just a-settin' by the pond

Our pond (which is often mentioned in this blog) is actually a widening out of the stream flow through the marsh and it empties out, through a narrow channel to the north, into Weesuck Creek. This is all tidal and has been so for many years (although the tides have increased noticeably in my lifetime and I can remember, when I was a child, that we had Rose Mallows and Red Maples all around the edges and Snapping Turtles living in the mud). One of my favorite pastimes has been to sit at the edge of the pond and observe what's going on  -- or at least it was until someone stole the chairs I had put at the raised edge. Now I have to stand quietly on a spot where it is possible to observe the bay, the lower creek, Pine Neck opposite, the pond itself (especially at low tide) and the surrounding vegetation. 

One of my original purposes in hanging out here was to watch raptor migration in the fall. At this time of year -- anywhere from late September, well into October -- it is possible to see raptors from this spot. All three common falcons and the two common accipiters turn up here -- the falcons flying directly across the mouth of the creek, the accipiters following the shores more closely. Also seen from here: N. Harrier, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk and, on a few occasions, Bald Eagle. I have seen each of the following raptors one time only: Broad-winged Hawk, N. Goshawk and, rarest of all, Gyrfalcon. The hawk flights are, however, much diminished from years past and only a few raptors have been seen this year. Only the Osprey, which also breeds here, is still a common raptor migrant; some mornings there are 5 and 6 birds at a time circling the creek.

The other day, I was hanging out, waiting for the hawks to arrive, when a young Herring Gull came wheeling in and plopped down right in front of me. In spite of the fact, that Herring Gulls are plentiful on the creek, it is rare to see one land in the pond. He was pecking away at a large white blob in the water which, as I shortly discovered, was a huge fish head trailing shards of fishy flesh. What fish this was and how it lost its head (not to mentioned how the head ended up in the pond) are questions I cannot answer. The gull, if it knew anything, was gorging not talking.

I think I mentioned the other day that there was a male Downy Woodpecker making a hole in a dead tree stub not far from the pond edge (discovered because you could hear the rapping sounds of woodpecker excavation from the hanging-out spot). Well yesterday I heard the rap-rap-rap of woodpecker-operating-on-a-dead-stump and went over to have a look. The hole was still there but no sign of the woodpecker. Suddenly, the bird stuck his head out to fling out a few wood chips. This was repeated a few times and then he vanished back inside to resume his internal rapmaster operations. Will he manage to attract a female to this ideal, priced-to-go Hamptons woodpecker condo? Time will tell.

Eric Salzman