March 11, 1976 - What's Your Sign of SpringThe Suffolk Times March 11, 1976
focus on nature
by Paul Stoutenburgh
What's Your Sign of Spring?
HARBINGER OF SPRING is the sight of swans pairing off and staking out their territory.
photo by Roger Stoutenburgh
What with the spring -like
weather that comes and goes,
people have been asking the
usual question about "signs of
spring." These signs are all about
us. In our fresh water marshes
we find the skunk cabbage
blossoming. It's brave thrust into
winter's cold air months ago was
encouraged by extra light and
warmth as the months moved on.
Now its growth and color stand
out against the drab winter
background.
Of course, by now the male red-
wings are back. Flocks are
chattering among themselves
down by the pond in the pasture.
These early birds always seem
out of place especially when the
temperature changes and March
gives us a bit of snow. Yet, it's
these signs that keep our spirits
up.
The monotony of our winter
woods is broken at this time of
year by the yellowing of the
willows. Down in our creeks the
red - breasted mergansers and
buffle -head ducks are starting to
act as if a spring went off inside
them. The male is quiet for a
spell and then, all of a sudden,
he'll chase and thrash about the
unassuming female, holding his
head to the sky and standing up in
the water, displaying his
beautiful spring plumage.
It won't be long now before
you'll see your favorite pair of
swans starting to stake out their
territory. Our creeks are
becoming more and more used by
these graceful birds. There's
nothing more serene and
beautiful than a swan settled on a
nest but make no mistake, her
guardian is always nearby.
I remember once years ago
when a friend of mine and I were
canoeing and trespassed too
close. We hadn't paid too much
attention to the male swimming
toward us as we gracefully glided
along past the nests on the river.
Then to and behold we thought a
galloping horse was coming down
upon us! The male puffed himself
up so he looked twice his size. On
top of this he got a full head of
steam and started charging
toward us madly flapping and
paddling over the water.
Needless to say we responded
with "all our steam" and the
water flew as we paddled. I'll
never forget my looking over my
shoulder, wondering what I'd do
if he ever caught up with us. Like
so many threats in the wild, his
mission accomplished, the swan
dropped back and continued
patrolling the nest, still double -
sized and ruffled.
Believe it or not, I'm writing
this in my car in the parking )ot at
Montauk State Park. It's 7:30
Sunday morning and I'm waiting
for friends to come so we can go
out to the Point to see what's
about. Spring is here at the Park
also. In front of me I can literally
see thousands of scoters; surf,
white and American. Small
flocks of these ducks can be seen
feeding in our bay throughout the
winter. They don't nest here but
frozen waters up north move
them down to our area. I haven't
seen this kind of concentration in
many years. We get thousands off
Orient State Park each winter but
nothing like this. Ten thousand
would be a conservative
estimate, I'd say. But what
makes them unusual now is that
spring fever has set them afire
also. Like the mergansers in our
creeks, these scoters are starting
to perform their mating ritual.
Bills in the air — thrash and
chase —and in between a dive to
the bottom for a choice mussel or
crustacean of some sort. These
ducks are as much at home under
the water as on top. I'm told the
Scoters swallow mussels whole
and their powerful gizzards crush
them to bits, digests the flesh and
expel the shell in hundreds of
tiny pieces.
Soon these birds will leave our
shores and head up north where
they'll nest all along the eastern
coast to Hudson Bay. It staggers
the mind to think of the great
migrations of birds and the
fantastic rejuvenation of our
countryside when the sun grows
warm and the days grow longer.
We're on the mere threshold of
spring and perhaps to some we
are too premature. Yet, if we
didn't have these thoughts there
would be no catalogs read, no
seeds ordered, no lawns raked, no
fishing trips planned nor boats
readied and all the millions of
other things that stimulate those
of us who are moved by the first
sign of spring.