Daily feeding at harbor Local citizens help birds make WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1976, PAGE 11 it through winter By BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer The severe weather of the past winter was a discomfort to everyone, but for a number of birds at Whitby harbor it was a life and death struggle, which a few won and many lost. While most people took no notice of the pliglit of these birds, a small but dedicated group of Whitby and Oshawa residents did everything they could to make sure the birds would survive the winter. For the past three years Bill and Doris Angus, of Oshawa have been feeding the birds at Whitby harbor on a daily basis, and last fall were joined by Mrs. Adele Ruddy and Greta Howitt of Whitby. About four or five other people came on a regular basis to feed the birds and this small group carried on throughout the winter what amounted to a crusade to save the birds. Both Mrs. Angus and Mrs. Ruddy became concerned when they discovered that domesticated barnyard ducks had been dumped at Whitby harbor and without help, they would not survive the winter. Feeding the birds became a daily ritual for Mrs. Angus and Mrs. Ruddy who gave them names and attempted to pull every political string possible to see that they were cared for. Through the efforts of Joy Thompson, whom they contacted, the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Author- ity put out barrels for the birds to take shelter in, and Mrs. Ruddy provided them with straw. As they watched the birds Mrs. Ruddy and Mrs. Angus discovered that they formed themselves into little groups of their own. One group they called "The Fleet", which consisted of two domesticated white ducks, one wild duck and a blue goose. Another group was known as "the Crowd," which consisted to 10 domesticated white ducks, one black duck and another blue goose. The daily feeding ritual followed the same pattern each time. Mrs. Ruddy and Mrs. Angus would call out "quack, quack, quack", and even if the birds were not in sight, they would answer back and swim over to where the: rood was waiting. One observer once com- mented to Mrs. Angus: "I don't know what you said to them, but you sure made themn corne" One of the most poignant scenes Mrs. Ruddy recalls was during a sleet storm in January when the Fleet was trapped on an ice floe and couldn't get to the food. It looked as if they were hope- lessly stranded, she said, but the blue goose showed the others how to get off the ice floe and over to their bene factors. On another occasion, Mrs. Angus's son William brought food out fromn Toronto and found a duck out on the ice that could not get its footing on the slippery surface. To rescue, this duck he took a pail full of rocks and let it down on a rope from the duck, time after time for five hours till he had broken a channel through the ice to open water and released the duck from its predicament. More than once he had to go out on the ice to set free ducks who had become frozen in, said Mrs. Angus. The story of the ducks is one mixed with snall triumphs and great tragedies for Mrs. Ruddy and Mrs. Angus. On Jan. 15 "The Crowd" disappeared, and Mrs. Angus assumed they had been swept out of the harbor with the ice when the wind changed. Every weekend for two weeks, she and her husband drove along the lakeshore from Pickering to Port Hope, searching for "the Crowd," but they were never seen again. Another tragedy was the story of "Angus", a Muscovy duck (a domesticated South American variety) which had been abandoned at the harbor. It was once a fanily pet says Mrs. Angus, for it could be picked up, and would walk up to her car when it recognized it. Angus was first found living near a barge on the McNamara Marine property, and through sleet and snow, Mrs. Angus would come out daily and make her wayacross the rough ground to feed him and provide him with water. As the winter weathe'r became more severe, she said, Angus's feet froze, and eventually fell off. Once again, through the assistance of Councillor Thompson, Mrs. Angus and Mrs. Ruddy were able to get the conser- vation authority to mercifully destroy Angus in March. "Last winter I called the humane society and they would do nothing for these ducks", said Mrs. Angus. One personality in the bird brigade, who managed to survive the winter, was an albino mallard whom Mrs. Ruddy calls "Itsy Bitsy". "He always went out with the crowd--the white-ducks --and after they were lost, he joined another mallard", says Mrs. Ruddy. Another personality is a mute swan whorn Mrs. Angus named "Lonesome Joe". Lonesorie Joe would stay with Angus during the winter. Mrs. Ruddy and Mrs. Angus are reluctant to say how much money they spent during the winter on grain, bread, peanuts, corn and suet for the birds, but it probably amounted into hundreds of dollars. How- ever they did receive some help through donations from friends, and the Bakery Clearance Centre in Whitby which provided free bread. Despite the tragic loss or "the crowd", "Angus", and even "the Fleet", there were moments when everyone at the harbor pitched in to help the birds. One day Mrs. Angus and Mrs. Ruddy were tossing whole slices of bread into the water while a group of children watched. One child said: "that's like a frisbee", and Mrs. Ruddy soon had the children tossing bread slices like frisbees to the birds. During March and April there were 13 mute swans in the harbor and as many as 60 to 70 Canada geese, and 30 to 40wildducks. Mrs. Ruddy and Mrs. Angus said they knew the wild birds would be able to fend for themselves, but were concerned particularly about the domesticated birds. When the ice piled up so high that the ducks could not get to shore, they tried to devise ways to get food to to float on the water. Mrs. Angus's daughter made suet balls with grain in them, bacon grease sandwiches, puffed wheat grease balls and other food preparations which she hoped would sorne- how reach the birds. "We felt that if we did not feed them they would have died", said Mrs. Angus. "These birds don't have any home". Both Mrs. Ruddy and Mrs. Angus are already thinking about the fall when they feel they will need help from other concerned citizens to ensure that the birds at Whitby harbor will survive the winter. They are also, concerned about future developinent of the harbor which could endanger the birds. One problern which they consider led to the demise of some of the birds was a boat which went in and out of the harbor during the winter, breaking up the ice and causing the birds to become trapped when the ice froze again. The birds depended on people like Mrs. Ruddy, Mrs. Angus and the others who came to the - harbor with food, to survive. "Angus would watch for me and know if I was late", said Mrs. Angus. "People would corne down to the Talks Too Much Some radio announcers have been described as men Mrs. Adele Ruddy (right) teaches a group of children how to throw bread to the swans and ducks at Whitby harbor on an April afternoon. The children compared the bread throwing to tossing fris>ees, but to Mrs. Ruddy and a few dedicated bird lovers, those "frisbees" meant the difference between life and death for the birds at the harbor last winter during the severely cold weather. harbor in winter to take pictures, but they should bring some bread too", she said. "It's the milk of human kindness that counts" says Mrs. Ruddy. PLEASE WRAP OH GOODIE! WHAT IS WE RE GOING LEFT FOR TO GET A THE DPOG. DOG! who talk until you have a - headache-then try to sell you something to relieve it. Nothing lifts the spirits quite like a becoming new haïr style. Call now for an appointment soon. LA CONTESSA .BEAUTY LOUNGE 119 Green St.6 VISIT THE NEW Q U E EN'S an 1028 Brock Street South, Whitby Good Quality Junior Club Steak $199 French fries, salad, roll & butter We specialize in TAKE OUT ORDERS Free Press Photo TOWN OF WHITBY ST. LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS - PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM There have been a number of citizens who have expressed concern regarding the action they should take as individuals to reduce the possibility of the virus of St. Louis Encephalitis being transmitted from infected birds to man by Culex mosquitoes during the summer months. An effective means of reducing Culex mosquito breeding indoors and outdoors is set out hereunder for the guidance of citizens of the Town of Whitby. TOWN OF WHITBY CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PROGRAMME AGAINST THE CULEX MOSQUITO which can transmit the virus of ST. LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS from infected birds to man by its bite during the summer months. The numbers of this potential disease-carrying type of mosquito can be effectively reduced by eliminating its breeding place which is stagnant water in anything from small pools to larger ponds. From May to September each citizen is asked, wherever possible, to rid his property of such possible hazards as: 1. stagnant pools of ground water through drainage and fill 2. ground depressions through fill and levelling 3. stagnant water collected on flat roofs and in eavestroughs through sweeping or flushing 4. stagnation in wading pools, ornainental ponds and birdbaths through emptying or flushing every three days 5. refuse and debris (e.g. old cans, pots, tires, etc.) that may collect even the SMALLEST AMOUNTS OF STAGNANT WATER. It is stressed that the mosquito commonly biting man is not the Culex but the Aedes variety which is not known to carry disease and is considered a nuisance only. Nevertheless, citizens should be aware of the potential danger of the Culex mosquito and reduce its numbers through such measures as suggested. If further information is required, telephone the DURHAM REGIONAL HEALTH UNIT, 723-8521 in Oshawa or 683-4660 in Ajax. Lots of Parking A Family Restaurant