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September 11, 1997 - Night Hawk: A Rare Long Island FindGA • The Suffolk Times-* September 11, 1997 Night Hawk: A Rare Long Island Find I saw an interesting story unfold this week as I watched a group of seagulls milling about over our back pasture. Usually we see only one or two flying by, heading for the bay or Sound, but never the quantity I saw the other day. Upon close examination I could see that they FOCU$ were flying differ- ently than usual. on Their wings were moving in a more Mature rapid sort of hold- ing pattern and by Pahl then every once in Stontenbnrgh a while one would go into a stall and then the bird would snap at something. I'd seen this behavior once before over a marsh where the gulls were feeding on some sort of flying insects. Evidently there was a "hatch" and the gulls were cashing in on a flight of insects. Gulls, being opportunists and never passing up food of any sort, took advantage of the abundance of insects for a feast. It was interesting to see how they rallied around; whether they had heard by voice or seen by sight they seemed to come from everywhere. In about 20 minutes the activity had diminished and slowly, one by one, the gulls drifted off into the now- approaching darkness. All had left except one lone bird and as I looked closely I noticed it was not a gull. It had long, pointed wings and moved about in an erratic flight. I thought I knew what it was but wanted to make sure and so went in and got the binoculars and, sure enough, the lone feeder was a night hawk; its white wing markings made for a positive identification. Night hawks pass through our area each fall and spring and are usually seen just about dusk. This one was true to that pattern. This was an exceptional event, for we usually see them merely passing through and not stopping to feed as this one was along with the gulls. Its erratic flight, much like a bat, was its way of catching its prey. Once Nested on Long Island Night hawks once nested here on Long Island, but like many birds and animals today's problems are doing them in. There's a world of problems out there that have simply made it difficult for them to survive in a hundred different ways. Everything from high tension wires to lighted skyscrapers to loss of habitat, the multitudes of pesticides — the list goes on and on. Night hawks are solitary nesters seeking open ground to nest on: the dunes of Westhampton, the pine bar- rens, a flat stone along the north shore or a farmer's field. They even started to nest on gravel rooftops at one time, but most of these sites no longer see the nesting night hawk. These birds are not hawks at all but are rather related to the whippoorwill and its clan that were also once common nesters here on Long Island. As a kid each sum- mer we were always sure of hearing that wonderful mysterious call coming from the darkness. It was a strange and repeated call, one you could almost walk up to if given a chance. Like the night hawk, the whippoorwill forages for insects at night, collecting mosqui- toes, gnats, flies and bugs of all sorts in its large almost frog -like mouth. It has long whiskers around its mouth that help fun- nel the insects in. This, coupled with its erratic flight, make it a deadly flying machine. During the daytime both the night hawk and the whippoorwill spend their time sleeping lengthwise on a branch or wall or sometimes a stone or tree stump. They blend into the surroundings so well that people most often would walk right by the resting bird without ever noticing it. In the old country overseas they had similar birds that were called goatsuckers because superstition thought they could suck milk from a goat because of their large mouth. That name carried over into the new world and for a while our night hawks and whip- poorwills were called goatsuckers. Leaving the gulls and goatsuckers be- hind, let's go to the wood lot where we can see some of the magic that the little bit of rain we got a few weeks ago produced. What originally brought me into this small tract of woods was the changing from summer to fall. It was time to think about getting wood in for winter. Two years ago a large oak had come down and needed cutting, but like so many things it was put off until now, plus I'd gotten a new chain - saw chain and was eager to try it out. The first thing I noticed was the Indian Also found in the woods were mush- rooms of all sorts, again doing their part in the never- ending process of transposing dead material into rich soil. We see these fungi only when they are ready to repro- duce in the fruiting stage as mushrooms. They come in different colors and sizes. Some even cling to trees like shelves and are hard, almost woodlike. It's only during this time that we see them for most of their lives they are working mysteriously underground or inside the decaying tree or stump. Their tiny threadlike hairs, or mycellium, spreads through the dead plant material, breaking it down into nutrient - rich soil. What wonders are going on all about us. Fungi were the only visible things I could see yet I knew the ground I was walking on contained hun- dreds, thousands, ev- en millions of tiny unseen bacteria, worms, ants, termites, bugs, slugs and, yes, even in this age of advanced technology and achievements in science there are still undiscovered workers we know little about going on below our feet. We can explore the heavens above, make giant leaps in computer technology, transplant hearts and organs of all sorts, but the soil still holds unsolved mysteries that boggle the mind of man. My chainsaw sputtered and stopped. A few gentle words to it and a few more pulls and it was off howling as only chain - saws do. In it cut, the chips of oak spew- ing at my feet. Piece after piece fell to the noisy monster that only rested when I rest- ed. At one place a huge piece of bark fell off, revealing a whole nest of ants doing their part in recycling. The tiny cream -col- ored eggs were spewn about. Back and forth a multitude of confused little black creatures scurried about carrying their tiny cream - colored eggs. I had devastated their world — a world that has been going on since almost the beginning of tulle. They are the most suc- cessful of all insects and I suppose my dis- ruption would do little to slow their pace. When I left I'm sure the woodpeckers were there to clean up the nest I had dis- turbed. I had destroyed a working cycle that was going on in the log. Similar cycles of conversion were going on throughout the woods hidden, from sight. The mysteries of the natural world make one humble before the paradise that lies before us. Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh WHIPPOORWILL —This bird, along with night hawks, once nested throughout our area. Today to hear that mysterious whippoorwill call from the darkened woods would be a rare treat indeed. 9 ■ wwi. nwwu Y0B a YVYA 11100101111% 75 Years Ago Sept. 8, 1922 Big Lobsters Plenty: Plenty of big lobsters but not as many small ones as last year summarizes the reports on the lobster catch coming in to the Conservation Commission. The best lobster grounds are near Fishers Island, in Gardiners Bay and other waters about the eastern end of Long Island, and in the Narrows, near Staten Island, there has been fairly steady improvement in the catch for several years. The state had maintained a lobster hatchery at Montauk Point, but abandoned it about five years ago and adopted the present policy of buying egg lobsters, marking them and putting them back in the water. This plan has worked very well, and lobster fishermen generally have cooperated with the commission in throwing back any female lobsters taken with the commission's punch mark on the tail. 50 Years Ago Sept. 5, 1947 Riverhead to Have New Air Field: An air field is to be established by Eugene Warner of Baiting Hollow, at Riverside, about half a mile southeast of the main business section of Riverhead village. Mr. Warner, who is a son of Justice of the Peace Austin Warner and Mrs. Warner, has con- tracted to purchase 30 acres of land, mostly wooded, with frontages on the Old Quogue Road, Ludlam Avenue and the pipes that had suddenly sprung up from where there was nothing but parched leaves before. These ghostly white pipes were still pushing their way through the leaves and so their pipes were bent in true pipe fashion, telling me that they were new; later as they mature the pipes will turn upward and as time goes by they will dry until they become hard and stiff and dark colored. They'll stay, that way throughout the winter, standing there as miniature monuments to the work they've performed, that work being the breaking down of plant material, adding,to the for- est duff that eventually makes up our soil. We call this process decay. Riverhead - Hampton Bays state highway in Riverside. Soon after Mr. Warner obtains possession of the tracts he intends to have them cleared and developed as an air field, which is to be known as the Riverhead Air Park. Mr. Warner owns two planes. He is a licensed pilot and has been flying for about two years, using a part of the Warner farm on the south side of the North Road at Baiting Hollow as an air field. 25 Years Ago Sept. 7, 1972 Greenport May Be Research Center: In hold- ing the first major conference on growth and diseases of oys- ters, clams, lobsters and such invertebrates of the sea, Greenport has taken a giant step toward becoming the lead- ing research center in these studies in the opinion of Prof. Walter Smith, head of the department of marine science and technology at Suffolk Community College and a member of the Aquaseum's board of directors. "Greenport has tremen- dous potential as a research area in this field." said Prof. Smith, "because it has the right combination: geography, tal- ent, and good clean water." The three -day marine conference sponsored by the Aquaseum is attracting leading marine sci- entists of the world, who will deliver papers on problems common to different areas of study. The conference will be held Oct. 5, 6 and 7 in the Greenport Theatre. Boating Class Slated RIVERHEAD —A basic boating course is being offered by the Peconic Bay Power Squadron beginning Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the Shinnecock Building, Room 101 of Suffolk Community Col- lege's eastern campus. The class, intended for new boaters and as a review for the experienced mariner, covers seamanship, regulations, charts, equipment and more. Successful completion satisfies insur- ance and state requirements for boating safety. There's a $27 materials fee for the 11 two -hour sessions. Call 734 -5210.