LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - MARCH 31, 2019 by Lynne Belluscio Last Saturday night, at the annual Historical Society Dinner Auction (which by the way was catered by the D & R Depot – and a phenomenal dinner it was!) this portrait of an immigrant family was once again put on the auction block. It has been auctioned each year for at least 15 years. Frank Davis discovered it beneath a print which he had acquired and brought it to the Histor- ical Society for the auction. Each year, someone has come forward to “adopt” this fam- ily, knowing that it will only be in their possession for one year, and it has to be returned in time for the auction the next year. Who are these people? This woman with huge hands, the two daughters with their hands on their father’s shoul- ders, their linen dresses that could use a hot iron. Their father with a curious white hem on his trousers and his hat perched on his head. Was the photo taken here or in the old country? I think I know who they are. This is the great grandfather of Fulvio Ma- mone Capria, who serves as president of LIPU, the Italian Ornithological Association. Capria was born in Naples and as a young man he became in- terested in ornithology. I remember that at 10 years old I received a pair of binoc- ulars for my first communion and so the curiosity to observe the flight of birds was born. At the age of 13 I enrolled at the LIPU, through a coupon published on "Topolino", and denounced the illegal market of protected wildlife that took place in Naples. Thanks to that report, numerous judicial po- lice operations were organized (also present at the blitz) which led to the seizure of thousands of illegally sold birds and to the complaint of receiving sto- len goods (as the fauna is the State's unavailable patrimony) of several traders. From that day I became an activist of the association, also taking care of the recovery of wounded wildlife. I opened a first rescue center for wild animals in Na- ples and continued to follow the anti-poaching activity until I became a voluntary hunting guard of the association when I was 18 years old. I read that he is particu- larly proud of the work that he did to reintroduce flamingoes to Sicily, and to create breed- ing grounds on Sicily’s east coast. The high salinity of the lagoons is the right conditions for the “Greater Flamingo” which is the largest of the six varieties of this magnificent bird, that is often four feet tall. Flamingoes have been regular inhabitants of Italy’s second largest island, Sar- dinia, for hundreds of years. Thousands of these huge birds flock to Sardinia’s coast each winter near Cagliari. You can watch the birds up close at the pond of Molentargius, locat- ed between Quartu Sant'Elena and Cagliari. There are many colonies in Molentergius, and every spring you can watch the birth of thousands of young flamingoes with their light grey plumage. The Pond of Molentargius on the banks of the Pilo and Stintino salt ponds is now a protected area and has been established the Natural Regional Park of Molentar- gius. The best time of year to see flamingoes, or as they are called in Sardinia, “sa gente arrubia” translated, “the pink folk”, is in May and June. So, I believe this family may possibly be Fulvio Ma- mone Capria’s great grand- parents, who came to LeRoy for a short time in the late 1800s. They had heard of the LeRoy flamingoes from some of their friends who had earli- er immigrated to LeRoy. And they thought that they might find out why the flamingoes had mysteriously disappeared from the waters of the mighty Oatka. While they were here they stayed with friends on Pleasant Street, and attended St. Joseph’s Church. But they became disillusioned when no one could tell them about LeRoy’s “pink folk” and they returned to Italy and told sto- ries of the town of LeRoy who had turned their back on their flamingoes, and didn’t seem to care anymore. They vowed that they would not let that happen in Italy, and they instilled in their children and their grand- children and great grandchil- dren a love for the “pink folk.” And thus their great grandson, Fulvio Mamone Capria, saved the flamingoes of Italy, and became president of the larg- est ornithological preservation group in Italy. The LeRoy Historical Society will once again, re- member the great flamingo migrations that appeared each year on April 1. The pink de- coys will be in the front yard, a reminder of Sa Gente Arru- bia. *The best months to do birdwacth- ing and take photograph of the pink flamingos are May and June, when nesting occurs, the feathers have a bright red colour illumi- nated by the sun and the colonies huddle close together to celebrate the arrival of summer. “Sa Gente Arrubia”