Yesterday was scheduled for business first and play second, with a stop in
Northport, at the VA Hospital's Audiology Clinic for a hearing aid repair,
followed by a try for the Tufted Duck being seen in Cold Spring Harbor, which
is just a hop, skip and a jump farther west (my attempt at rationalizing the
cost of gas) !
Playtime raised it's magnetic head in the form of 4 adult Snow Geese, which
were waiting for me in a flock of ~ 50 canadas, feeding on the n/s of the
driveway leading up to the hospital, opposite the golf course. This feeling of
good fortune quickly left me, when said hearing aid was diagnosed with an
ailment that could only be treated by it's maker, which could mean 7-10 days
without...drat's, how am I going to hear the allusive crossbills now ? Onward
to CSH !
This being my first visit to this long known birding location, I was duly
impressed. St. John's Church (sitting high behind the former state, now
private, fish hatchery) is an old edifice built in the traditional Protestant
(New England) style , which was originally found throughout L.I., but is seen
more now as you travel further east in Suffolk Co., with almost all the towns
on both forks, having many active congregations.
As you finish climbing the ~ dozen steps up from the parking lot, you're
immediately hit with the beauty of the pond, situated at the side and rear of
the church...and if you're lucky, by something else, as well. In my case, that
something else was someone else, in the person of Dick Furman...and of course
he had the Tufted Duck in his scope ! As he had, a few years back, when I
arrived at the marina (a short ways up the road) where the first CSH tuffie had
been discovered... but wait, it gets better ! As we were studying that bird,
Dick pulled out his field guide (the same one he pulled out yesterday) and read
a notation he had written next to Tufted Duck "Seen, Swan Pond, Patchouge on
1/25/98, along with Bob Adamo". That's right, working independently, without
any communications between us, we now have seen this very uncommon species at 3
different locations, on 3 different dates, spanning a period of just a few days
short of 15 years - how cool is that !
We also found out that we have a few other things in common. We are both
senior citizens and long time audubon members, Dick with OB/ HAS and I with
ELIAS . We both are being treated at the VA Hospital for hearing problems,
which cause both of us to need hearing aids in both ears. This condition,
thankfully, will not prevent us from a possible 4th T/D encounter but, rather,
might be the catalyst to put us at that spot, at that time, in the future !
Cheers,Bob
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