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CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, June '- fne 15,2000 - 101
li ttle bit of nature just outside the front door
My wife and I have a very mod-
est yard filled with azaleas, spring
bulbs, a holly tree and a Norway
Maple given to me years ago by
both my parents.
The neighbors are close (that
tends to happen in mobile home
parks) and a road, busy with
strolling kids and bicycles, passes
only a few feet in front of the
home.
The only wildlife we see is the
half-grown rabbit hiding in the
azaleas,, the occasional stray cat
and the sparrows, robins and
blackbirds that fill suburban
lawns.
So, it's been with great pleasure
that we've watched a little drama
of nature unfold over the last
week.
Mourning doves, known both
for their quiet coos and the im-
measurable frustration they often
cause hunters, sometimes come to
our bird feeders during winter
Snows.
Last Wednesday, I walked under
the maple tree after a too brief vis-
it to Arizona and New Mexico to
catch up with family and old
friends. I walked under the tree,
stood there, and saw a bird rocket
past me.
M :hael Short
Cape Region Fishing Report
By Michael Short
R&R Sports Center said that
trout fishing held up again this
week with good numbers of nice
fish continuing to be taken around
Roosevelt Inlet and bay structures
such as wrecks, reefs and rock-
piles. Fish took jighead/worm
combos, also Rattle-Traps. Most
of the combos were tipped with
squid, clam or peeler crab baits.
OUTDOORS
The bird took off less than two
feet from my left eardrum. After I
regained my senses, which took a
bit of doing, I peered at the hang-
ing cactus plant under the Wee.
At eye level, four feet from the
driveway and 15 feet from our
front door, the mourning dove had
made a nest. Two perfect eggs in a
tiny nest were smack dab in the
middle of the cactus.
It seemed a decidedly uncom-
fortable place to nestle, right in
the middle of the cactus, which
trails long red blooms every sum-
mer.
Halcos and MirroLures have tak-
en fish off stucture. On the beach
and in the river, it's been teaser
rigs baited with peeler and clam.
Bill's Sport Shop said that trout
action continues to dominate the
fishing scene. Anglers are weigh-
ing in weakies or trout caught on
peeler crabs and chicken and
squid marinated in crab.
Bill's said that Ian Klima drifted
Roosevelt Inlet and boated trout
up to 8.5 pounds. Nick Trampos
caught a 7.5 pound trout on peeler
crab. Pascal Girard of North
Shores bagged six nice trout at In-
dian River Inlet While fly fishing
using green and white clousers.
Flounder action picked up mid-
week with good action reported in
the Broadkill Slough, between
Buoy 9 and Buoy 10 and the
edges of the Anchorage. Drifting
squid/shiner or minno combos
around 30 feet of water was sug-
gested by R&R.
Drum fishing remained good
around the Coral Beds and striped
bass and bluefish were taken at
the tips and at Brown Shoal with
Mark Shafer catching a 27.5
pound striper on a Delaware Bay
wreck. Indian River Inlet pro-
duced its usual variety of fish, sea
bass action picked up, bluefish
trolling remains good and a few
blue whaler sharks and more
mako sharks are being reported
from offshore.
Casting for kids
The Lower Sussex Bassmasters
held its annual fishing tournament
for children on Saturday, June 3 in
Tony Donofrio caught these
two pretty trout, part of a
mix of blues and trout, while
fishing with peeler crab in
front of the Lewes Yacht
Club. Donofriots fish weighed
up to 6.7 pounds and were
eaught on Wednesday, May
31. The fish were weighed in
at Henlopen Bait and Taelde.
My parents call it a Stonewall
Jackson cactus. But the dove
seems perfectly content. That
wild, brief flight past my head,
which was far more effective than
any amount of morning coffee,
was the only time we've seen her
leave the nest.
She nestles there, only a few
feet from us. We've mowed the
lawn, walked past her nest and
even taken this photo. Other than
raising her head at the sound of
the camera shuttle, she rarely
moves a muscle.
We even trimmed branches
from the other side of the tree, but
decided watering the plant is too
much for even the most tolerant
of expectant mothers.
. Two days after I spotted her, a
storm rolled in. Strong winds and
sheets of rain tossed the cactus
plant like a ship bobbing on a
rough sea.
We worried about her -- need-
lessly. On Saturday morning, she
sat there, a trifle damp, but as un-
perturbed as usual.
Despite being so close, she is
actually quite difficult to see. You
have to know she is there and then
her coal-black eye, rimmed with
baby blue, reveals her presence.
Mk:haet Short photo
This mourning dove (look for the dark eye) has built a nest
right smack in the middle of this cactus plant.
Look closer and you will see dark
spots on her side and her long tail
thrust upward at what must surely
be an uncomfortable angle.
The dove gets its name from its
mournful cry and its species name
comes from the Greek work
macroura, which means long-
tailed.
The National Audubon Society
Field Guide to North American
Birds, a recent gift, says mourning
doves lay "two white eggs in a
loosely made nest of sticks and
twigs, placed in low bushes and
tall trees, more rarely on the
ground." Cactuses are not men-
tioned.
Habitat is listed as "open fields,
parks, and lawns with many trees
and shrubs."
Mobile home parks are not
mentioned.
Someday soon, perhaps her two
eggs will hatch and our little dra-
ma of nature will continue.
Michael Short photos
The annual children's fishing tournament sponsored by the Lower Sussex Bassmasters
drew more than 100 kids to Miltonts Memorial Park for a morning of fun and fishing.
EVery child who attended the June 3 catch and release tournament received a prize. Shown
here are some of the anglers in the tournament. Shown back row are (l-r) Bruce Burton, Blair
Schaeffer, Staci Weldon, Shawn Weldon, Robbie Korosko, Jason McDonald, Zachary Mayfield,
Willie Thomas, Alan Caldwell and Thomas DiLorenzo. Middle row are (l-r) Alek Abularaeh,
Lynn Bradford, Carey Burton, Matthew Goins, Kelsey Doherty, Kelsey Korosko, Kelly Ko-
rosko, Joey Korosko and Chris DiLorenzo. Pictured front are (l-r) Kyle Hendrieks, Kimberly
Korosko, Jacob Fonseca, Tyler Doherty, Tyler Sewell, Travis Sewell, D.J. Doherty and
Quentin Bradford. Blair Schaeffer caught the biggest fish of the day while fishing with
worms - a 17.5 inch long catfish. The kids were treated to hot dogs, soda and lots of fun, all for
no cost thanks to the Bassmasters and a host of local sponsors who provided prizes.
Milton's Memorial Park and the
tournament proved a rousing suc-
cess, with over 100 kids taking
part. Even the fish cooperated
with a mixed bag of fish being
caught and then released.
Bluegills and catfish topped the
list, but there were several bass,
perch, crappie and even a solitary
striped bass that strayed far upriv-
er. Largest fish of the day was a
17.5 inch catfish caught by Blair
Schaeffer.
NOVA
PUMP