Green Guru Network

Compiled by Tom Lake, Hudson River Estuary Program Naturalist
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Welcome to the Hudson River Almanac in its new format. Now that it is being sent out via DEC's new newsletter delivery system, you will not be able reach us by replying to this message. If you'd like to contribute observations or contact us, please click on our names below to send an email. In addition, you may now manage your Almanac subscription yourself; see the information in the footer a the end of this issue. We hope you enjoy the Almanac's new look!
     - Tom Lake, Hudson River Almanac compiler; Steve Stanne, Education Coordinator, Hudson River Estuary Program

OVERVIEW

Sandhill cranes, uncommon seasonal visitors to the Hudson Valley, made multiple appearances this week. It is difficult to know if these were migration or storm-related occurrences. In the water, herring and glass eels continued their inland migrations and the winter-to-spring landscape gained much color.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

4/18 - Poughquag, Town of Beekman, HRM 71: Four sandhill cranes landed in a swampy field near my house. They stayed a half-hour, probably eating peeper frogs. They blended perfectly with the brown grass but those red heads stood out like beacons. When they took flight, one made a distinctive bugling sound. Just beautiful!
     - Patricia Mackay

4/18 - Croton Point, HRM 34.5: Jim Bourdon observed and photographed a sandhill crane this morning (9:00 AM) taking off from south side of the landfill and flying east toward the Croton River. A couple more may have been seen flying out to the river.
     - Anne Swaim

[Sandhill cranes have an impressive 6-8 foot wingspan. Most breed in summer from the prairies of central Canada north to the Arctic tundra, but - starting in 2003 - nesting has occurred at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in central New York State. Edward Howe Forbush (1858-1929) believed sandhill cranes were common in the Northeast during migration in colonial times, but were likely extirpated by the early 1700s. Tom Lake.]

NATURAL HISTORY NOTES

4/12 - New Paltz, HRM 78: I awoke at 1:15 AM to an unusual noise on our back deck. When I peered out of our door there was the backside of a huge (estimated 300 lb.) black bear. It was sitting on its rear legs, its front legs upright, and its head facing away. Our two dogs began barking and the bear exited into our woods. The feeder support was bent but our bird feeder was untouched. Guess it's time to bring in the bird feeder. This is only the second bear we have seen in 28 years of living here.
     - Bob Ottens

[From New York State Conservationist magazine, April 2013: Bird feeders attract bears, particularly in the spring after bears emerge from winter dens. Bears will stay near homes and camps for a longer period of time if feeders are available. Consider removing bird feeders by April 1.]

4/12 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: Everywhere the forsythia was in full bloom. The otherwise brown, drab landscape was aglow in bright yellow. Those of us who used to set our nets in the river in spring would look for this day as a bio-indicator of the start of the strongest phase of the shad and river herring run. Now it is just another step in the coloring of springtime.
     - Tom Lake

4/13 - Hannacroix Creek, HRM 132.5: It was very surprising that we caught only two glass eels from our overnight set at Hannacroix Creek.
     - Thomas V. Danahy

4/13 - Croton Point, HRM 35: Some of the birds we saw at Croton Point today included: red-necked grebe, horned grebe, common loon (2), red-throated loon (12), Wilson's snipe, great egret, laughing gull (rare here), rough-winged, barn, and tree swallows, brown creeper, Cooper's hawk, pine warbler, golden-crowned kinglet, red-breasted nuthatch, and two meadowlarks on the landfill. At the mouth of the Croton River (HRM 34) we also saw American wigeon (2), green-winged teal (6), belted kingfisher, and many flickers on the move.
     - Charlie Roberto, Kyle Bardwell, Larry Trachtenberg, John Grant, Chris Drury, Peter Post

4/14 - Schodack, HRM 139: I noticed that dark-eyed juncos have lingered here longer this year than they usually do. Today at noon there were 36 of them feeding on my front lawn. They were likely fueling up for the trek back to their northern breeding areas. I have never seen this many at one time.
     - Mary Ellen Grimaldi

4/14 - Hannacroix Creek, HRM 132.5: In a more "usual" catch, we counted 106 glass eels and one elver in our fyke net from the overnight set.
     - Thomas V. Danahy

[Having already defined glass eels (see 4/7 - Black Creek), elver is the next life stage we encounter. These are, for the most part, last year's glass eels that have lingered in the tributary and matured to the point where they look like miniature adult eels, in both physical (body) characteristics and darker pigmentation. As glass eels are already a year old, these are minimally two years old, ranging up to five years old, with sizes ranging from 100-200 millimeters (mm) total length. Tom Lake.]

4/14 - Mid-Hudson Valley, HRM 75-65: The woods had a soft red glow as the red maples budded out. In wooded areas where forsythia was not present, they provided the only color to the gray-brown forests.
     - Tom Lake

4/14 - Crugers, HRM 39: When we hung our floral wreath on the front door two weeks ago we didn't realize that a house finch pair would decide to build their cup-shaped nest among the flowers. When we noticed it last week, we moved it from the door and hung it over the light nearby where it wouldn't be disturbed with people coming in and out of the house. We've been observing the female's head amid the flowers and wondered if she were perhaps sitting on eggs. Sure enough, we took a mirror today and spotted five light blue eggs in the nest.
     - Dorothy Ferguson, Bob Ferguson

4/14 - Croton River, HRM 34: We spotted seven to nine Bonaparte's gulls here today, including several in breeding plumage with full black head. By the time we left, Ann Swaim had the count up to 19, with more coming in. The green-winged teal count is now up to 25 birds.
     - Larry Trachtenberg, Charlie Roberto

4/14 - Bronx, New York City, HRM 15: I led my monthly walk at Wave Hill this morning and, although migratory songbirds were sparse, perhaps due to northwest winds, we had some nice sightings: a third-year bald eagle being dive-bombed by a greater black-backed gull that looked petite in comparison; a large V of double-crested cormorants headed north over the Hudson; a common raven flying across the Hudson making a "barrel-roll" as it flew overhead; a pair of calling fish crows; an osprey flying up the Hudson; palm and pine warblers; and both golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets.
     - Gabriel Willow

4/15 - Poughkeepsie, HRM 75: I had been wondering why days would go by without seeing any birds at my feeders. Then today I looked up in a tree over the feeders and saw a Cooper's hawk, and understood why.
     - Trish Taylor

4/15 - Town of Poughkeepsie: It was a busy morning at the eagle nest today (NY62). Except for fishing, both parents remained at the nest. The male perched five feet above while the female tended to nest maintenance; periodically she would bring branches to build up the nest. The male has played a more active role compared to previous years. For a change, the local nesting red-tailed hawks gave the eagles a break from their harassment and aggression around the nest area. Both parents participated in feeding of the chick today. Promptly at noon the female headed down river and returned with a freshly caught river herring. [Photo of eagle family by Terry Hardy.]
     - Tom McDowell

4/15 - Hunter's Brook, HRM 67.5: The late afternoon high tide had run up into Hunter's Brook. While the water was tinged yellow-brown, it was absolutely clear. A small school of alewives made their way up this tiny tributary of Wappinger Creek on the pulse of the tide. Milling about in the pools were pumpkinseed sunfish, a couple of rock bass, white perch, and at least one white sucker.
     - Tom Lake

[Identifying fish in their natural environment is a practiced skill. Short of snorkeling, which can be problematic in an estuary, the best way to identify fishes, especially in shallow water, is by developing a "sight image" based on their size, shape, color, swimming characteristics, and other behaviors. One of the best guides to this activity is C. Lavett Smith's Fish Watching: An Outdoor Guide to Freshwater Fishes (1994). "Smitty," as he is best known, is Curator Emeritus of Ichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History, founder of our popular Hudson River Fish Fauna list, and an expert on the fishes of New York State. Tom Lake.]

4/15 - Croton River, HRM 34: A half-dozen Bonaparte's gulls were dipping and twirling in pursuit of some tiny morsels on the surface of the Croton River just inside Croton Bay, appearing much like phalaropes in their behavior. Whatever they were feeding on was not of interest to the mob of local gulls resting on the mud flats. Both rough-winged and tree swallows were feeding in the same area. An insect hatch? I had seen large caddis flies there a few days ago.
     - Christopher Letts

[In the last 19 years of the Hudson River Almanac, we have recorded eleven species of gulls in the watershed. Tom Lake.]
- black-headed gull
- Bonaparte's gull
- Franklin's gull
- glaucous gull
- greater black-backed gull
- lesser black-backed gull
- laughing gull
- herring gull
- Iceland gull
- ivory gull
- ring-billed gull

4/16 - Denning's Point, HRM 60: As we arrived we only got to see the end of the story: An adult bald eagle was flying out of the marsh at the mouth of Fishkill Creek, heading toward Denning's Point carrying a good-sized fish, pursued by an osprey. There was a good chance that the eagle was not the original "catcher" of that fish.
     - Tom Lake, T.R. Jackson

[Pirates on the river! One of the best shows, often in the fall, is watching eagles watch osprey. While eagles are among the best hunters of fish, they frequently allow osprey to do the heavy lifting, then swoop down and steal their catch. Tom Lake.]

4/17- Greene County, HRM 112: Twenty-three people attended our first spring birding walk at the RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary. Highlights among the 43 species encountered included the nesting bald eagles with one nestling; a merlin and a sharp-shinned hawk passing through within five minutes of each other; a red-shouldered hawk; two blue-winged teal; and a few "out of habitat" species, including savannah sparrow and purple finch. We also had our first garter snake and Dekay's or northern brown snake seen at the sanctuary this spring.
     - Larry Federman

4/17 - Norrie Point, HRM 85: I stopped at Norrie Point on my way home from work and spotted a horned grebe fishing in the cove to the east of the education center. Later I went for a walk: Dutchman's breeches were starting to come out on the rocks and hepatica was at the height of bloom. At least two muskrats patrolled Indian Creek eating the emergent vegetation and four pairs of wood ducks wandered through last year's cattail stems. In the creek to the east of the railroad I found two red-breasted mergansers and a green-winged teal. Back along the river I had a treat: a beaver swam into the cove and climbed out of the water to munch on some brush. On the way home I had my final wildlife sighting of the evening and one of the surest signs of spring in the Hudson valley: a deer tick crawling up my arm.
     - David Lund

4/17 - Quassaick Creek, HRM 60: Today was Mount Saint Mary College's opportunity to check and clear the eel fyke. The tide was rising but had not reached the net. The flow to the river was 57 degrees Fahrenheit, about eight degrees warmer than the Hudson. We collected and released 311 glass eels and three elvers. We could see small groups of alewives roiling on the surface in the current along the far shore - females broadcasting eggs; males rushing to cover them.
     - Courtney Albright, Melanie Hofbauer, Roy Forster, Suparna Bhalla, Dharmhet Khangura, Tom Lake

[A fyke net is a collection device used most often for fish, but occasionally for turtles. Most are a series of hoops connected by mesh netting and leading to a "cod end" where captured fish accumulate. When used in a Hudson River tributary, fykes are set facing downstream to collect fish, such as eels, heading upstream. At the downstream opening, a section of netting is angled away on either side from the initial hoop to serve as a guide, encouraging fish to take the path of least resistance toward the mouth of the net. Tom Lake.]

4/17 - Edgewater, NJ, HRM 8.5: My spirits were lifted, just a bit today, by this year's first sighting of a barn swallow winging past my window as I looked out seeking and, surprisingly, finding, something to break the depressing monotony. This is right on time for the area, looking back through my journal.
     - Terry Milligan

4/18 - New Baltimore, HRM 131.5: For the past couple of weeks we have had a bluebird pair in our yard. The male defends his territory early each morning by attacking our window, apparently his "rival."
     - Jean Bush

4/18 - Black Creek, HRM 85: The DEC Hudson River Fisheries Unit's herring counters had a very exciting experience today in our inaugural year with this project as we watched an estimated 200 river herring spawning in front of us.
     - Courtney E. Albright

4/18 - New Hamburg, HRM 67.5: With the approach of spring, can "Bucky the Beaver" be far behind? Apparently Bucky, or one of his progeny, attacked Rabbit Island in a night raid and did a major amount of unauthorized pruning. Swimming into the Hudson from his lair somewhere in Wappinger Creek, he made a landing and cut down one of our white birch trees, leaving a two-foot-tall stump that looked exactly like a sharpened stake. He also did a significant amount of grazing on juniper bushes, three Japanese maples, and a weeping Alaskan cedar.
     - David Cullen

SPRING 2013 NATURAL HISTORY PROGRAMS

April 27: 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Family Fishing Day at the Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg [Dutchess County]. Family-friendly, all ages, free use of rods, reels and bait; wheelchair accessible. For information: 845-889-4745 x109.

May 4: 9:00 AM
Discover Norrie Walk: Birding for Beginners with DEC Naturalist Jim Herrington at the Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg [Dutchess County]. Free. Family-friendly, all ages. For information: 845-889-4745 x109.

May 11: 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Family Fishing Day at the Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg [Dutchess County]. Family-friendly, all ages, free use of rods, reels and bait; wheelchair accessible. For information: 845-889-4745 x109.

May 16: 7:30 PM
Tivoli Bays Talks: Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign. Jack Manno and Frieda Jacques will speak about the history and future of the Two Row Wampum, the title of a 400 year old treaty between Native Americans and the Dutch founders of New Netherlands. Tivoli Library, Tivoli [Dutchess County]. Free. Wheelchair accessible. For information: 845-889-4745 x109.

May 18: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Conservation Planning for Woodland Pool Wildlife with Laura Heady of the Hudson River Estuary Program, Gretchen Stevens of Hudsonia, and Larry Federman of Audubon, at Roeliff Jansen Community Library and Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Sanctuary [Columbia County]. For municipal board members and interested residents, a program focused on the value of woodland pools and how to protect them in your community. For information and registration: http://clctrust.org/events/184/land-use-series-conservation-planning-for-woodland-pool-wildlife/ or call 518-392-5252, x207.

HUDSON RIVER MILES

The Hudson is measured north from Hudson River Mile 0 at the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan. The George Washington Bridge is at HRM 12, the Tappan Zee 28, Bear Mountain 47, Beacon-Newburgh 62, Mid-Hudson 75, Kingston-Rhinecliff 95, Rip Van Winkle 114, and the Federal Dam at Troy, the head of tidewater, at 153. The tidal section of the Hudson constitutes a bit less than half the total distance – 315 miles – from Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Battery. Entries from points east and west in the watershed reference the corresponding river mile on the mainstem.

TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR OBSERVATIONS OR TO SUBSCRIBE

The Hudson River Almanac is compiled and edited by Tom Lake and emailed weekly by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program. Share your observations by e-mailing them to trlake7@aol.com .

To subscribe to the Almanac (or to unsubscribe), go to DEC's Email Lists page, enter your email address, and click on "Submit." A page listing available subscription topics will appear. Scroll down; under the heading "Natural Areas and Wildlife" is the section "Lakes and Rivers" with a listing for the Hudson River Almanac. Click on the check box to subscribe. While there, you may wish to subscribe to RiverNet, which covers projects, events and actions related to the Hudson and its watershed, or to other DEC newsletters and information feeds.

The Hudson River Almanac archive allows one to use the DEC website's search engine to find species, locations, and other data in weekly issues dating back to October 2003.

Discover New York State Conservationist - the award-winning, advertisement-free magazine focusing on New York State's great outdoors and natural resources. Conservationist features stunning photography, informative articles and around-the-state coverage.

USEFUL LINKS

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's tide and tidal current predictions are invaluable for planning boating, fishing, and other excursions on and along the estuary. 

The Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System [HRECOS] provides near real-time information on water and weather conditions at monitoring stations from Manhattan to the Mohawk River.

Historical information on the movements of the salt front is available on the U.S. Geological Survey's Hudson River Salt Front website.

Copies of past issues of the Hudson River Almanac, Volumes II-VIII, are available for purchase from the publisher,Purple Mountain Press, (800) 325-2665.

Compiled by Tom Lake, Hudson River Estuary Program Naturalist
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

OVERVIEW
This week's feature was our fourth annual Hudson River Day. We used the opportunity to sample the watershed in ten separate locations to see how many of the Hudson's 219 species of fish would be found.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK 
7/23 - Ossining, HRM 33: A luna moth saga unfolded near our front door over the last five days. On the morning of day one, a female luna moth was resting on our front door; day two she was found in the same spot, mating with a male who had arrived overnight. They remained coupled when we retired; by day three they were uncoupled but hadn't moved away from each other; day four she had moved a few yards away; today, day five, she was gone and he had moved to another spot, looking very bedraggled. Our guess is that she had gone to our big shagbark hickory to lay her eggs and he was dying.

- Gerhard and Hale Randers-Pehrson

 NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
7/19 - North Creek, HRM 257: It was not difficult by any means to spot the adult bald eagle that was flying lazily upstream above the State Route
28N bridge over the Hudson River in North Creek. The last time I had seen a bald eagle of any age around here was back 18 years ago in the Town of Newcomb.

- Mike Corey

7/19 - Lake Luzerne, HRM 208: Wells Creek is a small tributary stream to the Hudson River that shows many signs of human impact from derelict bridge abutments to teetering stone walls. In keeping with its diminutive size, this setting - in contrast to the rousing river not far away - encouraged simple observations. For nearly an hour I sat and watched flycatchers, mostly phoebes, work the narrow, wooded corridor to the river. They never landed for more than a few seconds before heading off on another brief foray over the water and along the stone walls, feeding on whatever was in the air. Just as I was leaving I saw a red flash in the trees and soon had a nice look at a gorgeous scarlet tanager. I tried to not let that sudden burst of color overshadow the subtleties of the last hour.
- Tom Lake

7/20 - Minerva, HRM 284: There is an active osprey nest at Minerva Lake. Two adults can be seen flying and calling above the lake during both morning and afternoon hours. Babies in the nest can be spotted from afar, being fed (no doubt) choice fish parts. To think that little old Minerva Lake, with all its beach crowds, could still be a successful home to ospreys is a very neat thing.
- Mile Corey

7/20 - Saratoga National Historical Park; HRM 177.5: As I drove south along the Hudson River an adult bald eagle kept pace, seeming to follow the path of the road, a couple of hundred feet overhead. The eagle's white head glowed in the strong afternoon sunlight. This scenario occurred once before, almost identically, as I traveled the same direction on the same road in the same spot, on the first day of spring more than a decade ago, with what was likely a different adult eagle  
- Tom Lake

7/20 - Green Island, HRM 152: It was two hours before high tide not far below the federal dam, and on a bright sunny afternoon the surface of the river was "dimpling" as though a light rain was falling. Occasionally there would be an explosion as scores or more of young-of-the-year [YOY] river herring (most likely blueback herring) would explode from the water to escape a predator. In this reach of the river it could mean largemouth or smallmouth bass, pickerel or northern pike, walleye, or even tiger muskellunge. Chris Letts describes the showering of these small silver fish as like "someone tossing a handful of shiny new dimes into the water." 
- Tom Lake

7/20 - Bearsville, Ulster County, HRM 102: A woodcock flushed from the same area of stream bank twice in two days this week. It gave a "peent" call while on the wing and quickly dropped into tall meadow grass.
- Krista Munger

7/20 - Croton-on-Hudson, HRM 35:  The hummingbird festival in my yard was in full swing. However, it seems to me that there are fewer participants this year. During the day I count five regulars. Counting hummingbirds is a chancy business. I count four birds that look like females or immatures, and one tiny, slender male with its shiny, scarlet cravat. By evening at least twice that number are zooming around the garden. They lunge, dart, circle, swoop, and then a pair go belly-to-belly and ascend upward, out of sight. The acrobatics are enlivened by tiny bees that have found the feeders. The hummingbirds end up jousting with the bees as well as each other. I find myself filling feeders several times a day. No complaints!
- Robin Fox

7/21- Little Stony Point, HRM 55: We were one of ten watershed locations that were fish-sampling today as part of the fourth annual Hudson River Day. This beach, besides being a wonderful place to haul a seine, lies in the shadow of Storm King Mountain and Mount Taurus, the two highest peaks in the Hudson Highlands, and offers unmatched ambience. We hauled our 85-foot-long net on a dropping tide in water that was a tepid 82 degrees Fahrenheit. It seemed that every haul produced a rich variety of both brackish-water and freshwater species, among them were YOY blueback herring 52 millimeters [mm] long; alewives (55-60 mm); striped bass (32-58 mm); gizzard shad (105 mm), and spottail shiners (50-56 mm). One haul, in a secluded bay, netted a dozen YOY channel catfish (120 mm).  However, two species deserve special mention: YOY bluefish (115 mm) and spot (110 mm). The presence of these typically saltwater species suggested measurable salinity in the water and it later proved to be 3.2 parts per thousand [ppt], about 10% the strength of seawater (coastal marine
water, at this latitude, averages 32-35 ppt).

- Kevin Foley, Ralph Szur, Doug Gallagher, Tom Lake

7/21 - Piermont, HRM 25: At another of the ten locations fish-sampling on the fourth annual River Day, a group of Hudson River enthusiasts was
joined by a team of Rockland County AmeriCorps volunteers to host the public as we ran our nets through the water at Flywheel Park. Our first pass netted a lone comb jelly that was enough to excite the group and launch another haul with the net. During the next two hours we pulled in shrimp, a dozen Atlantic silversides, YOY striped bass and alewives, several mummichogs, white perch, a small northern kingfish, an Atlantic needlefish (120 mm), and a striped mullet (140 mm). The presence of the mullet and kingfish suggested considerable salinity in the water that was later verified as 10.0 ppt. The water temperature was 79 degrees F.
- Margie Turrin, Laurie Seeman, Greg Mercurio, Rockland County AmeriCorps

7/21 - Hudson River Watershed, HRM 159-18: Our fourth annual River Day featured a new event - the Great Hudson River Fish Count - which sampled at ten locations across 141 miles of Hudson River watershed, from Yonkers opposite the New Jersey Palisades to Waterford at the junction of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers. A total of 29 fish species were documented. These ranged from typically saltwater species such as bluefish, striped mullet, northern kingfish and spot, to others generally found only inland such as spotfin shiners and white suckers. In several locations, young-of-the-year fishes dominated - American shad, alewives, blueback herring, and striped bass. At the two southernmost sites – Piermont and Yonkers - aquatic invertebrates included comb jellies, moon jellyfish, shore and sand shrimp, and blue crabs.
- Steve Stanne

7/21 - Edgewater, NJ, HRM 8.5: It was well after dark when I spotted a black-crowned night heron foraging near shore close to Edgewater's River Walk. I wondered where the bird went to roost. There did not seem to be much opportunity that close to urban Edgewater.
- Chris Murphy

7/22 - Town of Half Moon, HRM 165: Looking east across the Hudson at first light did not offer much color contrast, only silhouettes. I counted 24 birds in a line, swimming upstream against the modest current. Even at a distance they appeared to be geese and seconds later I heard their soft calls. Judging from the size of each bird, it seemed that there were 3-4 adults in front, 17-18 immatures in the middle of the line, and a couple of adults bringing up the rear. The alignment may have been random but seemed to be purposeful.
- Tom Lake

7/22 - Cohoes, HRM 157: At dawn, very little water was coming over the falls in the Mohawk River. The pools at the base of the falls and downstream were very shallow, leaving resident fish vulnerable. I spotted two osprey perched on power transmission stanchions, one on either side of the river. They did not appear to have fish but that might have been only a matter of time.  
- Tom Lake

7/22 - Green Island, HRM 152: This east-facing beach is a special place to watch either sunrise or a full moon rise. Today it was sunrise with a cool southerly breeze on my face. I slowly walked toward a line of cottonwoods along the shore and spotted two eagles, an adult and an immature, perched close together on a stout limb. Despite my quiet approach, I flushed the pair. The adult headed upriver carrying a gizzard shad in its talons; the immature headed south. I may have inadvertently disturbed a tutoring session.
- Tom Lake

[Adult bald eagles, in particular the females, will spend the couple of months from fledging to fall mentoring their young on how to be an eagle. We are oblivious to much of this education, but on occasion we see the adults making practice dives on waterfowl, or their favorite targets - cormorants - with the immatures watching and learning. Tom Lake.]

7/22 - Town of Fishkill, HRM 63.5: It was a "Mummer's Parade" re-do [see 6/25] as three skunk babies made their way through my backyard with all three sticking together like glue. Mama must have kicked them out! They pranced and swaggered and fluffed their white tails coming closer and closer to where I sat. Suddenly they all stopped in their tracks no more than three feet away. They all took notice of me, raised their tails in unison, but then dropped them all at once. Off they staggered, this silly trio, heading to DEC's Stony Kill Farm.

- Andra Sramek

7/22 - Croton Point, HRM 34: I identified a new bird, for me, early this morning in the marsh adjacent to the Croton-Harmon railroad station. It was a marsh wren that sang continuously for a half hour. Try as I might, could not get it to come up for a look. I went back later and the wren was quiet, but spotted four snowy egrets (still mostly in breeding plumage), one great egret, and several great blue herons. There were three osprey perched at the top of the tallest light stanchion in the Metro North parking lot. One was feeding on a large fish.

-Larry Trachtenberg

7/23 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: Midday became as dark as night as menacing black clouds led by lightning flashes rolled across the river from the west. Soon there was a brief respite from the heat and steaminess of the day as violent thunderstorms dropped more than two inches of rain in
one hour. Throughout it all, the cicadas never let up their chatter, frequently exceeding the sounds of the thunder and driving rain.
- Tom Lake

7/23 - Fishkill, HRM 61: Ever vigilant, a mother wild turkey escorted her brood of eight young poults all around my yard this morning. While this turkey troupe was busy foraging below my bird feeders, it was amusing to watch as the hen turkey gave chase to any gray squirrel that dared to come too close to any of her brood. The squirrels quickly scurried for cover or chattered away up a tree limb.
- Ed Spaeth

7/24 - Bearsville, HRM 102: Black bears seemed to be either more abundant or hungrier this season, more so than old-timers recall. Perhaps food is scarce due to drought. One visited a dumpster in town on an evening this week. A smaller bear was spotted in the vicinity of the elementary school, and later in the neighborhood garbage cans. A third broke into a home on and caused much damage.
- Krista Munger

7/24 - Town of Fishkill, HRM 63.5: My tiny, restored, backyard garden seemed to be a success: two ruby-throated hummingbirds dashed back and forth between late-blooming hosta flowers and brilliant pink phlox; goldfinches sprinted between waning echinachea flowers, blooming thistle, and a maturing sunflower head; and monarch, black swallowtail and tiger swallowtail butterflies were all dancing around on the tops of the phlox.
- Andra Sramek

7/25 - Ravena, HRM 124: I looked out the window this evening onto my yard - a large, flat open area bordered by trees - and it was crowded. Swarms of dragonflies were swooping, turning, and diving in a huge flying circus. This year seems to have produced a larger crop than usual. It's always a delight to stop and just take in how many are at work. Although hawks and eagles are spectacular predators, these guys are pretty impressive at the scale they operate. I haven't noticed too many mosquitoes lately.
- Larry Roth

7/25 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: Just after dawn, I listened to what sounded like a soft but distinct call of a red-tailed hawk: "k-i-r-r-r." The pitch and volume made me think juvenile, but since this is ordinarily a call made by soaring red-tails, and this bird was in a tree, I had my doubts. Then the bird flew as it called again - a blue jay, and a decent mimic.
- Tom Lake 

7/25 - Kowawese, HRM 59: We seined the late-morning midday low tide at Kowawese in water that felt like simmering soup; the inshore shallows
(waist deep) measured 84 degrees F. The salinity was 2.2 ppt. The catch of YOY fishes was exceptional: bluefish (120-125 mm); Atlantic menhaden (90-95 mm); striped bass (55-60 mm); gizzard shad (63-67 mm); many hundreds of blueback herring (51-53 mm); and seven other species. One student found a female ("Sally") blue crab moult (not quite 4" point-to-point), and that inspired a ten minute discussion of exoskeletons and "getting new clothes." This is beginning to remind us of summer 2002 when you could have renamed this stretch of shoreline "Barnacle Beach," as bay barnacles covered every bit of bottom substrate. That summer featured escalating salinity upriver as summer went on. Photo of YOY blueback herring by Kevin Foley.
- Tom Lake, A. Danforth

[Atlantic menhaden are a marine species of herring that spawn in salt-to-brackish water. Their young-of-the-year, also known colloquially as "peanut bunker" or "penny bunker," are found by the millions in the estuary in summer, providing forage for striped bass, bluefish, harriers, osprey,
eagles and seals. Tom Lake.]

SUMMER 2012 NATURAL HISTORY PROGRAMS 
Note: There may be times this summer, through August, when the weekly Hudson River Almanac is delivered on a more staggered schedule. However, all weeks will be covered.

July-October 2012 Canoe Trips with NYSDEC's Hudson River Estuarine Research Reserve Paddle with NYSDEC staff naturalists and learn about tide marsh ecology, Hudson River research, and challenges facing estuarine habitats. These educational canoe trips will occur at selected sites along the Hudson River Estuary and are provided free for the general public. For information: 845-889-4745 x109. To register go to http://www.eventbrite.com/event/386439852F

August 11 - 9:00 AM to Noon

Family Fishing Day. For all ages; free use of rods, reels and bait. Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg [Dutchess County]. Wheelchair accessible. Free. For information: 845-889-4745 x109 or lake@sunydutchess.edu

HUDSON RIVER MILES
The Hudson is measured north from Hudson River Mile 0 at the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan. The George Washington Bridge is at HRM 12, the Tappan Zee 28, Bear Mountain 47, Beacon-Newburgh 62, Mid-Hudson 75, Kingston-Rhinecliff 95, Rip Van Winkle 114, and the Federal Dam at Troy, the head of tidewater, at 153. The tidal section of the Hudson constitutes a bit less than half the total distance – 315 miles – from Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Battery. Entries from points east and west in the watershed reference the corresponding river mile on the mainstem.

The Hudson River E-Almanac is compiled and edited by Tom Lake and emailed weekly by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program. Share your observations by e-mailing them to trlake7@aol.com . To sign up to receive the E-Almanac (or to unsubscribe), send an email message to hrep@gw.dec.state.ny.us and write E-Almanac in the subject line.

<<<<<  OVERVIEW  >>>>>

Spring weather returned to more moderate (usual) levels this week, but still no precipitation. By week's end, we had only 18% of normal rainfall for the month. Birds and flowers were again most prominent as both brightened up the April landscape. Most successful bald eagle nests in the watershed should have nestlings by now.

<<<<<  HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK  >>>>>

4/5 - Croton Point, HRM 35-34: Across three hours of birding I noted 61 species. Among these were 25 American kestrels, with pretty much one on every post on the landfill. At one point almost all of them were hovering above the hill.

- Lewis Lolya

[Gerard Manley Hopkins' 1877 poem The Windhover (quoted in part below) spoke of the European version of this small falcon. Tom Lake.]

I caught this morning morning's minion, king-

dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding

Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding

High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing

In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,

As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding

Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding

Stirred for a bird, - the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!

<<<<<  NATURAL HISTORY NOTES  >>>>>

4/3 - Schodack Island, HRM 139: On a sunny but cool morning I heard a barred owl call several times: "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?" While most owls are nocturnal, the barred owl is one of the few that can be heard during the day.

- Mary Ellen Grimaldi

4/3 - Crugers, HRM 39: The resident great blue heron finally returned to Ogilvie's Pond. We watched it walk along the concrete wall of the pond, its neck stretched, until it reached the pair of Canada geese that frequent the pond. Then, knowing its limits, it spread its wide wings and flew over to the other side of the pond where it began to walk in the water.

- Dorothy and Bob Ferguson

4/4 - Troy, HRM 152: It was early afternoon and the tide had turned to flood, probably bringing herring up the river. A lone double-crested cormorant was fishing, diving repeatedly just south of the Hoosick Street Bridge.

- Regina Keenan

4/4 - Schodack Island, HRM 139: In keeping with what an odd winter and spring it has been with the weather and early appearances of blooms and birds, this morning I heard the sweet song of the eastern meadowlark from the neighboring pasture. I usually do not hear them until early May.

- Mary Ellen Grimaldi

4/4 - Hannacroix Creek, HRM 132: It was early morning as I watched an adult bald eagle flying below the tree tops with a fish in its talons, navigating the Hannacroix as an aerial highway heading toward the Hudson.

- Jean Bush

4/4 - Town of Poughkeepsie: For the second year in a row, the adults in eagle nest NY62 have produced two eaglets. While the male is often the primary food provider, in early morning, the female brought a bird to the nest, possibly a duck. In midday, for variety, she delivered a squirrel.

- Terry Hardy, Tom Lake

[This makes a total of eleven eaglets from three nests across the twelve years we have been monitoring this pair. Tom Lake.]

4/4 - Highland Falls, HRM 50: A big tom turkey with full tail fan on display was strutting around a hen this morning in the woods outside O'Neill High School.

- Scott Craven

4/4 - Fort Montgomery, HRM 46.5: Late in the day I watched an immature bald eagle fight the wind over the old Fort Montgomery site before heading back into the woods, I assume to roost.

- Scott Craven

4/4 - Annsville Creek, HRM 43.5: Due to the non-winter, we have seen very few eagles this year. However, as we drove across the Annsville (Route 9) Bridge today, we saw a magnificent adult circling overhead, his white head and tail gleaming in the sunlight.

- Dianne Picciano

4/4 - Manhattan, HRM 7.5-5.5: It was a good day in Central Park for early April migration. A fairly wide variety of species were seen including a few on the very early side as well as few less common species. The least-expected, a monk parakeet, was actually one that has been seen in the park a number of times, just not recently despite being a breeding resident species in New York City. An uncommon but annual migrant seen only early-on was a vesper sparrow. A nice feature of many bird observations was the birdsong that was heard from a wide variety of species including winter wrens and hermit thrush. The arrival of Louisiana waterthrush has been rather emphatic; never an abundant migrant, a minimum of five, and quite likely six or more, were seen. Other migration notes should include the sheer numbers of some very expected yet heretofore not-too-common migrants, such as the ruby-crowned kinglet, hermit thrush, palm warbler, pine warbler, and eastern towhee. There was also one white-crowned sparrow and several common loon flyovers.

- Tom Fiore

4/5 - Newcomb, HRM 302: While the above average temperatures in March fooled humans into thinking that summer had arrived, the birds and animals in the central Adirondacks were not tricked by balmy sunny days and were not exceptionally early in their arrival dates or behavioral mileposts. There were a few exceptions and most of them were water birds as the lakes did lose ice early and have been open for about a week. Common loon, great blue heron and bufflehead all had early arrival dates but other avian species were mostly within their usual arrival dates.

The chipmunk that lives in our side yard was still on its winter schedule, even with a food source (bird feeder) less than ten feet from its burrow. It seems to be staying below ground, likely dropping into torpor for two or three days at a time and then emerging on day three or four to raid the sunflower seeds from the feeder. Judging from the size of the debris pile and large stones pushed out of the burrow, I’m convinced that it has a small excavator in there for its burrow expansion project.

Green frogs have just begun to vocalize and we have seen some of their egg masses in the vernal pools, but the cooler temperatures have slowed them down at bit. Two years ago, when the snow cover was also gone by mid-March, the green frogs were breeding the first week of April. On the vegetation front, the non-native coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) was in bloom and the leaves of the trout lily (Erythronium americanum) were above ground but with no blossoms yet.

- Charlotte Demers

4/5 - Ulster County, HRM 78: Beginning at Millbrook, continuing our peregrine falcon observations at Mohonk Preserve, we saw sustained peregrine falcon activity including one chasing a raven. Human rock-climbing activity in the area appears to be conflicting with this year's eyrie, and may be keeping the peregrines away. At the Trapps, we watched a prey exchange (male catches the prey and then "hands off" to the female in mid-air) that may have been a starling. As the female fed, the male went to the eyrie to care for the eggs. At Bonticou, we heard a pair of barred owls and watched a pair of ravens carrying what appeared to be food to their nest. One peregrine was seen flying near the raven nest and then among several turkey vultures.

- Thomas J. Sarro, Joe Bridges

[Dr. Thomas J. Sarro, Professor of Biology at Mount Saint Mary College, has been assisting with the peregrine monitoring project at Mohonk Preserve since 1999 and is currently its coordinator. Peregrine falcons returned to the Shawangunks in 1998 after decades of near-extirpation due to pesticides in the food chain that compromised the birds' ability to reproduce. Tom Lake.]

4/5 - Town of Poughkeepsie: It an unusual behavioral switch, the adult male spent most of both yesterday and today in the nest. Ordinarily, the female tends to the nestlings as much as 90% of the time. I could see both eaglets bobbing their heads above the nest rim, one a bit higher than the other.

- Terry Hardy

4/5 - Putnam Valley, HRM 55.5: It was great, bring-a-smile-to-almost-any-face news! The first barn swallow returned mid-day and flew promptly down the basement stairwell to the sheltered nesting locale of many swallow families over many years. My casual phenology notes indicate that the return is early by maybe a week. Their return usually correlates with the presence of "shad flies" or blackflies that have not been abundant yet this spring.

- Nancy P. Durr

4/5 - Manhattan, HRM 7.5-5.5: We estimated that as much as 75-90 percent of all the migrant birds had cleared out of Central Park overnight. Given that the majority had only just arrived, that was a bit of a surprise.

- Tom Fiore

4/5 - Manhattan, HRM 3.5: Although the swamp sparrow is named after its favored habitat, I can't help projecting its other connotations, its hiding and lurking around on the ground, its coloration muddied like a ruined brown-gray watercolor. I spotted one earlier in the week at Bryant Park during the colder, damper days, hiding in the underbrush. Most of last week's song sparrows were gone. This morning, however, one surprised me, perched atop a bush and breaking out into song, sharing happiness in the return of warm weather.

- Alan Drogin

4/5 - Manhattan, HRM 2.7: During an afternoon walk in Hudson River Park from Canal Street north to 25th Street, I saw several small groups of brant geese eating "seaweed" (algae) from old pilings and sections of rip-rap. I believe these geese are part of the 40 I saw near here on March 2. I find it just amazing that these normally fairly reclusive waterfowl have found such a safe niche to winter. There are hardly any raptors to speak of here and there is plenty of forage at the river's edge. They have seemingly become accustomed to the occasional helicopter taking off, water taxis, and the sound of traffic on the West Side Highway. I'm wondering when they will head back north.

- Caleb Davison

[The late Dery Bennett, longtime director of the American Littoral Society, used to mark the seasons by noting how brant, a small species of geese, left Sandy Hook on Memorial Day. In his words, they would "shove off for the Canadian Arctic where they will breed, fledge young, and return around Columbus Day." Tom Lake.]

4/6 - Germantown, HRM 105: I looked up from large shadows moving over my yard to see as many as six turkey vultures overhead. I do not normally see them that close, nor over my yard. I went out a while later and saw them feeding on a road-killed rabbit. I looked again in a few hours and saw not a scrap of rabbit remains on the road. Turkey vultures may not be pretty, but they seem very efficient.

- Mimi Brauch

4/6 - Ulster County, HRM 78: Continuing our Mohonk Preserve peregrine falcon observations at Millbrook, we spotted a peregrine flying with a raven until it zoomed off for a quick prey exchange with its mate. The male peregrine soared with vultures, flying vigorously and taking several aggressive swipes at one. Later we saw the male falcon quickly copulate with the female. It is my belief that at Millbrook we are seeing an attempt to breed by a mature male and an immature, one year old female (darker plumage and lighter cere). Tom Cade, founder and director of The Peregrine Fund, believes that in North America, female peregrines do not become sexually mature until their second year, with some taking long as three years.

A peregrine flew through my field of vision later at the Trapps and landed on a snag. A turkey vulture flew right under its nose with no response. The vulture then tried to land on the ledge with the snag but was quickly driven away. The behavior we are seeing at the Trapps is indicative of a female being on eggs and the male guarding from optimum vantage points on the cliff. If our observations are correct, egg-laying may have taken place March 20-22, in which case hatching should occur between April 17 and 24. We will see.

- Thomas J. Sarro

4/6 - Bronx, New York City, HRM 15: While hiking through Van Cortlandt Park, my co-worker thought she spotted a cat on the trail. When we got closer we realized that it was actually a great horned owl fledgling on the ground. As we were leaving to give it some space, the fledgling puffed up into a huge scary ball and clicked its beak at us. One of its parents, perched in a tree overhead, quickly swooped past us to a lower tree to keep a closer watch.

- Kathryn Boula

4/6 - Manhattan, HRM 7.5-5.5: A breeding-plumage common loon was again on the Central Park Reservoir this morning. Sharing the reservoir were a hooded mergansers, northern shovelers, buffleheads, ruddy ducks, gadwalls, the usual mallards, American black ducks, some American coot, double-crested cormorants, and three gull species - ring-billed, herring and great black-backed - plus at least one brightly-plumaged pied-billed grebe.

- Tom Fiore

4/7 - New Hamburg, HRM 67.5: We frequently watch as the adult eagles bring food to the nestlings in the NY62 nest, but far less often see them acquire the catch. I watched at sunrise as the male dove repeatedly into the low tide shallows at the mouth of Wappinger Creek before finally connecting with a river herring, an alewife. As has been his habit for the last eleven years that we have watched him, he perched in a cottonwood and had his fill before addressing the needs of the nestlings. One more stoop, another herring, and then off to the nest.

- Tom Lake

4/7 - Manhattan, HRM 11: Further evidence of the renewed ecology and cleanliness of the Hudson River in New York City - a muskrat I saw last week swimming and landing on the city shoreline near the Little Red Lighthouse underneath the George Washington Bridge. The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is a medium-sized semi-aquatic native rodent and was a source of both food and fur to the native Algonquian people who lived here before the Europeans arrived 400 years ago. The meat is said to be tender and similar in taste to duck. In the early twentieth century, coats made of muskrat fur were labeled as "Hudson seal fur." Growing up to two feet in length, they are smaller than beavers that can also be found in this region.

- Mark Gluck

4/8 - Mid-Hudson Valley: The forests and hillsides along the river were beginning to gain color, mostly white as wild cherry and shadbush, as well as the first dogwood, were blooming.

- Tom Lake.

[Shadbush or serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.), a native species, has been, at least colloquially on the East Coast, considered a harbinger of spawning American shad arriving in estuaries. However, in the last several decades either shadbush is blooming later, shad are arriving earlier, or our observations are becoming more precise. From early April to early May, this wildflower has been a dependable indicator of advancing springtime inland up the estuary. Shadbush tends to be recognizable by the white glow it gives off, a softer, hazier white than flowering dogwood. In bloom, shadbush tends to have a horizontal aspect; dogwood seems to be more vertical. Since 1994, it has bloomed in the Mid-Hudson area as early as 3/31 (1998) and as late as 4/27 (2011). Tom Lake.]

4/9 - Troy, HRM 152: The ebb tide was nearly low in early afternoon and four double-crested cormorants were fishing in the Hudson just south of the Hoosick Street Bridge.

- Regina Keenan

4/9 - Pleasant Valley, HRM 76: My first brown-headed cowbird was at the feeder today - it seems early for them. The male cowbird joined a group of five or six white-throated sparrows. I have seen a lot of these beautiful little birds in the past few weeks and I love their distinctive markings.

- Kathy Kraft

4/9 - Highland Mills, HRM 50: We spotted a small, gray dog-like animal running across our lawn this afternoon. It was a coyote. This is the second one we've seen here in our 1960s development. The other was a few years ago. It looked a little lost, ran up the street across other neighbors' lawns, and I lost sight of it after the fourth house. It seemed in good condition, maybe a little scraggly, but had no trouble loping along. I think that distinctive movement is the most telling difference between a dog and a coyote.

- Alan Groth, Janice Groth

4/9 - Manhattan, HRM 3.5: This was our first New York City Audubon Bryant Park bird walk of the season Bryant Park continues to amaze with the abundance and diversity of its bird-life. The winter's white-throated sparrows were still lingering and singing. We had several sparrow species in grassy lawn in the center of the park: numerous song sparrows, a pair of chipping sparrows, and a field sparrow. We were later treated to the field sparrow singing his bright bouncing-ball song from a London plane tree, alongside his chipping sparrow cousin who was singing as well. We also heard a winter wren singing his amazing song, which I almost never hear in the city. He later popped out of the English ivy and gave us a great look.

- Gabriel Willow

[If anyone cares to join us, we will be continuing our walks every Monday, 8:00-9:00 AM, and Thursday 5:00-6:00 PM, through the end of May. It is a free drop-in walk. Gabriel Willow.]

<<<<< HELP US MONITOR HERRING MIGRATION >>>>>

DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudson River Fisheries Unit continue to recruit volunteers for their 2012 Volunteer River Herring Monitoring program. Monitoring will take place through May 31, during the annual river herring spawning migration from the ocean into freshwater tributaries. Volunteers are asked to look for signs of herring at a convenient site on the list below, at least twice a week for 15 minutes. No experience is necessary and training is provided. If you are interested in participating or would like to attend a training session, please contact us atr3hermon@gw.dec.state.ny.us or call 845-256-3172.

2012 Targeted River Herring Monitoring Sites

- Rensselaer County: Poesten Kill, Vlockie Kill

- Columbia County: Roeliff Jansen Kill

- Dutchess County: Fallkill, Maritje Kill

- Ulster County: Black Creek

- Orange County: Quassaick Creek, Popolopen Brook

- Westchester County: Sing Sing Brook

- Putnam County: Foundry Brook

<<<<<  SPRING 2012 NATURAL HISTORY PROGRAMS  >>>>>

April 14 - 2:00 PM

Discover Norrie Walk: Signs of Spring. Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg [Dutchess County]. Free. For information: 845-889-4745 x109.

April 14 - 1:00 PM

Grinnell Library, Wappinger Falls

Meet the Naturalists Series No. 2: Sturgeon, the Largest Fish in the Hudson River! Tom Lake, Naturalist, Hudson River Estuary Program. Grinnell Library, Wappingers Falls [Dutchess County]. Call to sign up: 845-297-3428.

April 21 - 1:00 to 4:00 PM

Family Fishing Day. For all ages; free use of rods, reels and bait. Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg [Dutchess County]. Wheelchair accessible. Free. For information: 845-889-4745 x109 orlake@sunydutchess.edu

<<<<<  HUDSON RIVER MILES >>>>>

The Hudson is measured north from Hudson River Mile 0 at the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan. The George Washington Bridge is at HRM 12, the Tappan Zee 28, Bear Mountain 47, Beacon-Newburgh 62, Mid-Hudson 75, Kingston-Rhinecliff 95, Rip Van Winkle 114, and the Federal Dam at Troy, the head of tidewater, at 153. The tidal section of the Hudson constitutes a bit less than half the total distance – 315 miles – from Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Battery. Entries from points east and west in the watershed reference the corresponding river mile on the mainstem.

<<<<<  TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR OBSERVATIONS OR TO SUBSCRIBE  >>>>>

The Hudson River E-Almanac is compiled and edited by Tom Lake and emailed weekly by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program. Share your observations by e-mailing them to trlake7@aol.com . To sign up to receive the E-Almanac (or to unsubscribe), send an email message to hrep@gw.dec.state.ny.us and write E-Almanac in the subject line.

Weekly issues are archived at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/25611.html . The DEC website's search engine can find species, locations, and other data in the archives.

The Hudson River Estuary Program has an e-newsletter! Stay connected by subscribing to RiverNet, which covers projects, events and actions related to the Hudson and its watershed.www.dec.ny.gov/lands/76018.html

Discover New York State Conservationist - the award-winning, advertisement-free magazine focusing on New York State's great outdoors and natural resources. Conservationist features stunning photography, informative articles and around-the-state coverage. For a free, no-obligation issue go tohttp://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/conservationist.html

<<<<<  USEFUL LINKS  >>>>>

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s tide predictions are available online athttp://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=62 NOAA’s 2012 tidal current predictions are at http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/currents12/ .

For real-time information on Hudson River tides, weather and water conditions from eight monitoring stations, visit the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System website athttp://www.hrecos.org .

Historical information on the movements of the salt front in the Hudson estuary is presented by the U.S. Geological Survey: http://ny.water.usgs.gov/projects/dialer_plots/saltfront.html .

Information about the Hudson River Estuary Program is available on DEC's website athttp://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html .

Copies of past issues of the Hudson River Almanac, Volumes II-VIII, are available for purchase from the publisher, Purple Mountain Press, (800) 325-2665, or email purple@catskill.net

Four Honorees Who Have Worked to Improve Long Island Sound Will Receive the Sound Guardian Award Amid Signs that the Sound Is Improving

Although it’s way too early to say for sure, and way too uncertain to be complacent, conditions on Long Island Sound seem to be improving.

In the most highly stressed part of the Sound, between Queens, the Bronx, Westchester and Nassau Counties, concentrations of dissolved oxygen – a key indicator of habitat health – have been significantly better in two of the last three summers than the 20-year median, an improvement that’s probably attributable at least in part to upgrades at sewage treatment plants.

More locally, reduced levels of pathogens enabled Nassau County to reopen 2,500 acres of shellfish beds in Hempstead Harbor in 2011, for the first time in 40 years. Shellfishing is part of the Sound’s legacy, and safe, sustainable shellfishing should be part of its future.

Improvements like these and others are the work of dozens, if not scores, of committed people and institutions. Four of them are being honored this month by the Clean Water/Jobs Coalition, which is presenting them with its annual Sound Guardian award.

The honorees are Commissioner Joseph Martens of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Commissioner Carter Strickland of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, for a landmark agreement to use green infrastructure to keep polluted stormwater from reaching local waters.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will receive the Sound Guardian award for her leadership in working to reauthorize the Long Island Sound Stewardship and Restoration Act in Washington D.C.

And the final honoree is Skanska USA Civil Northeast, for its exemplary work building wastewater treatment plants that have led to significant improvements in the waters surrounding New York City.

The Clean Water/Jobs Coalition gives the Sound Guardian Awards to individuals and organizations who have made a difference in the protection, restoration and stewardship of the Sound. This year the Coalition will give the awards at a reception on April 19 at the Water Club in Manhattan.

The Coalition is a partnership of Audubon New York, the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc., and the New York State Laborers. It was formed in 1991 to lobby and advocate for funding for public works projects that will help revive the Sound’s habitat, make the Sound safer for recreation and stimulate the local economy.

Among the more promising innovations for cleaner water and recreational opportunities is green infrastructure – the use of rooftop vegetation, porous pavement, rain gardens and other green technologies to manage the flow of stormwater and help reduce contaminants in that stormwater.

In March, Commissioners Martens and Strickland announced an agreement to invest $2.4 billion in green infrastructure in parts of Queens that drain into Flushing Bay (an embayment of Long Island Sound), as well as sections of Brooklyn that drain into Newtown Creek and the Gowanus Canal.

The project will be spread over 18 years and is designed to significantly reduce the amount of stormwater that reaches local waterways.

Senator Gillibrand, D-NY, is being honored for her leadership in working to pass the Long Island Sound Stewardship and Restoration Act.

The act provides crucial funding for the U.S. EPA office that has been overseeing the long-term cleanup of the Sound. It also provides funding for wastewater treatment plant upgrades that directly improve water quality. Its Stewardship component identifies critical ecological and recreational sites on the Sound, and provides money to protect and improve them.

The Restoration and Stewardship Act is up for reauthorization, but recent funding cuts to the program threaten to undermine the progress made at improving the Sound’s health at a time when demand for projects is outpacing available funding by more than two-to-one.

Skanska USA Civil Northeast has completed dozens of water and wastewater treatment projects throughout the United States and is one of the nation's top constructors of water and wastewater treatment projects.

Skanska is working on three major facilities for the New York City DEP: the Croton Water Filtration Plant in the Bronx, the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn and the Catskill/Delaware UV Disinfection Facility in Westchester County, all of which will help dramatically improve the quality of the water in New York City.

Compiled by Tom Lake, Hudson River Estuary Program Naturalist

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

OVERVIEW 

A winter ended that was barely noticeable in most areas of the watershed. The week leading up to the vernal equinox was punctuated by record-setting warmth as well as continued early arrival of migratory birds and blooming of spring flowers. Year eighteen of the Almanac ended on the equinox, reminding us that it stays alive only through the wonderfully generous natural history contributions from all of you. The Almanac goes out to more than 3,000 people each week, all of whom share in ongoing discovery and learning about our Hudson River watershed.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK  

3/14 - Staten Island, New York City: A road-killed river otter was found on the west shore of Staten Island about a month ago. Wildlife biologists speculated as to whether it was a stray or a sign that otters were re-establishing themselves. Today a DEC Conservation Officer recovered a second (also road-killed) river otter in the same vicinity. It looks like the river otter, not seen in New York City in a hundred years, may have a population on Staten Island. Now, if we can only get cars to stop running them over...

- John Fitzpatrick

NATURAL HISTORY NOTES  

3/14 - Saratoga National Historic Park, HRM 177.5: About 200 snow geese were spotted next to the Hudson River on the Saratoga Battlefield.

- Steve Abrahamsen

3/14 - Chatham, Columbia County, HRM 125: I have been hearing so many woodpeckers in the Borden's Pond Preserve. Yesterday I spotted a female pileated, but not her mate. They are regulars in the area, but it's been several months since my last sighting. 

- Nancy Castaldo

3/14 - Yorktown, HRM 44: Wood frogs were "quacking" away in the little wetland at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park. This is the earliest

that I can remember hearing them. If you kneel down, stay still, put your hand palm-up in the water, and wiggle your fingers just enough to make small ripples, sometimes a male frog will come over and swim onto your palm. Then he realizes that you are not a female frog and he swims away very fast. This only works at this time of year.

- Susan Butterfass

3/14 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: Three 70 degree-plus days in a row. Our daffodils bloomed today, easily two weeks earlier than usual and a month earlier than last year. Also, trillium has popped up in the woods.

- Christopher Letts

3/14 - Croton Point, HRM 35: "Gronk, gronk, gronk." For the second morning I heard a raven calling; this time it was perched in plain sight and I passed it. In the presence of ravens I am always transported to wilder, more natural places - a magic bird.

- Christopher Letts

3/14 - Ossining, HRM 33: There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the outline of Croton Point and the hills of Rockland County were so perfect that they seemed unreal. Two robins, the first I've seen this season, skittered past. Clumps of bright yellow daffodils danced in the warm breeze.

- Dorothy Ferguson

3/14 - Manhattan, HRM 2: We spotted a woodcock perched at the corner of William and Wall Street today. I cannot recall ever seeing one in Manhattan before.

- Matt Klein

3/15 - Fort Edward, HRM 202: A spitting rain turned to light rain near dusk. We spotted three northern harriers including an adult male, a brown-tone male, and an adult female. At the perfect time for owls, it stopped raining. We sighted six short-eared owls, one of which was an extremely light-colored adult male.

- Dan Furbish

3/15 - Catskill, HRM 113: Today was definitely the earliest date that we have ever logged the annual spring arrival of river herring in Catskill Creek. Furthermore, it was the first time we ever saw striped bass here prior to St. Patrick's Day (they arrived today as well).

- Tom Gentalen

3/15 - Pleasant Valley, HRM 75: With air temperatures in the 70s the past few days, spring arrived early. This morning I heard my first eastern phoebe calling, joining the chorus of cardinals, song sparrows, Carolina wrens, chickadees and tufted titmice.

- Kathy Kraft

3/15 - Fishkill, HRM 61: I enjoyed watching a Carolina wren gather moss and other nesting material so that it could build nests inside my hanging tomato plant containers outside the back door. There are two containers and it brought nesting materials to both of them. Guess I won't be planting tomatoes in those containers.

- Ed Speath

3/15 - Putnam Valley, HRM 55.5: The Andromeda was coming into bloom. According to someone who has kept phenologic [phenology] records of such events since 1993, Andromeda ordinarily come into bloom between April 15 and April 25, some 30-40 days hence.

- Nancy P Durr

3/15 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: I was much taken with the spring finery of the weeping willows: delicate golden-green blossoms and tiny leaves gave the branches the look of having a fresh spring hairdo. Coltsfoot was blooming in great profusion on the roadsides.

- Christopher Letts

3/15 - Croton Point, HRM 34.5: Tree swallows were zipping around the nesting boxes (bluebird boxes, actually, but the swallows always seem to prevail) and this morning they were in and out of the boxes and getting serious about it.

- Christopher Letts

3/16 - Saratoga County, HRM 208: Ice is "out" on Moreau Lake and northern shovelers have been seen on the open water this week.

- Gary Hill

3/16 - Croton Point, HRM 35-34: Forsythia was in full bloom, about three weeks earlier than usual.

- Christopher Letts

3/17 - Rondout Creek, HRM 92: River herring had arrived in Rondout Creek about two weeks early. My son, John, was kayaking and saw quite a few, and local fishermen were already collecting them. This may mean that striped bass are not far behind.

- John Neidhardt

3/17 - Hyde Park, HRM 80: While dining at the American Bounty Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America, we watched from our table as a sharp-shinned hawk dined on a starling in the inner courtyard of Roth Hall. It stripped the feathers of the kill, moved the kill under a pine tree, carried it up into the tree, brought it back down to the ground and then finished consuming it. It took all of about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, at various times, crows flew overhead showing their annoyance at the hawk's presence. It was an extraordinary "fine dining" experience for us and other diners.

- Erin Murphy, Tim Murphy, Ed Spaeth

3/17 - Town of Cortlandt, HRM 38: Magnolia was in full bloom, at least a week early.

- Christopher Letts

3/18 - Norrie Point, HRM 85: While our family was having a picnic dinner at the Norrie Point Marina, we finally saw the occupants of the beaver lodge. They were swimming under and around the long broad walk near the shoreline. One was large and the other was about three-quarters the size. They did not seem to be concerned about us leaning over the railing watching them, and they gave us a nice show before they departed.

- Steve Hesse and Family

3/18 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: This was the last week of winter and forsythia was in bloom along the river, hyacinths flowers were opening, magnolia was showing color, and daffodils had long been in bloom. These were all, in terms of an ordinary year, two weeks early

- Tom Lake

3/18 - Town of Newburgh, HRM 61: The air temperature reached 74 degrees Fahrenheit today, a record high for the date.

- National Weather Service

3/18 - New Windsor, HRM 59: The last couple of days have exploded with birdsong and nest-building activity in my yard. I was serenaded in turn by passionate and enthusiastic song sparrows, cardinals, robins, mockingbirds, mourning doves, and my personal favorite - purple finches. I couldn't locate to identify the joyous and insistent singer of "Peter,Peter,Peter." Isn't it early for Baltimore orioles, or is this a different bird?

-Joanne Zipay

[The "Peter, Peter, Peter" call is most likely the clear song of the tufted titmouse. The purple finch, indeed a wonderful singer, is not as common as it once was in the Hudson Valley, and as a nesting species it is usually associated with conifers. Its close relative the house finch, also a marvelous songster, is very common in suburban and urban habitats. The "purple" of a male purple finch is more raspberry red than purple and covers much of the bird's body. Color - a more crimson hue - on male house finches is concentrated on the crown and breast. Tom Lake & Steve Stanne.]

3/18 - Blooming Grove, HRM 55: We spotted two male yellow-rumped warblers on a walk in the woods behind our house - our first warblers this season. Phoebes have been singing in many spots as well.

- Betsy Hawes

3/18 - Croton Point, HRM 34.5: Phoebes had returned and the sky was clouded with high-flying tree swallows.

- Christopher Letts

3/18 - Dobbs Ferry, HRM 23: A red-tailed hawk was devouring an unidentified bird high up on a black locust while a companion red-tail squawked from a nearby branch. Feathers floated down as he ripped away at the meal and sparrows snatched them as they fell. Nest lining?

- Elizabeth T. Martin

3/18- Hastings-on-Hudson, HRM 21.5: I was surprised by a commotion on our glass-enclosed front porch this afternoon. Flapping desperately against the taped-shut-for-winter corner windows was a bird with gray wings, sharply curved beak, strong legs, business-like claws, patterned belly, and black under-eye markings - a male merlin. As it slipped down the glass onto a plant stand for a still moment, I managed to cup its wings in both hands and carry it outside where, thankfully uninjured, the falcon soared to freedom - a magical moment. It likely had been hunting sparrows at our front yard feeder and pursued one through the open porch door (but no evidence of the hapless victim).

- MJ Madigan

3/19 - Staatsburg, HRM 86: At dusk, we positioned ourselves at Hyde Park wetland #1 (HP-1 on the State Wetland Map) about a mile east of the Hudson River, to observe the display of the woodcock (which did not occur). The temperature was near 70 degrees F and the gray tree frogs were voicing loudly with spring peepers joining in the background. A few mosquitoes appeared and so did a couple of little brown bats flying their erratic flights over our head. Venus and Jupiter were shining brightly high in the southwestern sky.

- Bill Jacobs, Judy Kito

3/19 - Town of Poughkeepsie, HRM 75: The air temperature reached 78 degrees F today, a record high for the date.

- National Weather Service

3/19 - Chelsea, HRM 65.4: On the last day of winter we sat in 79 degree sunshine watching a small duck blind drift downriver in the current. The small, square wooden frame was covered with tied-down, now-brown, cedar branches. It had likely come loose from a waterfowl-season mooring upriver, and seemed to connect the seasons from fall to spring.

- TR Jackson, Tom Lake

[Duck blinds are floating platforms used by hunters to camouflage their presence on the water. Simple duck blinds are often made with floats on a wooden frame adorned with conifer branches. If they are well done, ducks and geese generally pay little attention to them or the hunters. Tom Lake.]

3/19 - Cold Spring, HRM 54: The river was 45 degrees F, considerably warmer than usual for the last day of winter. Anglers on the dock were having a slow but steady pick of small striped bass (16") and channel catfish (16-18"), caught on bloodworms. All fish were released.

- Tom Bouchard, Tom Jackson, Tom Lake

3/19 - Town of Warwick, Orange County, HRM 41: Danny Messina and I went to Liberty Marsh to look into a 3/17 report of cinnamon teal. While we did see a small group of green-wing teal and several northern shovelers, we did not see the hoped-for cinnamon teal. However, we did see two sandhill cranes on the south side of the marsh. They were definitely pair-bound as they never looked to be more than eight feet from each other. This was our earliest sighting date ever in Orange County, topping last year's on 4/13.

- Ken McDermott

3/19 -Manhattan, HRM 5: The air temperature reached 72 degrees F today, a record high for the date.

- National Weather Service

3/20 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: The vernal equinox arrived while most of us were asleep (1:14 AM). Today was another, albeit now official, spring day (70 degrees F), and one that was fairly filled with cabbage white butterflies. Like confetti in the air, it seemed to be an entirely fitting way to conclude the eighteenth annual volume of the Hudson River Almanac.

- Tom Lake

3/20 - Staatsburg, HRM 86: American toads were calling this morning.

- Jesse Jaycox

3/20 - Hyde Park, HRM 81: We found both bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) blooming amidst large, warm rocks on a hill in a park just south of Hyde Park. Populations of Dutchman's breeches in lower-lying areas were leafing out, but not yet blooming. This is a very early flowering date for these spring ephemerals.

- Kali Bird

3/20 - Town of Montgomery, HRM 62: Since early March I have had two red squirrels making quick forays into my yard from a wooded area just above Tin Brook. My first sighting was very exciting as I have never had them before. Smaller, more lithe and agile than the gray squirrels, their rich red fur seemed to be on fire in the sunlight. Even more interestingly, I noticed that they would stretch out spread-eagle on the trunk of a maple tree and chew the bark. At this time of year, red squirrels start running out of stored energy from the winter and turn to the sap of maples to get a quick fix of sugar.

- Patricia Henighan

3/20 - Town of Newburgh, HRM 61: The air temperature reached 80 degrees F today, a record high for the date.

- National Weather Service

3/20 - Crugers, HRM 39: Ogilvie's Pond, on the first day of spring, seemed to have been transformed overnight. Spatterdock was beginning to poke out of the water and we spotted more than 100 orange fish, averaging about six inches long, swimming very close to the surface. Two turtles were basking in the sun on a large log and a pair of Canada geese stood quietly on the cement wall of the pond. A perfect start to spring!

- Dorothy Ferguson, Bob Ferguson

[Goldfish, even bright orange ones, swim in the Hudson, but most often those we find are brassy in color; the orange ones catch the eyes of predators. These six-inch-long "orange fish" (more than 100) may well have been pre-spawning or even spawning golden shiners. Tom Lake.]

3/20 - Croton-on-Hudson, HRM 35: I looked out the window yesterday to see a large dark bird marching across the feebly-green lawn. It was a huge wild turkey that paraded on through the daffodils into the camouflage of the woods. I watched the shape of its body disappear in the dark shapes of fallen trees and leaf piles. I followed its passage only by the flashes of its red wattle. This morning, to my delight, the bird made another strut across the lawn into the woods, in what may become a new daily treat.

- Robin Fox

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR GLASS EEL STUDY 

The DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program and National Estuarine Research Reserve seek volunteers to check fyke nets set in Hudson River tributaries and count the numbers of glass eels [immatures] caught. The project will run March to May, and will provide crucial baseline data on Hudson River eel populations. No experience necessary and training is provided. If you are interested in participating or would like to attend a training session, please contact Chris Bowser (chbowser@gw.dec.state.ny.us), Sarah Mount (sjmount@gw.dec.state.ny.us) or Zoraida Maloney (ztmalone@gw.dec.state.ny.us) or call (845) 889-4745. For more information, visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/49580.html

2012 Targeted American eel monitoring sites:

- Hannacroix Creek (Greene County)

- Saw Kill, Crum Elbow Creek, Fall Kill (Dutchess County)

- Black Creek (Ulster County)

- Indian Brook (Putnam County)

- Furnace Brook (Westchester County)

- Minisceongo Creek (Rockland County)

- Coney Island Creek (Brooklyn)

HELP US MONITOR HERRING MIGRATION

 Spring is approaching and DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudson River Fisheries Unit are recruiting volunteers for their 2012 Volunteer River Herring Monitoring program. Monitoring will take place from April 1 through May 31, during the annual river herring spawning migration from the ocean into freshwater tributaries. Volunteers are asked to look for signs of herring at a convenient site on the list below, at least twice a week for 15 minutes. No experience is necessary and training is provided. If you are interested in participating or would like to attend a training session, please contact us atr3hermon@gw.dec.state.ny.us or call 845-256-3172.

2012 Targeted River Herring Monitoring Sites

- Rensselaer County: Poesten Kill, Vlockie Kill

- Columbia County: Roeliff Jansen Kill

- Dutchess County: Fallkill, Maritje Kill

- Ulster County: Black Creek

- Orange County: Quassaick Creek, Popolopen Brook

- Westchester County: Sing Sing Brook

- Putnam County: Foundry Brook

SPRING 2012 NATURAL HISTORY PROGRAMS 

March 29 - 2:00-3:15 PM

Stewardship of the Commons: Panel Discussion Evaluating Hudson River Valley Ecology, including Tom Lake, Naturalist, Hudson River Estuary Program. Performing Arts Center of the Student Center, Marist College, Poughkeepsie [Dutchess County]. Questions: Thomas.Lynch@marist.edu

April 5 - 7:30 PM

Tivoli Bays Talks: John Burroughs with Rich Parisio. Tivoli Bays Visitor Center, Tivoli [Dutchess County]. Free.  Wheelchair accessible. For information: 845-889-4745 x109.

April 14 - 2:00 PM

Discover Norrie Walk: Signs of Spring. Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg [Dutchess County]. Free. For information: 845-889-4745 x109.

April 14 - 1:00 PM

Grinnell Library, Wappinger Falls

Meet the Naturalists Series No. 2: Sturgeon, the Largest Fish in the Hudson River! Tom Lake, Naturalist, Hudson River Estuary Program. Grinnell Library, Wappingers Falls [Dutchess County]. Call to sign up: 845-297-3428.

HUDSON RIVER MILES 

The Hudson is measured north from Hudson River Mile 0 at the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan. The George Washington Bridge is at HRM 12, the Tappan Zee 28, Bear Mountain 47, Beacon-Newburgh 62, Mid-Hudson 75, Kingston-Rhinecliff 95, Rip Van Winkle 114, and the Federal Dam at Troy, the head of tidewater, at 153. The tidal section of the Hudson constitutes a bit less than half the total distance – 315 miles – from Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Battery. Entries from points east and west in the watershed reference the corresponding river mile on the mainstem.

TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR OBSERVATIONS OR TO SUBSCRIBE  

The Hudson River E-Almanac is compiled and edited by Tom Lake and emailed weekly by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program. Share your observations by e-mailing them to trlake7@aol.com . To sign up to receive the E-Almanac (or to unsubscribe), send an email message tohrep@gw.dec.state.ny.us and write E-Almanac in the subject line.

Weekly issues are archived at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/25611.html . The DEC website's search engine can find species, locations, and other data in the archives.

The Hudson River Estuary Program has an e-newsletter! Stay connected by subscribing to RiverNet, which covers projects, events and actions related to the Hudson and its watershed. www.dec.ny.gov/lands/76018.html

Discover New York State Conservationist - the award-winning, advertisement-free magazine focusing on New York State's great outdoors and natural resources. Conservationist features stunning photography, informative articles and around-the-state coverage. For a free, no-obligation issue go tohttp://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/conservationist.html

USEFUL LINKS  

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s tide predictions are available online at http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=62 NOAA’s 2012 tidal current predictions are at http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/currents12/ .

For real-time information on Hudson River tides, weather and water conditions from eight monitoring stations, visit the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System website at http://www.hrecos.org .

Information on the movements of the salt front in the Hudson estuary is presented by the U.S. Geological Survey:http://ny.water.usgs.gov/projects/dialer_plots/saltfront.html .

Information about the Hudson River Estuary Program is available on DEC's website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html .

Copies of past issues of the Hudson River Almanac, Volumes II-VIII, are available for purchase from the publisher, Purple Mountain Press, (800) 325-2665, or email purple@catskill.net

 

Compiled by Tom Lake, Hudson River Estuary Program Naturalist

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

 

OVERVIEW

A major "blowout tide" produced some interesting observations, in particular an opportunity to see the bottom of the river where it is rarely seen. Huge flocks of blackbirds continue to move up the valley along the river, arriving days if not weeks early.

 

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

2/26 - Yonkers, HRM18: The Science Barge crew set our eel mop about 300 feet upstream from where the Saw Mill River meets the Hudson. Chris Bowser and his crew pulled the eel mop four days ago and found 3 glass eels. We pulled it today and got five. The water temperature was 42 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

- Bob Walters

[Freshwater eels have survived global cataclysms for millions of year but now some populations appear to be diminishing, even disappearing, world-wide and scientists are not quite certain why. While American eels are considered freshwater fish, they are born at sea and many of them spend much of their lives in tidewater. Glass eels are one of the juvenile life stages of the American eel; “glass” refers to their lack of pigment and near transparency. They arrive by the millions in the estuary each spring following a six-month to year-long journey from the greater Sargasso Sea area where they were born. This is a particularly vulnerable time and little is known about this period in their life history. In anywhere from 12 to 30 years, depending upon their sex, they will leave the Hudson River watershed for the sea, where they will spawn once and then die. Tom Lake. Glass eel photo by Chris Bowser.]

 

NATURAL HISTORY NOTES

2/23 - Blooming Grove, HRM 55: The first red-winged blackbird was at the feeder today. Several others were in the trees making their usual sound. From looking at past records, they occasionally arrive at the end of February but more often early to mid-March.

 

- Carol Coddington

 

2/23 - Cold Spring, HRM 54: It was another spring-like day with air temperatures in the 50s. The river was flat as glass, the breeze out of the south was warm, and the cardinals were busy singing their spring song, "birdie, birdie, birdie."

 

- TR Jackson, Tom Lake

 

2/23 - Rockland Lake, HRM 33: This glacially formed lake near the Hudson is always a good stopover to see winter ducks. Three days ago Pat and Bill Joel reported spotting two rafts of American coots, about fifty in each, and they were still on the lake today. The comical pairs of gadwalls - dabbling ducks that continually "tip up" to forage, males displaying their black rumps with each tip - were also still there.

 

- Tom Lake

 

2/23 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: The goose wars had begun. A paucity of proper nesting sites makes the competition fierce. Interlopers are shown no mercy; if honking and hissing and wing flapping don't get the message across, real violence can occur. Every year, hopeful pairs perch on the ridgepoles of the house and garage and honk their hearts out. The resident pair of Canada geese in Pine Lake ignores all of that, but if they glide down to the embankment or into the water, things get ugly fast.

 

- Christopher Letts

 

2/23 - Manhattan, New York City, HRM 5.5: The rufous hummingbird continued through today at the West 81st Street entrance to the American Museum of Natural History. Look for it at the feeder to the right of the entrance.

 

- Tony Lauro, Tom Burke

 

2/24 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: They arrived just after dawn and lasted all day, streams of them, red-winged blackbirds and common grackles, moving through the forest, often filling every branch in the canopy. The raucous sound was nearly deafening. By midday the grackles, both male and female, had taken over the feeders, making off with ten pounds of black-oil sunflower seed in ten minutes, necessitating a refill. The juncos and goldfinches had fled. A single white-throated-sparrow had mustered up enough courage to feed among the bullies. We tried to count those closest to us but lost it after 50. Another 250-300 waited in the trees. By sunset the stream of birds had stopped. Blackbird migrations of this magnitude are generally mid-March events.

 

- TR Jackson, Tom Lake

 

2/24 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: Tulips had pushed up 3-4" in the cutting gardens. Hardy cyclamen were in bloom. Maple syruping is a challenge and a mystery this year; the sap is just not running the way it should and at 50-60 degrees; what does run will sour in the pails in 24 hours. I should have tapped on New Year's Day. How's that for hindsight?

 

- Christopher Letts

 

2/24 - Oscawana Point, HRM 38.5: A snowstorm during the night transformed everything into a winter wonderland. As we surveyed the glassy gray waters of the Hudson at the Oscawana overlook this morning, we spotted a beautiful adult bald eagle skimming over the water in the inlet. Landing in tree, we thought it might have been feeding on something it caught but, with closer observation, saw that it was just staring out over the open water.

 

- Dorothy Ferguson, Bob Ferguson

 

2/25 - Philmont, Columbia County, HRM 120: That funny, Styrofoam-like snow called grapple, or grauple as spelled by some, piled up on the furry back of Loki, my husky-mix dog as we walked along Claverack Creek. Grapple are snowflakes that melt a bit, and then re-freeze before they hit the ground. They lose their six-sided flake shapes and turn into tiny balls, or pellets. It sounds a bit noisy when grapple snow hits the leaves that are still left on some of the trees.

 

- Fran Martino

 

2/25 - Pleasant Valley, HRM 84: I heard my first song sparrow singing in the woods this morning. That seems kind of early; I am guessing the warmer winter is playing a role despite the couple of inches of snow that fell yesterday. Nice to hear them!

 

- Kathy Kraft

 

2/25 - Wappinger Falls, HRM 68: While driving home late at night I spotted a pair of red foxes. I was in awe of their beautiful red fur and white-tipped tail. They were running into a yard and the lead fox moved quickly into some bushes. The second one stopped dead in his tracks and stared into my eyes just a few feet away. Then he turned and disappeared into the dark bushes. It was an incredible moment that I will never forget.

 

- Richard Alamo

 

2/25 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: The river was whipped to a froth in midday as the flood tide butted strong northwest winds gusting to 50 mph. Standing alongside the river in mid-afternoon, as the tide dropped and the current sped seaward, it was easy to get the feeling that the ebb tide might never stop.

 

- Tom Lake

 

2/26 - Bethlehem, HRM 138: I happened to walk down to the river at Henry Hudson Park this afternoon at the time of low tide, and it was by far the lowest I have ever seen. Apparently a blowout tide from the north-northwest winds of the last two days. The Albany river gauge got down to -3.55 feet. The record low there is -4.50 feet on March 8, 1986.

 

- John Kent

 

2/26 - Clermont, HRM 103.5: I was at the Livingston estate in Clermont and spotted two adult bald eagles perched on a tussock in the river, likely the same ones I have spotted at Cheviot, less than four miles upriver.

 

- Mimi Brauch

 

2/26 - Esopus Meadows, HRM 87: The tide was out at Esopus Meadows this morning, way out. We had never seen it so low. Even the lighthouse was surrounded by now-exposed river bed - a blowout tide. Two immature bald eagles were picking at things, perched on newly exposed logs. An adult eagle flew to a tree on our side of the river and called.

 

- Peter Relson, Carol Anderson

 

2/26 - Cornwall Bay, HRM 58: Extremely low tides, most often blowout tides, expose the many derelict docks and piers along the waterfront. Except on days like today, you might never know they were there. But this is essential summer habitat for largemouth bass, in some instances smallmouth bass, as well as other species. Some of the pilings were adorned with rusted artificial lures, bearing testament to anglers' efforts.

 

- Tom Lake

 

2/26 - Manitou Marsh, HRM 47.5: We had an extremely low tide today. The shoreline and shallows showed rocks not seen for a long time. The high tide of the day looked more like a normal low tide.

 

- Zshawn Sullivan

 

2/26 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: Granddaughters Thalia (6) and Sage (5) were helping me with the sugar bush chores, largely in the form of carefully sampling sap, from caught on the tongue to the almost finished product. There had been a hard freeze overnight and they were fascinated by the crunch of frost crystals underfoot. I told them how they were formed, and that people who study cold weather call them "pipcrakes." That turned out to be an extremely funny word to little girls, and I heard it used, often and variously, through the day. At lunch, "more pipcrakes, please" and later "have you seen my pipcrakes?"

 

- Christopher Letts

 

2/26 - Rockland County, HRM 36: Tiny Four Corners Pond, cradled in the woods of Sterling Forest, might not have warranted a second look except for the expanse of waterfowl on the mirrored surface. I counted forty brilliantly-colored hooded mergansers, the most I had ever seen in one place, along with eight ring-necked ducks, a dozen or more mallards, and two "psychedelic" wood ducks.

 

- Tom Lake

 

2/26 - Croton-on-Hudson, HRM 34: The blustery wind of the last few days had cleared the sky for a late winter spectacle: The brilliant crescent moon with bright Jupiter above to her left, and Venus, shining and glorious, hanging below.

 

- Robin Fox

 

2/27 - Rhinebeck, HRM 90: As I was walking at dusk I heard the unmistakable call of a male woodcock in a brush lot. I could hear three or four birds as I listened. I hear them there every year, this year not so surprisingly earlier than in the past.

 

- Dan Seymour

 

2/27 - Pleasant Valley, HRM 84: At noon today, a pair of bluebirds came in to inspect our backyard nest boxes. Didn't they know that the forecast is for snow on Thursday?

 

- John Mort

 

2/27 - Town of Poughkeepsie: Just when we were ready to declare that the eagles were on eggs, they left the nest (NY62) unattended for ten minutes, a sure sign that they are not quite ready. The male was in the nest at midday but left and headed down river to the "24-hour deli" at Danskammer Point. The female flew in carrying a long train of soft nesting material, the consistency of which is used for the nest's "egg cup." She perched in the tip-top of a tamarack for ten minutes before circling into the nest with her final touch of preparation.

 

- TR Jackson, Tom Lake

 

2/27 - Newburgh, HRM 61: Bald Eagles on the Hudson - notes from Francis B. Robinson, February 27, 1922: "For over forty years, Andrew Templeton has watched the winter visits of the bald eagles to the Hudson River at Beacon and Newburgh, where the ferry between these cities keeps the water free from ice in the coldest days. When the days begin to soften, great fields of ice break off with the changing tides, and these the ferry cuts into small blocks and a eventually a big open space is formed where the gulls, mergansers and other ducks gather and wait the breaking up of the ice.

Every year that these conditions have prevailed, during the mild days of winter, a pair of bald eagles has come to the Hudson River and remained in the ferry pathway for several days, attracting much attention. It was some surprise to me in passing over on the ferry (February 24) to find eight bald eagles on the ice - six mature birds and two immature.
Crows appeared like chickens beside their hens, but later, when we had a pair of eight-power glasses on the birds, we were unable to discover that they found any food, although mergansers were diving and splashing not far away. The eight birds were here for one day only but the pair now here have been leaving every evening before dusk for the Highlands south, flying toward Storm King Mountain. The two mature bald eagles are yet with us, but the gathering of eight birds on the river seems of enough importance to me to report to Bird-Lore, for it seems as if the protection of these birds was now bearing fruit."

 

- Robert DeCandido

 

2/27 - Croton Point, HRM 35-34: Red-winged blackbirds were singing and displaying; grackles were cackling in the trees, and (oh, happy day) a bluebird, perched and facing me, the bright light of morning full on it. The blue, red and white coloring was exquisite; the light made the blue of the head seem iridescent.

 

- Christopher Letts

 

2/28 - Claverack Creek, HRM 120: Two exciting things happened today while training a new volunteer Stream Spotter for the Greater Stockport Creek Watershed. We had an incredibly long look at a fisher on the opposite side of the creek. The fisher walked with a fast purpose, and my guess would be it was a male judging from its size. Fishers are one of the few predators of porcupines, and their young are born around March-April. Keep your chickens locked up! We also saw the sub-imago stage of several mayflies that had lit on a rock. Very cool stuff - if I only had a camera.

 

- Fran Martino

 

2/28 - RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary, HRM 112.2: As if seeing mama eagle on her nest wasn't enough, five fox sparrows were hanging out near the bridge over the RamsHorn Creek. This is the same place I saw them in November. Early migrants or did they never leave? Approx ninety minutes later we watched two adult eagles over the RamsHorn marsh - one seemed to be chasing the other. They broke off the chase when the eagle doing the chasing turned to go after another adult eagle. All of this activity was under the watchful eye of the female sitting on the nest. The assumption is that her mate was doing the chasing.

 

- Larry Federman

 

2/28 - Town of Poughkeepsie: It became pretty conclusive today by early afternoon that the mated pair in eagle nest NY62 was incubating eggs. NY62 is only one of more than two dozen nests along Hudson River tidewater, and the timing for most is pretty much the same. Average incubation time is 32-35 days, so many of our nests will have "hatchlings" by April 1, coinciding perfecting with the arrival of alewives, river herring from the sea, that provide much of the sustenance for the baby birds.

 

- Debbie Sheehy, Dan Tatta, Tom Lake

 

2/28 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: Crow on my plate and pie on my face, that's the way I feel after an entire month in denial. Most of January was fine maple syrup-making weather but I simply could not credit that it would last. So I tapped my sugar bush just about the time I should have been taking down the pails and putting the evaporators away. We had low 20s last night and 60 degrees by noon today. The sap should have been running like a broken faucet, but instead, a very slow drip-drip. The sap that was flowing had darkened in color over the past few days. A look at the tree's canopy shows swelling, pinky-green hues. It was over. I doubt the final product will reach two gallons and it will be a dark and murky brew even after a final trip through a thick felt filter. The only consolation is that I will have lots of maple sugaring company.

 

- Christopher Letts

 

2/29 - Greene County, HRM 108: We walked out of our house on the Hudson this morning to an astonishing sight: There were at least sixteen immature bald eagles perched in our big trees overlooking the river, flying overhead, and perched along the water. They were all immature although one was nearly an adult with a white head but not yet a fully-white tail.

 

- John Delaney, Pat Delaney

 

[From December through February the Hudson Valley hosts significant numbers of wintering eagles from Ontario, Quebec, northern New England, and the Canadian Maritimes. At some point in late winter to early spring, these birds get the message that winter is waning and it is time to return to their now ice-free home territories. Many of these eagles were probably heading north and east. Tom Lake.]

 

2/29 - Town of Poughkeepsie: The mated pair was now seriously "on eggs," hunkered down in the nest when on duty. The female will incubate, on average, for about eighteen hours a day, including overnight. The male will take the other six. At 9:00 AM we watched the classic changeover as the male arrived to relieve the female. She flew off to feed, groom and rest.

 

- Debbie Sheehy, Dan Tatta, Tom Lake

 

2/29 - Verplanck, HRM 40.5: Driving home last evening I counted a flock of 23 mute swans feeding on Lake Meahagh. The mild winter prevented solid ice from forming on the shallow lake - it always had open patches of water - and we had no ice skating.

 

- Pat Korn

 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR GLASS EEL STUDY

The DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program and National Estuarine Research Reserve seek volunteers to check fyke nets set in Hudson River tributaries and count the numbers of glass eels [immatures] caught. The project will run March to May, and will provide crucial baseline data on Hudson River eel populations. No experience necessary and training is provided. If you are interested in participating or would like to attend a training session, please contact Chris Bowser (chbowser@gw.dec.state.ny.us), Sarah Mount (sjmount@gw.dec.state.ny.us) or Zoraida Maloney (ztmalone@gw.dec.state.ny.us) or call (845) 889-4745. For more information, visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/49580.html

2012 Targeted American eel monitoring sites:

- Hannacroix Creek (Greene County)

- Saw Kill, Crum Elbow Creek, Fall Kill (Dutchess County)

- Black Creek (Ulster County)

- Indian Brook (Putnam County)

- Furnace Brook (Westchester County)

- Minisceongo Creek (Rockland County)

- Coney Island Creek (Brooklyn)

- Richmond Creek (Staten Island)

 

HELP US MONITOR HERRING MIGRATION

Spring is approaching and DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudson River Fisheries Unit are recruiting volunteers for their 2012 Volunteer River Herring Monitoring program. Monitoring will take place from April 1 through May 31, during the annual river herring spawning migration from the ocean into freshwater tributaries. Volunteers are asked to look for signs of herring at a convenient site on the list below, at least twice a week for 15 minutes. No experience is necessary and training is provided. If you are interested in participating or would like to attend a training session, please contact us at r3hermon@gw.dec.state.ny.us or call 845-256-3172.

2012 Targeted River Herring Monitoring Sites

Rensselaer County: Poesten Kill, Vlockie Kill

Columbia County: Roeliff Jansen Kill

Dutchess County: Fallkill, Maritje Kill

Ulster County: Black Creek

Orange County: Quassaick Creek, Popolopen Brook

Westchester County: Sing Sing Brook

Putnam County: Foundry Brook

 

WINTER/SPRING 2012 NATURAL HISTORY PROGRAMS

March 10 - 2:00 PM

Discover Norrie Walk: Winter Tree I.D. Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg [Dutchess County]. Free. For information: 845-889-4745 x109.

March 17 - 1:00 PM

Meet the Naturalists Series No. 1: Creating Your Own Natural History Journal. Tom Lake, Naturalist, Hudson River Estuary Program. Grinnell Library, Wappingers Falls [Dutchess County]. Call to sign up: 845-297-3428.

March 29 - 2:00-3:15 PM

Stewardship of the Commons: Panel Discussion Evaluating Hudson River Valley Ecology, including Tom Lake, Naturalist, Hudson River Estuary Program. Performing Arts Center of the Student Center, Marist College, Poughkeepsie [Dutchess County]. Questions: Thomas.Lynch@marist.edu

HUDSON RIVER MILES 

The Hudson is measured north from Hudson River Mile 0 at the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan. The George Washington Bridge is at HRM 12, the Tappan Zee 28, Bear Mountain 47, Beacon-Newburgh 62, Mid-Hudson 75, Kingston-Rhinecliff 95, Rip Van Winkle 114, and the Federal Dam at Troy, the head of tidewater, at 153. The tidal section of the Hudson constitutes a bit less than half the total distance – 315 miles – from Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Battery. Entries from points east and west in the watershed reference the corresponding river mile on the mainstem.

 

TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR OBSERVATIONS OR TO SUBSCRIBE

The Hudson River E-Almanac is compiled and edited by Tom Lake and emailed weekly by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program. Share your observations by e-mailing them to trlake7@aol.com . To sign up to receive the E-Almanac (or to unsubscribe), send an email message tohrep@gw.dec.state.ny.us and write E-Almanac in the subject line.

Weekly issues are archived at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/25611.html . The DEC website's search engine can find species, locations, and other data in the archives.

The Hudson River Estuary Program has an e-newsletter! Stay connected by subscribing to RiverNet, which covers projects, events and actions related to the Hudson and its watershed. www.dec.ny.gov/lands/76018.html

Discover New York State Conservationist - the award-winning, advertisement-free magazine focusing on New York State's great outdoors and natural resources. Conservationist features stunning photography, informative articles and around-the-state coverage. For a free, no-obligation issue go tohttp://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/conservationist.html

 

USEFUL LINKS

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s tide predictions are available online athttp://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=62 NOAA’s 2012 tidal current predictions are athttp://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/currents12/ .

For real-time information on Hudson River tides, weather and water conditions from eight monitoring stations, visit the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System website at http://www.hrecos.org .

Information on the movements of the salt front in the Hudson estuary is presented by the U.S. Geological Survey:http://ny.water.usgs.gov/projects/dialer_plots/saltfront.html .

Information about the Hudson River Estuary Program is available on DEC's website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html .

Copies of past issues of the Hudson River Almanac, Volumes II-VIII, are available for purchase from the publisher, Purple Mountain Press, (800) 325-2665, or email purple@catskill.net

ublisher, Purple Mountain Press, (800) 325-2665, or email purple@catskill.net

Compiled by Tom Lake, Hudson River Naturalist, Hudson River Estuary Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

OVERVIEW
Mid-February was masquerading as mid-March with crocus and other early
spring flowers in bloom, the first "glass" eels arriving from the sea,
considerably ahead of schedule, and chipmunks stirring in the High
Peaks of the Adirondacks. Huge flocks of spring blackbirds were
beginning to sweep northward over the valley.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
2/15 - Battery, HRM 0: Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration water temperature monitor at the tip of Manhattan told
the story of our mild winter, in contrast to last winter. Between 1/15
and 2/15 last winter, water temperatures there ranged from 34 to 36
degrees Fahrenheit. In the same period this winter, they ranged from
40 to 43 degrees F.

- Steve Stanne

NATURAL HISTORY NOTES
2/15 - Galeville, Ulster County, HRM 75: Short-eared owls and northern
harriers continued to put on a show at the Shawangunk Grasslands
National Wildlife Refuge. We saw at least five short-ears and perhaps
a dozen harriers late this afternoon. A highlight came when harriers
starting harassing a short-ear with a small animal in its talons, the
birds circling higher into the darkening sky. The owl finally let go
of its prey - a tiny speck dropping toward the ground, followed by a
harrier with wings folded back in a headlong dive. In the distance and
darkness we couldn't see the details, but the harrier nailed its
target, pulled out of its dive just above the grass, flew on a few
hundred feet with another harrier in pursuit, and then landed on the
ground to eat its purloined dinner.
- Steve Stanne, Beth Roessler, Laura Heady

2/15 - Town of Montgomery, HRM 61: I finally saw my first adult bald
eagle of the season at Riverfront Park in Montgomery. I had barely
walked into the parking area when I saw a flash of white and froze.
Despite bitter cold winds and no gloves, I watched through binoculars
for more than thirty minutes. There was a chaos of crows all around,
but the eagle sat steadfastly on a limb near the Wallkill River and
continued to tear up and eat something. After its meal, the eagle flew
off and only then did I dare to walk down near the tree where it had
perched. Below it, I found some fish guts and a few scales.

- Patricia Henighan

2/15 - Verplanck, HRM 40.5: From the Verplanck waterfront, the two
adult bald eagles perched across the river at Stony Point were so
close to one another that they seemed fused.

- Christopher Letts

2/15 - Croton Point, HRM 34: Simply happenstance? The nesting red-tail
pair changed perches several times, but they always perched together,
close together. On the Croton River, two adult bald eagles were
similarly perched.

- Christopher Letts

2/16 - Croton-on-Hudson, HRM 35: Mourning doves were cooing, songbirds
were singing to each other, the early azalea's buds were showing
pinky-lavender at their tips, yet snow was falling. A little bit of
everything.

- Robin Fox

2/16 - Town of Poughkeepsie: We were standing in a sleet-storm
watching and discussing the adult pair of eagles in nest NY62 when we
heard a raw "gronk" overhead. Looking up we saw a pair of ravens
passing by. Judging by the body-bumps and wing-touches, they were
probably engaged in courtship.

- Tom Lake, Debbie Sheehy

2/16 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: The process of turning maple sap into
syrup is essentially one of removing about 39 gallons of water from 40
gallons of sap. Sugar content varies and so too do the methods used to
get rid of the water. My operation, a typical back-yarder, is about as
low tech as they come. One barrel stove sports two stainless steel
restaurant pans. Cold sap goes into the front pan; when hot, it is
ladled into the rear pan. Once boiling, that sap is further ladled
into a larger pan on an adjacent barrel stove - the object being to
never "kill the boil" in the big pan. I fire with wood, and it takes a
lot of it.

A few days into this and I have exhausted my store of scrap wood, limb
wood, anything I chose not to burn in the wood stove in the house. The
go-to places for a quick resupply are north-facing river beaches where
everything from the tributaries and the upper Hudson is tide-deposited
twice daily. Croton Point is a good example, collecting flotsam and
jetsam from half the width of the estuary. Every wood-gathering
expedition is as well a treasure hunt - you just never know what you
are going to find.

It is fascinating that the combined currents of wind and tide conspire
to sort objects. With similar current resistance and specific gravity,
disposable lighters, peach pits, and soda bottles often end up near
each other, or at least in the same strata running along the beach.
Today's collection included several beaver-gnawed sticks, a shotgun
blasted duck decoy, a coconut shell neatly halved, plastic cups from
shot shells, and swimming goggles (child sized - this is a bathing
beach). There were also water chestnut seeds - "devil's heads" to
river kids - and all manner of other seeds, tubers and rhizomes. It
takes less than an hour to load the truck with enough fuel to boil for
several days but I'm rarely in a hurry to give up this added feature:
Wood for free, and all the other reasons we love to walk on beaches
even when we are not gathering fuel.

- Christopher Letts

2/17 - Ulster County, HRM 102: I heard the cries of a red-shouldered
hawk today and presumed that it was our friend from the last two
seasons returned to his neighborhood on the Sawkill and Tannery
Brooks. A broad-winged hawk was seen nearby at the Woodstock
elementary school, two days in a row, and that kettle of vultures
still circled over Woodstock (as of this afternoon).

- Krista Munger

2/17 - Galeville, Ulster County, HRM 75: Near sundown a visit to the
Galeville Town Park, part of the Shawangunk Grasslands, produced at
least four short-eared owls flying, along with several northern
harriers. The spectators outnumbered the owls. Earlier today a belted
kingfisher was heard but not seen along the Shawangunk River at its
confluence with the Wallkill River.

- Paul Osgood

2/17 - Town of Poughkeepsie, HRM 68.5: We were snuggled into the edge
of the woods in Bowdoin Park facing a long, wide and contoured grassy
field, hoping to catch a coyote on its early morning rounds. None
appeared, but before long we were surrounded by bluebirds - in the
air, the trees, shrubs, brush, and on the grass - a kaleidoscope of
bluebird blue and burnt orange. In our experience, Bowdoin Park is one
of those places where you can find bluebirds nearly anytime of the
year.

- TR Jackson, Tom Lake

2/17 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: After several hours of fruitless
search for eagles, we had given up and were content to watch downy
woodpeckers defacing the tiny openings in our thistle feeders (soon
cardinals and squirrels will have access). We thought we heard a thin
cry from high overhead. We looked up and saw a pair of adult eagles,
specks in the sky, spinning in the high altitude crosswinds at 2,000
feet.

- TR Jackson, Tom Lake

2/17 - Newburgh, HRM 60: Have you ever seen Canada geese dive? I had
two today dive under and pop up like mergansers. I think they were
"washing" themselves. One repeatedly turned on its back. Later a
Cooper's hawk flew over the geese, swooping down at them, in an
interesting maneuver.

- Jesse Jaycox

2/17 - Manhattan, New York City, HRM 5.5: The rufous hummingbird
continued its extended visit at the American Museum of Natural
History, near the entrance area to Rose Center for Earth and Space and
the Hayden Planetarium.

- Tom Burke, Tony Lauro

2/17 - Manhattan, New York City, HRM 4.5: Just after dusk near
Columbus Circle at the south end of Central Park, the air became
filled with blackbirds. We watched a steady flow of red-wings,
cowbirds, and grackles stream off of the tall buildings on 57th
Street, filling the trees to the northeast along Fifth Avenue, many
hundreds of blackbirds forming a night roost.

- Tom Lake, Phyllis Lake

2/18 - Hyde Park, HRM 82: Crocuses were in bloom on my lawn this
morning. This beats last year's bloom date by sixteen days, and was
the earliest since we've lived in Hyde Park.

- Peter Fanelli

2/18 - Cheviot, HRM 106: I wonder if there is a new eagle nest near
here. I have been walking along the railroad tracks every day recently
and have seen a pair of adult bald eagles in the same general area. I
cannot see a nest but I watch them flying to the same place somewhere
behind the trees. Today one of them was carrying nesting materials.

- Jude Holdsworth

2/18 - Palisades, HRM 23: Walking up the driveway I looked across the
road and did a double-take. I thought I saw my neighbor's chimney
move. Looking closer I could see that the chimney was moving, or what
was resting on top of it was moving: two big black birds with their
backs to me. Finally one turned and revealed its bald red head - a
turkey vulture. They dawdled a bit basking in the warmth. The second
bird turned and I saw that its head was blackish-gray, an immature
turkey vulture. Back along the driveway, little purple vinca pinwheels
were peeking through the ivy.

- Diane Langmuir

2/18 - Manhattan, New York City, HRM 4.5: The lingering rufous
hummingbird was again making a visit to a nearby area in Central Park,
before coming back in to the flowering shrubs at the American Museum
of Natural History.

- Tom Fiore

2/19 - Newcomb, HRM 302: The non-typical winter continued. A work
colleague reported seeing chipmunks while climbing Goodnow Mountain,
about four miles west of the Hudson River. Looking back through the
records, the only other observation of chipmunks in February was in
1975. Snow measurement at the snow stake today was nine inches; in
1975 it was twenty-two inches.

- Charlotte Demers

2/19 - Crugers, HRM 39: In fifteen minutes, while counting backyard
birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count, we saw two European
starlings, two blue jays, four house sparrows, one white-breasted
nuthatch, one red-bellied woodpecker, one junco, and two mourning
doves. The best surprise was our first red-winged blackbird of the
season

- Dorothy Ferguson, Bob Ferguson

2/19 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: Pouring sap into a gathering pail, I
glanced down to see a tiny blue gem at my feet - a myrtle flower, far
and away the earliest ever here.

- Christopher Letts

2/19 - New York City: Notes on the bald eagle in winter near New York
City in 1907, from The Wilson Bulletin 59:71-72:

In severe winters like the past one the bald eagle is a common bird in
the Hudson River Valley near New York City. They come down the river
upon large ice floes, and when they reach the northern limit of ferry
traffic they fly up-stream again. If there is no ice in the river no
eagles are likely to be seen. Ebb tide is also necessary to bring them
down. Occasionally they perch upon the cliffs of the Palisades on the
New Jersey shore of the river. They have also been reported as flying
over the city.

It is interesting to notice the actions of the herring gulls, abundant
in the river all winter, in the presence of eagles. They do not mind
young eagles at all, but if an adult bird comes close they scatter to
all points of the compass. Probably only old birds attack and rob
them, the young not being courageous enough for that. Immature birds
predominated this past winter. Of the six or seven seen by the writer
on two trips along the Palisades, only one was an adult. February is
the month in which they occur in the largest numbers. George E. Hix.

- Robert DeCandido

2/20 - Newcomb, HRM 302: I heard a chickadee this morning singing its
"fee-bee" song. Up until now I have only heard the "chickadee" call.
The fee-bee song is mostly associated with the male chickadee starting
to look for a mate and setting up a territory. According to the Stokes
Birding Blog, "Chickadees are in a flock of 6-10 or more birds in the
winter that has a fixed winter territory. In spring, the flock breaks
up and only the most dominant pair in the flock gets to breed in the
winter territory area. The other chickadees have to go elsewhere and
find their own territory."

- Charlotte Demers

2/20 - Furnace Woods: Purple and yellow crocus had leapt into bloom
between breakfast and lunch, the earliest ever here.

- Christopher Letts

2/21 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: For more than an hour scores of blue
jays filled the trees, heading south to north. Their raucous calls
were not unlike a screechy door that needs its hinges oiled.

- TR Jackson, Tom Lake

2/21 - Furnace Brook, HRM 38.5: At the Furnace Brook marsh near
Oscawana Point, we saw a hooded merganser pair swimming around and a
female belted kingfisher watching them from a branch overlooking the
water. At Ogilvie's Pond, another hooded merganser pair hung around
the shoreline, their colors so vibrant in the late afternoon sun.

- Dorothy Ferguson, Bob Ferguson

2/21 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: Over the years, I have found many
peculiar things in sap buckets, besides sap. Wind and rain make
deposits, and the sugar content is a draw for some small creatures.
Invertebrate visitors run largely to ants, crane flies, and towards
the end of the season, inch-long brown moths. While the moths have
already appeared many weeks earlier than in the past a new and
unwelcome insect arrived this year - the marmolated stink bug. I
battled them in the gardens last year, and fervently hope this is not
an omen for the coming season. But don't fret; the sap gets filtered
before it goes into the evaporators, and then twice again when it is
syrup. The final filtering takes place at about 218 degrees F through
a thick felt filter, and I will vouch for the purity of what goes into
the syrup jars.

- Christopher Letts

2/22 - Ulster Park, HRM 85: Right on schedule, large flocks of
red-winged blackbirds appeared on George Washington's Gregorian
birthday (he celebrated it on February 11).

- William Drakert

2/22 - Blooming Grove, HRM 55: The first red-winged blackbird of the
season was at the feeder today. Several more were in the trees making
their usual sound. I noticed from past records that they sometimes
arrive at the end of February but more usually in early to mid-March.

- Carol Coddington

2/22 - Yonkers, HRM 18: The eels are here! The Science Barge put out
an artificial habitat collector (a.k.a. "eel mop") at the mouth of the
Saw Mill River and today we shook out three transparent glass eels.
These were the first of the season on the Hudson, and possibly the
vanguard of a very early spring migration; we usually don't start
sampling until late March. The fourth floor of the gorgeous Yonkers
public library gave us a good view of the recently daylighted Saw Mill
River.

- Chris Bowser, Sarah Mount, Zoraida Maloney

[It is tempting to say that this is the earliest that glass eels have
ever arrived in our tributaries, except that we really don't know. To
my knowledge we have never checked mid-to-late February. In most
winters, the streams and creeks are frozen over and gear cannot be
set. Tom Lake]

Compiled by Tom Lake, Hudson River Estuary Program Naturalist

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

<<<<<  OVERVIEW  >>>>>

It was another "winter" week that felt like early spring: Some flowers were blooming, maple sap was running, raptors were courting, and our first call for spring river herring monitors was posted. As the calendar catches up with the weather, the Hudson River Estuary Program will offer many opportunities for citizens to contribute to scientific understanding and stewardship of the Hudson ecosystem. See the listings at the end of this Almanac, or visithttp://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/72898.html

<<<<<  HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK  >>>>>

2/14 - West Point, HRM 50.5: For the second time in four days I saw a banded ring-billed gull in the river from the South Dock at West Point. It had a metal band on its left leg and a dark blue or black band with white letters on its right leg with the letters UT3. It appeared to be smaller than its peers. Can you find information on the bird?

- Doug Gallagher

[On January 22, Jesse Jaycox spotted a banded herring gull at Beacon. With information from the band we were able to discover that the gull had been banded seven months earlier nearly 800 mile northeast in Nova Scotia. So far we have no information on who may have banded Doug's gull (UT3). Please let us know if you have any leads. Tom Lake.]

<<<<<  NATURAL HISTORY NOTES  >>>>>

2/8 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: This was the first time I have spotted black vultures. There were four altogether, with dark gray heads and legs.

- Pete Pavone

[Digital photos showed four black vultures handing out in a hardwood tree, possibly roosting. While the gray heads were not entirely diagnostic - immature turkey vultures also have grayish heads - their short tails and gray legs were. Tom Lake.]

2/8 - Town of Fishkill, HRM 63.5: With days staying lighter longer I was back at Stony Kill Farm walking after work. I came upon two perfect, white snowdrop flowers blooming amidst the leaf litter on the south side of an eighty-foot-tall tuliptree. A few minutes later a full-sized red fox meandered out of the woods, settled down on the road leading from the manor house to the cow barns, and just watched me. On my last loop, I spooked two red-tailed hawks "cozying" up in the grove of black locust trees. They flew off squawking and annoyed that I interrupted their quiet time. Heading to my car, two pileated woodpeckers swooped overhead. Simply magic!

- Andra Sramek

2/8 - Fishkill, HRM 61: While waiting for a traffic light, I enjoyed watching a red-tailed hawk glide up from a grassy embankment to a nearby telephone pole with its prey tightly clutched in its talons. Even as traffic whizzed by the hawk seemed unflustered and promptly engorged itself with its "pulled prey" dinner. With dinner over, it fluttered its feathers and flew off to roost on a tree farther away.

- Ed Spaeth

2/8 - Fort Montgomery, HRM 47: As I was raising the flags this morning next to the Fort Montgomery State Historic Site visitor's center, I was greeted with my best peregrine falcon sighting in more than six years on the job. As the flags were halfway up the pole I heard a high-pitched squawking. I looked up and saw two peregrines; one was chasing the other that had a small mammal in its talons. They flew through the glade that covers the battlefield site like the high-tech craft in Star Wars movies, dodging trunks and limbs rather effortlessly. They made their way over the river and to the Bear Mountain Bridge. Was this the veteran nesting pair of the bridge, and had I witnessed courtship in progress?

- Peter Cutul

2/8 - Furnace Woods, HRM 28.5: I saw the northern goshawk again this morning. It is huge. I get such a kick out of having one around. There must be larger game about.

- Christopher Letts

2/9 - Newcomb, HRM 302: I spotted some small, fresh black bear tracks in the snow today, most likely from a yearling. The mildness of the winter continued to have an impact on the wildlife in the Adirondacks with some bears remaining active and white-tailed deer not moving to winter range. Feeder activity has been heavy with American goldfinches, pine siskins and evening grosbeaks. Another exciting sighting was a pair of white-winged crossbills in the woods. The pair was with a flock of pine siskins feeding in a stand of hemlocks. The excellent cone crop on the conifers has resulted in some great irruptive bird species both in the woods and at the feeders.

- Charlotte Demers

2/9 - Woodstock, HRM 102: The turkey vultures were back - about thirty of them - this time circling a little west of the center of town.

- Reba Wynn Laks

2/9 - Hyde Park, HRM 82: Turkey vultures regularly breed somewhere in the rocky woods behind our house. This morning a pair sat in their usual viewing tree while others soared overhead. Was this "our pair" back for the season?

- Barbara Wells

2/9 - Town of Poughkeepsie: A pair of adult eagles was perched above the NY62C nest. The morning haze had not burned off and it was difficult to see them clearly. Not far away, at Clinton Point (river mile 69), another pair of adult eagles were perched. These may be "new" adults since I could see some white-and-brown mottling on the underside of their bodies.

- John Scott

2/9 - Wappinger Creek, HRM 68.5: A pair of eagles was perched at midday along tidewater fifty feet apart in creek-side sycamores. Each had a fat fish clamped to the limb with their vise-like talons, but it seemed odd that neither was feeding. Even from a distance I could make a good guess that the fish were gizzard shad. I've eaten gizzard shad so I could appreciate the eagles' apparent reluctance.

- Tom Lake

2/9 - Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: I checked the maple sap buckets in mid-morning and they were overflowing. An hour's hard work with my bucket yoke on my shoulders and all of the pails were empty. But I was out of storage room; some seventy gallons of sap were waiting to feel the heat of a wood fire and the sap was still dripping like a plumber's happy dream.

- Christopher Letts

2/10 - Woodstock, HRM 102: I was driving back from Woodstock today and spotted three large birds flying in a spiral. There was no mistaking those wings - these were turkey vultures.

- Roberta S. Jeracka

2/10 - Poughkeepsie, HRM 75: Three mute swans made an early appearance on our pond. They were clearly in a mating mode and the aggression of one toward another was surprising. A great blue heron stood his ground amidst the commotion, while mallards swam casually nearby. The Canada geese were intimidated enough to stay out of the water.

- Diana Salsberg

2/10 - Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: Signs of spring take all forms, and this one was as much of a surprise as any. In partial sunlight amidst a scattering of decaying leaves was a single dandelion, a fully opened and blooming yellow flower. There were no others around. Possibly the heat generated by the decaying leaves had sufficiently warmed the soil.

- Tom Lake

2/10 - Fishkill, HRM 61: A male eastern bluebird was inspecting our nest box today. Our previous earliest bluebird sighting was on February 23, 2004 when a pair of bluebirds spent the day investigating the nest boxes.

- Ed Spaeth

2/10 - Manhattan, HRM 13: A wonderfully pensive great horned owl has decided to spend some time in the woods of Inwood Hill Park. Each day I greet him "Hello," as he peers down at me with one open and alert eye. I wonder if he has a mate nearby, nesting.

- Sgt. Sunny Corrao, Urban Park Rangers

2/11 - Norrie Point, HRM 85: Several dozen of us peered with teary eyes through spotting scopes and binoculars into a frigid northwest wind to watch a pair of eagles in aerial courtship over the river. But the tide was high and the eagles were mostly elsewhere - across five hours we saw only five eagles. There were some common mergansers around and, in an odd winter sighting, we watched a single male and a single female fly in close tandem upriver. Possibly a breeding pair but were they a long way from a nest?

- Tom Lake

[Both Larry Federman and Rich Guthrie report that common mergansers breed in parts of Dutchess, Ulster, and Greene counties, with improved stream quality and maturation of trees (offering more nesting cavities) being contributing factors. Rich Guthrie adds that both common and hooded mergansers nest along some of the higher elevation streams and ponds such as the Catskill Creek. Tom Lake.]

2/11 - Hyde Park, HRM 82: In a light snow, a pair of pileated woodpeckers was busy dining on a large dead oak. They've been nesting here for the past several years. They are especially dramatic swooping over the trees during the feeding and fledging process. Our feeders were being regularly visited by red-belled woodpeckers and downy woodpeckers. This past week the red fox strolled along the rocky ridge. I haven't seen any since early last spring, so was delighted to see one, and looking well.

- Barbara Wells

2/11 - Poughkeepsie, HRM 75: With all of the hopeful signs of spring reported in the Almanac, there are some moments that remind us of the true season. A half hour after sundown, tens of thousands of crows were massing in the twilight along the mile of riverfront south of the Mid-Hudson Bridge. This winter crow roost is occupied each night from December through early March, filling up every available limb of cottonwood, sycamore and other hardwoods along the route.

- Tom Lake

2/11 - Rockland County, HRM 23: On a short evening hike down Tallman Mountain to the marsh below, I heard my first red-winged blackbirds of the season. With the setting sun turning the phragmites golden, it almost felt like summer. From a higher spot I was able to finally see them, twenty males milling about. Flying just above the phragmites was a juvenile northern harrier. Several large flocks of Canada geese were overhead, all heading west and close enough to hear their wing beats. A quick jaunt out to the pier at dusk produced several hundred gulls, two pairs of ruddy ducks, and three pairs of buffleheads. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the common raven seen flying over the Palisades Parkway last week.

- Ania Grzesik

2/11 - Brooklyn, New York City: Beginning in the late morning at Coney Island, we spent much of our time scanning birds at the edge of the jetty at West 37th Street. From an observation at the fishing pier, it appeared that Atlantic herring were running, so we assumed that was why many birds were feasting in the water between the jetties. Among the thousands of gulls, gannets, long-tailed ducks and mergansers were three razorbills and three red-necked grebes. We also spotted a single male surf scoter. On the jetty were fourteen purple sandpipers. It was the "birdiest" we've seen it all winter.

- Heydi Lopes, Rob Jett

2/12 - Minerva, HRM 284: It's mid-February and we have five inches of nasty, crusty snow out in the woods. We get light dustings of snow, just enough to see if the snowshoe hares have been out (and they have). Our back 40 pond-swamp is quite frozen and lovely. Now it is time to think about making maple syrup.

- Mike Corey

2/12 - Staatsburg, HRM 86: A coyote interrupted my search for bald eagles from the Mills-Norrie State Park Mansion Park overlooking Esopus Meadows. He was large and healthy looking as he scouted Canada geese resting on the lawn. On this chilly morning (10 degrees F), while no eagles were sighted near Esopus Meadows, the nesting pair of bald eagles not far away were again snuggled together in one of their favorite day perches, a scraggly white pine.

- Dave Lindemann

2/13 - Norrie Point, HRM 85: Since it was a gorgeous day (sunny and mild) and the tide was low, we decided to do our first Norrie Environmental Center beach seine of the year. The results: twelve banded killifish, one yellow perch, and two wet educators.
- Zoraida Maloney, Sarah Mount

2/13 - Moodna Creek, HRM 58: Following two days of strong northwest winds, we had a blowout tide in mid-morning. As Moodna drained into the river, the bottom of the creek and Cornwall Bay emerged like a sunken city of deadfalls and snags. Hundreds of trees swept downstream by storms and then covered by the tide were now rising eerily from the bottom. Adding to the ambience was a Cooper's hawk crossing the creek without a sound: flap-flap-glide, flap-flap-glide.

- Tom Lake

2/14 - Hammond's Point, HRM 59: A small flock of Canada geese took flight from the marsh at the delta of Fishkill Creek and headed downriver. As they approached Hammond's Point and the specter of an adult bald eagle perched in a cottonwood, the flock executed, as one, a perfect 45 degree course change to the west. Once they passed the eagle they made a 45 degree course correction to get back on their initial heading. Respect.

- Tom Lake

2/14 - New Windsor, HRM 59: My snowdrops were up and in full bloom on Valentine's Day!

- Joanne Zipay

2/14 - Oscawana Point, HRM 38.5: The skies were gray and cloudy and the river shone like a mirror in late afternoon. Since we had been searching for eagles, but hadn't seen any in quite a while, we were delighted to spot a beautiful adult perched in a tree out on the point. We watched it for several minutes as it looked all around, and then followed it through our binoculars as it flew out over the river. What a great Valentine's Day gift!

- Dorothy Ferguson, Bob Ferguson

2/14 - Croton-on-Hudson, HRM 35: Whenever we see bald eagles along the river, they are always in tall trees or some other perch that gives them a towering vantage over the water. As I passed the Croton-Harmon rail yard this morning, I was very surprised to see an adult eagle perched in a small tree not even four feet off the ground, watching Haverstraw Bay very intently.

- Tom Lake

<<<<< HELP US MONITOR HERRING MIGRATION >>>>>

Spring is approaching and DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudson River Fisheries Unit are recruiting volunteers for their 2012 Volunteer River Herring Monitoring program. Monitoring will take place from April 1 through May 31, during the annual river herring spawning migration from the ocean into freshwater tributaries. Volunteers are asked to look for signs of herring at a convenient site on the list below, at least twice a week for 15 minutes. No experience is necessary and training is provided. If you are interested in participating or would like to attend a training session, please contact us atr3hermon@gw.dec.state.ny.us or call845-256-3172.

2012 Targeted River Herring Monitoring Sites

Rensselaer County: Poesten Kill, Vlockie Kill

Columbia County: Roeliff Jansen Kill

Dutchess County: Fallkill, Maritje Kill

Ulster County: Black Creek

Orange County: Quassaick Creek, Popolopen Brook

Westchester County: Sing Sing Brook

Putnam County: Foundry Brook

<<<<< HELP US PLANT TREES ALONG HUDSON RIVER TRIBUTARIES >>>>>

The Trees for Tribs initiative offers free native trees and shrubs and on-site assistance for qualifying streamside buffer planting projects. Streamside buffers of trees, shrubs, and grasses help to reduce pollution by slowing and filtering runoff into waterways. They also help to stabilize shorelines and absorb high velocity flows, reducing flooding and erosion. In addition, they are important for wildlife as a shoreline transition zone and travel corridor, not to mention increasing overall biodiversity. Applicants must provide volunteer labor for planting and long term maintenance. Applications and additional information about the Trees for Tribs program are available from Beth Roessler, Hudson River Estuary Program Stream Buffer Coordinator, at(845)256-2253,baroessl@gw.dec.state.ny.us or athttp://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/43668.html.

<<<<<  WINTER 2012 NATURAL HISTORY PROGRAMS  >>>>>

February 18 - 1:45 PM

The River Before George! [Washington].Tom Lake, Hudson River Estuary Program Naturalist. Washington’s Headquarters, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, Historic Preservation, Newburgh [Orange County]. For information:trlake7@aol.com

February 25 - 2:00 PM

Discover Norrie Walk: Woodpeckers. Norrie Point Environmental Center, Staatsburg [Dutchess County]. Free. For information: 845-889-4745 x109.

February 27 - 7:00 PM

Why Did the Salamander Cross the Road? Laura Heady, Hudson River Estuary Program. Albany County Cooperative Extension Office, 24 Martin Road, Voorheesville; hosted by Mohawk-Hudson Land Conservancy. Laura will discuss the importance of forest and wetlands in the Hudson Valley and the “Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings” volunteer project. Learn how you can get involved by witnessing spring migrations of salamanders, frogs, and toads; helping amphibians survive their overland travel; and conserving important habitats in your community. Free. For information: 518-436-6346;mhlc@mohawkhudson.org

February 28 - 6:30 PM

Why Did the Salamander Cross the Road?Laura Heady, Hudson River Estuary Program. Scenic Hudson River Center, Long Dock Park, Beacon [Dutchess County]. Part of Scenic Hudson’s Naturalist Lecture Series. See description for February 27. Free. For information: Anthony Coneski, 845-473-4440 Ext. 273;www.scenichudson.org

March 1 - 7:30 PM

Tivoli Bays Talks: Our Biggest Success: Hudson Valley Bald Eagles with Tom Lake, Hudson River Estuary Program Naturalist. Tivoli Bays Visitor Center, Tivoli [Dutchess County]. Free. Wheelchair accessible. For information:845-889-4745 x109.

March 3 - 9:00 AM-2:30 PM

Hudson River Fish Summit. Henry A. Wallace Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, Hyde Park [Dutchess County]. Learn about the past, present and future of fishing on the Hudson River. The Dutchess County Fish Advisory Steering Committe along with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County and the NYS Department of Health invite you to an event for anyone who enjoys fishing, knows of someone who may eat fish from local sources, or someone who simply wants to learn more about fishing on our Hudson River. Free. Register online:www.hrfishsummit.eventbrite.com. Questions: 845-677-8223 x150

<<<<<  HUDSON RIVER MILES >>>>>

The Hudson is measured north from Hudson River Mile 0 at the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan. The George Washington Bridge is at HRM 12, the Tappan Zee 28, Bear Mountain 47, Beacon-Newburgh 62, Mid-Hudson 75, Kingston-Rhinecliff 95, Rip Van Winkle 114, and the Federal Dam at Troy, the head of tidewater, at 153. The tidal section of the Hudson constitutes a bit less than half the total distance – 315 miles – from Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Battery. Entries from points east and west in the watershed reference the corresponding river mile on the mainstem.

<<<<<  TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR OBSERVATIONS OR TO SUBSCRIBE  >>>>>

The Hudson River E-Almanac is compiled and edited by Tom Lake and emailed weekly by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program. Share your observations by e-mailing them to trlake7@aol.com . To sign up to receive the E-Almanac (or to unsubscribe), send an email message tohrep@gw.dec.state.ny.us and write E-Almanac in the subject line.

Weekly issues are archived athttp://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/25611.html. The DEC website's search engine can find species, locations, and other data in the archives.

The Hudson River Estuary Program has an e-newsletter! Stay connected by subscribing to RiverNet, which covers projects, events and actions related to the Hudson and its watershed.www.dec.ny.gov/lands/76018.html

Discover New York State Conservationist- the award-winning, advertisement-free magazine focusing on New York State's great outdoors and natural resources.Conservationist features stunning photography, informative articles and around-the-state coverage. For a free, no-obligation issue go tohttp://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/conservationist.html

<<<<<  USEFUL LINKS  >>>>>

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s tide predictions are available online athttp://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=62 NOAA’s 2012 tidal current predictions are at http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/currents12/ .

For real-time information on Hudson River tides, weather and water conditions from eight monitoring stations, visit the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System website athttp://www.hrecos.org .

Information on the movements of the salt front in the Hudson estuary is presented by the U.S. Geological Survey:http://ny.water.usgs.gov/projects/dialer_plots/saltfront.html .

Information about the Hudson River Estuary Program is available on DEC's website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html .

Copies of past issues of the Hudson River Almanac, Volumes II-VIII, are available for purchase from the publisher, Purple Mountain Press, (800) 325-2665, or emailpurple@catskill.net