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Our third destination was “the tunnels.” So we march off toward two big mounds of bittersweet. We’re now spotting live traps. That raccoon I mentioned has not been cooperative. Traps are set all over the island to catch him, but with so many (yummy) young chicks around, who needs day-old lobster carcasses and leftovers? That doesn’t stop the staff from trying or wishing (does that help?) him caught.
So, the tunnels. As part of the fort structure, an old railway allegedly led from the dock to these mounds. We see a dark catacomb and are instructed to leave our dowels behind (are you sure – I was SO thinking I’d like mine now!) (Partly because of the heat outside, we follow like sheep!) We come across the “pink rooms,” rooms paneled with poor quality bricks from Virginia that, besides scaling, turn a soft pink-orange when the afternoon sun finds them. Wrens nest there. Each spring the staff also finds skeletons of migrants blown off course that seek shelter there and don’t make it. We are taken to the gun emplacement, an amphitheatre with a pool of water in the center that had held a large battleship-quality gun. Fired only once, many Eastern Long Island residents were upset when their windows shattered because they weren’t warned to leave them open a crack. A pair of Mallards had nested in the pool.
But the “really fun part” is just beginning. “OK. Now we need to go single file. All face forward, run your right hand along the wall to your right, and put your left hand on your neighbor’s shoulder. And let’s all keep together.” And then we’re plunged into TOTAL darkness. (There is one flashlight, but it’s so far at the front of the line that there is no residual light making its way to us stragglers!) We dutifully march forward, making wisecracks and weak jokes to help bolster our courage. (At least it was cooler in here, gratefully.) This lasts for several (long!) minutes! Then the left wall starts closing in, such that I could barely walk forward without jamming my shoulders. Then there’s something we have to step over (the ground has not been exactly even up until now!) and the flashlight is passed to the back so we can all maneuver over the trough.
Finally there are stairs up—into the light! All the windows are covered with marine vinyl canvas, with little cut-outs for viewing, barely wide enough for a pair of eyes. We peer out to see we are a mere few feet from nesting Common Terns. There are even some unattended eggs scattered about the concrete roof (no problem with them getting cold —more likely to COOK out there!) OK. Nice.
And we have to descend back into the tomb (I mean tunnel). Of course, to go out the hatch would disturb the nesting terns…
This
descent is shorter and after a short walk, we can see the “light at the end.”
All was fine, until our guide, who has already given our one flashlight to
another approaching group, tells us to wait here, still in the dark, that he has
something to show us (without telling us what) and walks off to borrow another
light. (Oh what? A bat, no, what? what? what?) Well, to our
surprise – it’s a Model A car! All rusted, no hood over the engine, 6 cylinder,
with a sign placed comically on the bumper saying “Official Christmas Bird Count
Vehicle, 1986.” Nice touch! A pre-WWII model, Richard could tell you more about
it than I can.
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Copyright © 2004 by Joan and Richard L. Becker