Wildlife, Fish & Marine Life Newsletter

Bald Eagle Viewing in Winter

Winter is a great time to view bald eagles in New York State. Viewing from a safe distance and at planned observation sites can offer an exhilarating and memorable experience. Wintering eagles begin arriving in December and concentrations peak in January and February. Most are heading back to their nests by mid-March.
 
The Hudson River, the Upper Delaware River watershed, and sections of the St. Lawrence River are great places to view bald eagles in the winter. DEC maintains two well-marked viewing areas in the Mongaup Valley on the Rio and Mongaup Falls reservoirs.
 
The following tips will help you to have the best possible experience:

• Use binoculars or spotting scopes instead of trying to get closer.
• Don't do anything to try to make the bird fly.
• Respect private property and avoid restricted areas.
• Scan the tree line for eagles that are perched in the tree tops.
• Look overhead for eagles soaring high in the sky.
• Arrive early (7 a.m. - 9 a.m.) or stay late (4 p.m. - 5 p.m.), when eagles are most active.
• Be patient—this is the key to successful viewing.

Warning: Harassing, disturbing, or injuring a bald eagle is illegal.

Photo of bald eagle by Marjorie Correll

Look for Wildlife Tracks this Winter

Now is a great time to search for winter tracks (PDF) or other animal signs visible in the snow. It can be fun to be a detective and figure out what animals have been walking through your yard or across a trail. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Snow conditions can make a difference in a track’s appearance—wet snow captures a print better than powdery snow.
• Members in the dog family (coyote, fox, or dogs) will usually leave claw prints above the toes, while the cat family (bobcat, housecat) will not. You should see four toes on both front and back feet for both families.
• Rodents, such as squirrels, chipmunks, mice, muskrats, and voles, usually have four toes on the front feet and five on the back. Claws may or may not be seen.
• Bring a notebook, camera, or field guide with you.
• Sometimes an animal’s droppings, or scat, can help you identify it—a rabbit’s looks like small balls of sawdust.

Find out more in the Become a Winter Wildlife Detective (PDF) issue of Conservationist for Kids.

Check out the video on winter wildlife tracks and scat identification on DEC’s Facebook page.

Photo of ruffed grouse tracks by Sandy Van Vranken.

Construction Starts on New Fish Passage Through Woodhull Dam

DEC, Suffolk County, town of Southampton, and Peconic Estuary Partnership (PEP) announced the start of construction on a nearly $1 million fish passage through Woodhull Dam on the Little River in Riverhead. The fish passage is essential to restoring critical spawning and maturation habitat for river herring and American eel. It will help produce sustainable populations of fish species that are valuable resources for a healthy and productive marine ecosystem.

The Woodhull Dam fish passage will restore access to 90 acres of high-quality habitat for river herring and American eel in the Cranberry Bog Preserve and Wildwood Lake, more than doubling the amount of spawning and maturation habitat currently available for river herring on the Peconic River.

DEC, Suffolk County, town of Southampton, and PEP worked collaboratively to secure nearly $1 million for the design and construction of the fish passage. Funding was provided by DEC’s Water Quality Improvement Project Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Funds, Suffolk County’s Water Quality Protection and Restoration Program, Suffolk County Capital Funds, and town of Southampton’s Community Preservation Fund Water Quality Improvement Project Plan.

Learn more about the work DEC and partners are doing to restore diadromous (migrating between salt and freshwater) fish passages on DEC's website.

Photo of alewife by Byron Young