, Portugal and Africa is anyone's guess. The most plausible explanation is that it flew here across the Atlantic with the help of storms and the wester- ly trade winds. It was later discovered nesting in Lake Okeechobee in 1953. From there it spread along the entire Gulf Coast all the way to Texas. It's also spread along the Atlantic seaboard as far north as Canada. The cattle egret I saw in Riverhead seemed a natural with the Buffalo and the un- usually warm temperature of 70 de- grees. What it will do when the tem- perature drops is going to be interest- ing. One thing I know for sure is that if our cattle egret doesn't head south real soon its days are limited, for as soon as the temperature drops below 50 degrees, most insects disappear and without insects there'll be no cattle egret. Squirrels seem stymied On an entirely different subject, some time ago I promised to report just how my squirrel -free feeder worked out. If you remember I put up a feed- er with an improvised garbage- can -top baffle that proved to be a failure. The squirrels were first puzzled by my galvanized pole with all the goodies atop but it didn't take long for them to figure out how to climb up the pipe and then reach way out to the edge of the garbage can cover and then, with a quick flip, pull themselves up and over the top. There they'd sit munching away with that smart- alecky look, devouring my prize sunflower seed. Seeing that didn't work, I tried a new and more radical approach. I hung a feeder from a high limb. Here I thought I had foiled them and did ... for about one day. They'd go below the feeder, sit on their haunches and look up. I could almost see the gears in their tiny brains working out a solution to my latest innovation. Plan No. 1: They tried jumping from the ground up but found it was too high. Plan No. 2 was to climb the tree. I watched them hesi- tate, think it out and then with much tail - wagging and chatter I assumed they said, "I'll try it." Sure enough, one jumped at the feeder, hit it, knocked some of the seed on the ground and again sat on his smart little haunches and stuffed himself with my sunflower seed. I was at my wit's end. I'd give it one more try. I'd move the feeder another six feet away from the tree trunk, which, by the way, was no easy matter. I had to throw a line up over the branch (an eight - ounce sinker provided the weight). Then after much throwing, correcting, tangling and a few choice words I made the right throw and moved the feed- er farther away from the tree trunk. Today I am happy to report, after four weeks of trial, no gray squirrel has yet figured out how to get to my swinging feeder. Eureka, it worked! Since the beginning when I first reported my little episodes with gray squirrels, I've had many letters from readers who have given me their ad- vice. Of all of them the best is the fol- lowing sent to my by Bob Hull of Durham, N.H.: String a wire between two points to hang your feeders on. The key to success is to string three - liter soda bottles on each end by piercing a hole in the cap and one through the bottom. With these spin- ning plastic bottles at each end. Mr. Squirrel is immediately thrown off as he attempts to crawl over them to get to your feeder. So if you are having difficulty trying to outsmart the squir- rels, try one of these two proven methods. Good luck. i stood there mesmerized by the buffalos' enormity and stance.