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OVERVIEW
As the weather moderated and the river temperature rose, a surge of glass eels moved up the estuary and into the tributaries. These yearling American eels have been making this migration since before we were here to take notice. Not long ago the Hudson River Valley had no osprey nests; now new ones seem to be showing up each week.
A HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
4/12 – Black Creek, HRM 85: We had a great morning on Black Creek despite clouds that opened up into full rain on us. It was low tide but the night’s high tide was visible by a line of sediment and creek flotsam two-thirds up the glass eel fyke net’s open-wide wings. Inside the net were 209 glass eels plus 100 elvers. That’s a much higher proportion of elvers than usual and I wonder if the previous night’s full moon, plus a reduction in current after last week’s deluge, brought the four-to-six-inch eels surging upstream. These glass eels represent baseline data used to better understand their early life history.
- Chris Bowser, Allison Philpott
[Freshwater eels have survived global cataclysms for millions of years but now some populations appear to be diminishing, even disappearing world-wide, and scientists are not quite certain why. While American eels are considered a freshwater fish, they are born at sea before migrating inland where they spend much of their lives in the fresh and brackish waters of the upland watershed. “Glass eels” are one of the juvenile life stages of the American eel. They arrive in the estuary by the millions each spring following a six-month to year-long journey from the greater Sargasso Sea area of the North Atlantic where they were born. Glass eel is a colloquial name owing to their lack of pigment and near transparency. This is a particularly vulnerable time for them and little is known about this period in their life history. In anywhere from 12-30 years, depending upon their sex, they will leave the Hudson River watershed for the sea where they will spawn once and then die … or so we think. Tom Lake.]
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES
4/8 – Schodack Island, HRM 134: I saw the first fuzzy head, and possibly a second one, at the Lower Schodack Island bald eagle nest (NY52) this morning. The adult pair was busy taking turns fishing and feeding the eaglet(s). At one of the return visits to the nest, the male took a face full of eaglet poop. I chuckled to myself, being a dad. Oh the joys of parenthood!
- Drew Cashman
4/8 – Kinderhook Creek, HRM 129: It seemed that the theme of my walk in Valatie today with my dog Loki was “wood.” At the deeper-than-usual vernal pool at River Street Park, two wood ducks found solace even with the cacophony from the wood frogs. The fruit clusters of the sycamores dangled like worms on a hook.
- Fran Martino
4/8 – Stuyvesant, HRM 127: We found a pink-footed goose a quarter to a third of a mile out in a field within a flock of a dozen Canada geese and seven snow geese. This was near where six sandhill cranes were sighted yesterday feeding in a cornfield. After a while, the entire flock took off heading north and east but still flying low, probably relocating rather than leaving.
- Deb Shaw, Naomi Lloyd, Will Raup, Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club
[In recent years, pink-footed goose sightings have been increasing in frequency in northeastern North America. There has been a dramatic increase in the reports of this species from Quebec, Newfoundland, Maine, Massachusetts and New York. Pink-footed geese breed in Greenland and Iceland and their presence has become an inexplicable phenomenon mirrored in a similar increase of other Eurasian goose species in our area such as barnacle goose and greater white-fronted goose. Rich Guthrie.]
4/8 – Hype Park, HRM 83: In mid-morning, an osprey came in to land on a snag at Drake Lake. What made this so impressive was the trophy-size black crappie it was carrying.
- Barbara Mansell
[Black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) are a sunfish, related to bluegills and largemouth bass. They are highly prized by anglers (and osprey) for their culinary quality and represent a springtime recreational fishery in the watershed. Tom Lake.]
 4/8 – Millbrook, HRM 82: While walking around the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies’ lowlands in Millbrook, we spotted an American bittern doing its best impression of the phragmites around it, even gently swaying in the wind. It continued doing this for a short time before creeping slowly away to hide amongst some actual reeds. [Photo of American bittern courtesy of Jaime Collings.]
- Jaime Collins, Leena Collins
4/8 – New Hamburg, HRM 67.5: There was a river-within-a-river at New Hamburg this morning as the ebb current was overriding the last of the flood tide. In the deep water of mid-river, we could see a broad swath of brown water, coffee double-cream, heading seaward as the last of the flood inched up along the shore. This was the freshet heading to the sea from the heavy rains of the last several days in the upper watershed.
- Tom Lake, T.R. Jackson
4/8 – Staten Island, New York City: Thousands of northern gannets put on an amazing show in Great Kills Harbor in Raritan Bay. They were diving relentlessly into huge schools of Atlantic menhaden—there were tons of them in the bay.
- Isaac Grant
[Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) are goose-sized seabirds of the cold North Atlantic, nearly always seen over the ocean, rarely venturing inland. Gannets found along our Atlantic coast breed at just six large colonies on the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off Newfoundland. They plunge-dive head first like pelicans when feeding; author David Sibley describes their entry as “piercing the water,” with a minimum of splash, like an Olympic swimmer executing the perfect dive. Tom Lake.]
4/9 – Stillwater, HRM 171.5: Adorned in hip waders, I methodically waded through the vernal pools, the tree stands, and the fern field near Stop 8 on the Saratoga National Historical Park's tour road, looking for gelatinous, softball size, wood frog (Rana sylvatica) egg clutches. It seemed that their numbers were down significantly; I suspected the blizzard of March 14 interrupted their typical breeding season. On the day before the storm, my former Siena College professor, who leads these counts, found 84 egg clutches at an oviposition site, frozen in a pond. Since 2000, we have surveyed these explosive breeding amphibians as they come out in the spring with a boisterous croaking chorus during their two to three week performance.
- John Loz
4/9 – Greene County: I paddled over to bald eagle nest NY203 this morning, the first opportunity after ten days of high flooding tides and swift currents. The Hudson was calm but turbid, and topped by debris. The water temperature was 42 degrees Fahrenheit so I wore a wetsuit. I saw no eagles at the nest but an adult was perched on a branch watching the river 200 yards away. After 20 minutes of chilly observation, the adult flew to the nest, almost vanishing into the deep darkness. The eagle stayed in the nest for 30 seconds then flew to a nearby branch. No sign of its mate during my stay. There was a possibility that the other adult had stayed low and out of sight.
- Kaare Christian
[I wore a wetsuit on my kayak trip today, although a dry suit would have been a much safer choice—a wet suit is not suitable for 42 degree F water. I wore the wet suit for the dead calm water, no shipping traffic, a short route, and a lot of experience, all of which are poor excuses. Kaare Christian.]
4/9 – Hyde Park, HRM 82: Sunday was a perfect day to look for mushrooms. Despite the ample rainfall there wasn't a mushroom to be seen, at least not by my eyes. The “'shroomers” will be out in force next weekend hoping that the upcoming above average temperatures will warm the soil enough to cause mushrooms in the Morchella genus to fruit, but they'll probably be a bit early as the tasty morels usually come up closer to the end of the month and Mother's Day. Start looking for wood-rotters on stumps and cup fungi in mulch.
- Steve Rock
[The picking of wild mushrooms (as with plants) can be highly restricted in local, state and national parks or those administered by any agency of the state or country. Be sure to know the rules before you pick anything. Eating some species of wild mushrooms can cause sickness and even death. Despite widespread beliefs to the contrary there is no general rule that allows you to distinguish between a poisonous mushroom and one that is safe to eat. Wild mushrooms should only be considered for consumption after being identified by an expert mycologist and even then only in moderation with samples of fresh specimens retained and properly stored to aid in identification whenever poisoning is considered a possibility. Joining a mushroom club is an excellent way to begin to learn all that needs to be known before you should feel that you can competently and independently identify a mushroom as being safe and edible. To find a club near you visit this page of the North American Mycological Society's website Steve Rock.]
4/9 – Hunter’s Brook, HRM 67.5: There is a big shallow pool where Hunter’s Brook feeds into the tidewater Wappinger Creek. This pool had been the domain of gizzard shad most of the winter as they searched for water just a bit warmer than the main channel. It was also a prime stopover for bald eagles looking for a meal—the gizzard shad are easy pickings on low tide. Today we saw alewives, the first of the river herring in from the sea, nosing their way through the pool up into Hunter’s Brook.
- Tom Lake, T.R. Jackson
4/10 – Poughkeepsie, HRM 72: The air temperature reached 80 degrees F today, tying the record high for the date.
- National Weather Service
4/10 – Verplanck, HRM 40.5: For the past two weeks, the channel marker in the river off Steamboat Dock had been absent of the double-crested cormorants that usually perch there. Last week a pair of ospreys were doing flight displays above it. Today I saw one of the osprey carry a large branch directly over my head as it glided to the channel marker and settled to add it to the nest construction. The cormorant riddle was solved.
- Ed McKay
4/11 – Newcomb, HRM 302: We still had frozen lakes and snow on the ground so our common loons would not be arriving right away. Robins, phoebes, and other assorted avian life were starting to make an appearance. It was 76 degrees yesterday and I saw the bird migration radar map lit up last night. Spring will arrive in Newcomb soon.
- Charlotte Demers
4/11 – Saw Kill, HRM 98.5: I visited the mouth of the Saw Kill this morning, starting my annual observations. Despite high and somewhat murky water, I saw three species of migratory fishes in the tributary. There were about 20 white suckers (potamodromous in the Hudson River) in their spring spawning colors. There was also a river herring (alewife, anadromous) but there were likely others in the deeper water. Finally, I found a smallmouth bass (also potamodromous in the Hudson estuary).
- Bob Schmidt
[Anadromy describes a life history where a fish is born inland in rivers and estuaries, then migrates to the sea where it matures before returning as an adult to inland waters to spawn. American shad and river herring are Hudson River examples. Potamodromy, in the instance of the white sucker, describes a life history where fishes are born in tributaries, migrate to the river or estuary to mature before returning to the tributaries as an adult to spawn. Tom Lake.]
4/11 – Norrie Point, HRM 85: Chris Bowser and Sarah Mount led the Norrie Point education staff through a seining workshop. The staff would be teaching hundreds of students in the months ahead and it was a good time sharpen our skills. The shallow bay was warmer (54 degrees F) than the river (45) and that may have been why we caught so many fish. Among them were spottail shiners, golden shiner, brown bullhead, pumpkinseed sunfish, yellow perch and white perch.
- Shaye Weldon, Skyler Chambers, Grace Ballou, Allison Philpott, Tom Lake
4/11 – New Paltz, HRM 78: We were again reassured that spring was making its foothold when we heard American toads (Anaxyrus americanus) trilling from the wetlands. It was the night of a day of a record-tying air temperature of 86 degrees F.
- Roland Bahret, Mary Jean Bahret
4/11 – Town of Poughkeepsie: Bald eagle nest NY372 continued to show promise for a hatch. Fish were being brought to the nest, which normally indicates a third mouth to feed. Today’s offering was a white sucker. In an odd turn of events, however, one of the adults left the nest with a fish in its talons. Rejected by baby?
- Dana Layton, Debbie Quick
[Each week we highlight certain bald eagle nests in the Hudson Valley to give readers an idea of how the eagles are faring (it was not too many years ago when we had very few eagles to report). No two nests are the same, but collectively they represent what is likely occurring in all 50 of our active nests. However, each nest is at a different point of incubation or some have failed for reasons that are not clear (inexperienced birds, the blizzard). There has also been an interesting array of fish brought to these nests including, goldfish, white sucker, black crappie, river herring, striped bass, channel catfish, American eel, and gizzard shad. All of this variability makes each nest a unique event. Tom Lake.]
4/11 – Manhattan, HRM 1: At noon we went to check our collection gear at The River Project’s sampling station on the lighthouse tender Lilac at Pier 25 in Hudson River Park. Shore shrimp (51) were plentiful; six were larger than we usually see. We also caught our first “large” mud crab (1.5 millimeters carapace width), an isopod and a few amphipods. In one killifish trap we caught a northern sea robin (40 mm), our first of the year and only our third in ten years of sampling.
- Jayson Breton, Jacqueline Wu
 [The northern sea robin (Prionotus carolinus), a temperate marine stray, is a unique-looking fish with broad wing-like pectoral fins. Their coloration, chestnut brown to orange-and-white, mimics the American robin, thus the common name. This species and the striped sea robin (Prionotus evolans) are occasionally found in the warm waters of the lower estuary where they cruise over sandy and gravelly bottoms from spring through fall. Photo of striped (L) and northern (R) sea robins courtesy of Steve Stanne.Tom Lake.]
4/12 – Town of Newburgh, HRM 65: The shadbush near my home started blooming today. Shad are in the river!
- Amanda Higgs
[For millennia, people have measured springtime by the appearance of flowers, a process called phenology, the study of nature through the appearance of seasonal phenomena. The word comes from the Greek word phaino, meaning “to appear,” or the Latin phenomenon, meaning “appearance.” Those who work on the river come to associate certain blooms with events unseen, such as the shadbush and the arrival from the sea of American shad and river herring. Presently, the progression moves north in an orderly fashion from magnolia to forsythia to shadbush to dogwood, with lilac being the final signal that the Hudson Valley is ready for summer. Tom Lake.]
4/12 – Croton-on-Hudson, HRM 34.5: Both osprey were at the nest early this morning, a promising sign. It seemed like they had their routine going as well as one took off toward the Hudson, probably to hunt, while the other stayed behind in the nest.
- Hugh L. McLean
4/13 – New Hamburg, HRM 67.5: We watched a bald eagle dine for a full half-hour this morning in a black walnut. Toward the end of its repast, it cleaned its beak by rubbing vigorously against the limb while crows edged quite close, already vying for the leavings that included the fish carcass tossed to the lawn by the eagle before majestically flapping off.
- Carolyn Guyer, Michael Joyce
4/13 – Verplanck, HRM 40.5: This morning I noticed a beautiful osprey passing over my house. It circled over time and time again before swooping down with talons out as if to catch a fish, but instead grabbed a large stick. It then headed over the river in a southerly direction.
- Dianne Picciano
[About six miles south—not far for an osprey—a pair of osprey were refurbishing a nest. - Tom Lake]
4/13 – Croton-on-Hudson, HRM 34.5: Both osprey were at the cell tower nest today—busy, busy, busy—calling back and forth. One of them brought a large branch to the nest and began working it in.
- Hugh L. McLean
4/13 – Schodack Island, HRM 135: Our resident pair of red-shouldered hawks had begun nesting again. I heard them calling back and forth this afternoon, one from deep in the woods, probably on the nest, and one calling while flying. They stick around all year; we must have enough rodents in the woods to keep them fed. [See banner photo of pair of red-shouldered hawks courtesy of Drew Cashman.]
- Drew Cashman
4/14 – Ulster County, HRM 85: I'm pretty sure there are young in bald eagle nest NY92. The adult on nest duty was standing in it rather than hunkered down. I have not yet seen any fish brought to the nest but both adults duck down in the nest in what appear to be feeding motions.
- Jim Yates
FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR HUDSON RIVER FISH ADVISORY OUTREACH INITIATIVE
Fish are an important part of a healthy diet, containing high quality protein, essential nutrients, healthy fish oils, and low saturated fat. However, fish in some New York waterbodies contain chemicals at levels that may be harmful to health. To help people make healthier choices about which fish to eat, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issues advice about eating fish you catch. One of the water bodies for which NYSDOH has fish advisories is the Hudson River.
The Hudson River Fish Advisory Outreach Project has set a goal that all Hudson fish and crab consumers know about, understand, and follow the NYSDOH fish advisories. To this end, Health Research, Inc. and NYSDOH announce the availability of a total of $90,000 per year to develop partnerships with local groups. Applications for funding must serve populations that fish or are likely to eat fish from the Hudson River in Albany, Bronx, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, New York, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Ulster, Washington, and/or Westchester Counties. Priority audiences are women under 50 (childbearing years), families with children under 15, minority, low-income, low-literacy and limited-English-proficiency individuals. Maximum awards are $15,000. Government entities and community-based not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply. Applications are due May 10, 2017, with narratives limited to six pages. For details, visit the project’s Request for Applications website.
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), use the links on DEC's Hudson River Almanac or DEC Delivers web pages.
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. Visit the Conservationist webpage for more information.
USEFUL LINKS
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration online tide and tidal current predictions are invaluable when planning Hudson River field trips.
For real-time information on Hudson River tides, weather and water conditions from twelve monitoring stations, visit the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System website.
Information about the Hudson River Estuary Program is available on DEC's website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html .
Smartphone app available for New York outdoor enthusiasts!
DEC, in partnership with ParksByNature Network®, is proud to announce the launch of the New York Fishing, Hunting & Wildlife App for iPhone and Android. This FREE, cutting-edge mobile app gives both novice and seasoned outdoorsmen and women essential information in the palm of their hands. Powered by Pocket Ranger® technology, this official app for DEC will provide up-to-date information on fishing, hunting and wildlife watching and serve as an interactive outdoor app using today's leading mobile devices. Using the app's advanced GPS features, users will be able identify and locate New York's many hunting, fishing and wildlife watching sites. They will also gain immediate access to species profiles, rules and regulations, and important permits and licensing details.
NY Open for Hunting and Fishing Initiative
Governor Cuomo's NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative is an effort to improve recreational opportunities for sportsmen and women and to boost tourism activities throughout the state. This initiative includes streamlining fishing and hunting licenses, reducing license fees, improving access for fishing and increasing hunting opportunities in New York State.
In support of this initiative, this year's budget includes $6 million in NY Works funding to support creating 50 new land and water access projects to connect hunters, anglers, bird watchers and others who enjoy the outdoors to more than 380,000 acres of existing state and easement lands that have gone largely untapped until now. These 50 new access projects include building new boat launches, installing new hunting blinds and building new trails and parking areas. In addition, the 2014-15 budget includes $4 million to repair the state's fish hatcheries; and renews and allows expanded use of crossbows for hunting in New York State.
This year's budget also reduces short-term fishing licenses fees; increases the number of authorized statewide free fishing days to eight from two; authorizes DEC to offer 10 days of promotional prices for hunting, fishing and trapping licenses; and authorizes free Adventure Plates for new lifetime license holders, discounted Adventure Plates for existing lifetime license holders and regular fee Adventure Plates for annual license holders.
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
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