A Project of the Hudson River Estuary Program
Compiled by Tom Lake, Consulting Naturalist
Overview
We had an amazing range of diverse stories this week, from a seal, to a rattlesnake and a step back into the valley’s deep past nearly 6,000 years ago.
Highlight of the Week
 7/8 – Croton Point, HRM 34: Twenty students from The Rewilding School, an environmental education summer program based in Westchester County, spotted a harbor seal hauled out on a rock at the tip of Croton Point. We watched the seal cross back and forth along the point on the mid-afternoon rising tide. The seal appeared to be in good health and was playful and rotund. The students were able to watch it for a full 40 minutes. It was a great start to the summer! (Photo of harbor seal courtesy of Tom Lake)
-Eric Stone
[The students’ harbor seal was hauled out on a rock and laying in its typical “banana” pose, a posture that often makes viewers believe that the seal is in distress. That pose is just their way of relaxing. Tom Lake]
Natural History Entries
 7/1 – Bear Mountain, HRM 46: Before the Palisades Interstate Parkway was built (1958), the main entry to Bear Mountain State Park was by river, with thousands of visitors arriving by boat at a riverfront landing on busy summer days. With rising sea levels and the concurrent subsidence of the gravelly fill underlaying the landing, the Hudson River now invades the former lawn twice a day.
As if by magic, lawn grass has been replaced by a diverse community of brackish marsh plants and shrubs, somehow arriving at this tiny “pop-up” marsh by wind, tides, and animals. While examining the flora for a future education program, we noticed a showy, unfamiliar umbel of pink flowers on a tall, dark-green stalk. Could this be something rare, only able to exist in a patch of young marsh? A quick search of Newcomb’s field guide produced a disappointing result: Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus), a problematic invasive of Eurasian origin. (Photo of Flowering Rush courtesy of Ed McGowan)
– Courtney Larson, Kristina Hayek, Chris O’Sullivan, Ed McGowan
7/1 – Manhattan, HRM 1: When we checked our research sampling gear in Hudson River Park at The River Project’s sampling station on the lighthouse tender Lilac at Pier 25, we found familiar faces of fishes, including four oyster toadfish, ranging from young-of-year to adults (40-220 millimeters (mm)) and two feisty blue crabs. For the first time since June 2016 at Pier 25, we caught two young-of-year Atlantic tomcod (80-90 mm).
-Siddhartha Hayes
[Note: one inch = 25.4 millimeters]
7/2 – Bronx, New York City: Electro-fishing under a bridge, in a dark pool, with colleagues, we recorded a new species for the Hutchinson River: a pair of adult gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum). The pool was just below the first dam, and it is possible there is a small spawning run of gizzard shad to this point. Earlier in the season, Gareth Hougham documented river herring in the same pool.
– Gareth Hougham, Jake LaBelle, Erika Lafranchi, John Waldman
 7/3 – Manhattan, HRM 2: When the Hudson River Park’s Estuary Lab staff hauled up our oyster cage, as part of our Billion Oyster Project monitoring program, they found an adult (50 mm) lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus). (Photo of lined seahorse courtesy of Chris Bowser)
– Olivia Radick
7/3 –Manhattan HRM 1: On the eve of our holiday break, we checked our sampling gear in Hudson River Park at The River Project’s sampling station on the lighthouse tender Lilac at Pier 25.The aquatic life of the river seemed already to be on holiday as we caught just a single young-of-year oyster toadfish (50 mm) and a hefty adult tautog (345 mm).
– Siddhartha Hayes, Toland Kister
7/6 – Kowawese, HRM 59: This was another scorcher, the third straight day of over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Maneuvering our seine around rocks the size of basketballs, with the occasional “greased” [algae-covered] cannonball, we caught a net full of young-of-year fishes. When the catch seems ordinary, you have the opportunity to consider the relationships between fishes. Among our catch, sharing the wet netting, were similar-sized striped bass (26-44 mm) and spottail shiner (28-35). It would not be long before their relationship would evolve to predator-and-prey. The river was 80 degrees F.
– Tom Lake, Phyllis Lake
7/6 – Yonkers, HRM 18: As part of our public programming for the River Explorers series at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak, nine participants helped us net the river today. Our catch included bay anchovies and blue crabs.
– Katie Lamboy
 7/6 – Queens, New York City: There is something special about sampling salty water (27 parts-per-thousand (ppt)), open to the sea, and the prospects of what we might catch. This afternoon’s Alley Pond Park Environmental Center’s “Science in the Bay” program was a good example. Seining in Little Bay Park under the Throgs Neck Bridge, we caught too many Atlantic silverside to count, as well as mummichogs, seven spot, a darling young-of-year white mullet (30 mm), and a male striped killifish (27 mm). Our surprise catch was an Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus). The bay was 72 degrees F. (Photo of striped killifish courtesy of Tom Lake)
– Erica Chow, Androniki, Peter Park
 7/7 – Hudson Valley: I was camping overnight right on the bank of the river. Near midnight, I took my flashlight and went exploring. As my light crossed the upper end of the beach, a small stone gave out a dark shiny reflection that stood out. It looked like a small prehistoric spear point. (Photo of Otter Creek projectile point courtesy of Thomas Hall)
– Thomas Hall
[Thomas Hall had come upon a prehistoric Indian artifact, an Otter Creek projectile point (42 mm) with a broken tip that had eroded out of the high beach sediments. Holding an ancient artifact, especially a serendipitous find, can transport our sense of time and place into the deep past as though in a time machine. It is this experience that lures people to a pursuit of archaeology.
The point had been fashioned from black and apple-green Deepkill chert (a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of very small, crypto-crystalline, quartz crystals favored by flint knappers because it holds an edge). Otter Creek was named by New York Archaeologist William Ritchie from its type site in the Valley of Otter Creek, Vermont. Organics associated with Otter Creek artifacts at the Sylvan Lake site in Dutchess County (1963) radiocarbon dated to 5,700 years ago. This was likely a spear point used by ancestral Algonquian people since it predates the bow-and-arrow by 4,000 years. Tom Lake]
 7/7 – Putnam County: We came home from a long weekend to find a timber rattlesnake on our patio. It was very active, exploring the various nooks and crannies around our home that frequently serve as runways for chipmunks. The snake was approximately 44-inches-long, from nose to rattle tip. After an hour, the snake moved back up the mountain, into the Hudson Highlands. I found its camouflage to be remarkable as it passed through the leaf litter. (Photo of timber rattlesnake courtesy of Ryan Bass)
– Ryan J Bass
[Many populations of timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) have been depleted or extirpated due to human persecution, collection and habitat loss, which is why they are listed as a New York State Threatened Species. Because of this, entries such as this one are intentionally left vague other than to note their general presence in an area. Currently, the timber rattlesnake’s range in the watershed extends north into Essex County – Jesse Jaycox]
7/7 – Bedford, HRM 35: The great blue heron rookery was quiet today with the remaining nestlings waiting for food to arrive. The rookery was now down to eight nestlings in three nests. There was no branching activity, and preening their feathers was their constant activity.
– Jim Steck
7/8 – Green Island, HRM153: There are sportfishing times when you can toss every lure you own, and it makes no difference – the fish appear indifferent. Then, rarely, the opposite can also be true. No matter what you cast, the fish respond. It was like that today at the head of tide with smallmouth bass, all 9-11-inches. A few anglers up the beach, and a family a short distance down the beach, shared in the hour of ebbing tide when fishing became catching, for a change. The river was 78 degrees F.
– Tom Lake
[Angling regulations for smallmouth bass in New York State include an open season from the third Saturday in June through November 30, and a bag limit of five fish per day of at least 12-inches-long. NYSDEC]
7/8 – Beacon, HRM 61: I had a seven-hour fishing marathon today at Long Dock, from the last of the morning ebb tide through the afternoon flood. The action was quite steady throughout, and I was able to catch, measure, and release six channel catfish, a white catfish, a carp and a foot-long goldfish. The channel catfish ranged to nearly 15-inches, yet the lone, 14-inch white catfish was heavier than any of them. The largest fish of the day was a 17-inch carp.
– Bill Greene
7/8 – Yonkers, HRM 18: We oriented volunteers today for extra hands for our summer programs at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak. A small school of bay anchovies made the net glisten as they shared the seine with mummichogs and young-of-year bluefish. Among the crustaceans were blue crabs, sand shrimp and shore shrimp.
– Jay Muller, Lucy Jurina Katie Lamboy
 7/9 – Hadley, HRM 208: I have been monitoring bald eagle nest NY184 at Stewart’s Bridge Reservoir, an impoundment of the Sacandaga River below the Conklingville Dam. The nest had three nestlings this spring, and right now they seem ready to take off. I watched all three perched side-by-side on a limb of the nest tree today. Judging by the way they were lifting from branch to branch, their fledge was imminent. (Photo of bald eagle nestlings courtesy of Lee Winchester)
– Lee Winchester
 7/9 – Waterford, HRM 159: When you pass above the Federal Dam at Troy and leave tidewater behind, you enter into an entirely different Hudson River. If you branch off to the west and climb the Waterford Flight, a series of five Barge Canal locks that lifts vessels westward 170 feet above the Hudson River to the beginning of the Erie Canal, you find the Mohawk River with fish fauna just different enough to lure us there to haul a seine. Working in non-tidewater has its pluses: You do not have to keep an eye on the rise or fall of the water and worry you will “miss the tide,” common concerns for those who work in tidewater.
For us, some of the magic of the Mohawk is in its fishes, seeing species that are not often encountered in tidewater such as northern logperch. We caught many today (36-39 mm) along with young-of-year largemouth bass (43-45 mm). The river was 80 degrees F. In the dense Trapa beds, the water was a bit cooler at 78 degrees. (Photo of northern logperch courtesy of Tom Lake)
– Tom Lake, A. Danforth
[Northern logperch (Percina caprodes semifasciata) are one of seven perches (Percidae) found in the Hudson River watershed. More well-known perches include walleye and yellow perch. They are native to the Mississippi River system and probably migrated to the Hudson watershed in the past hundred years through the New York State canal system. They are one of the signature fishes of the Mohawk River through which they sometimes reach the Hudson via the Erie Canal. Bob Schmidt has noted that the northern logperch of the Hudson have distinct, saddle-like markings. Tom Lake]
7/9 – Yonkers, HRM 18: Students from the Oak Lane Child Care Center in Yonkers visited the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak today to help our staff sample the Hudson River. Along with many shore shrimp, our seine caught five fish species, including American eel, bay anchovy, mummichog, Atlantic silverside, and a special catch, a striped anchovy.
– Elisa Caref, Lucy Jurina, Janesse Bell, Zahir Foster, Katie Lamboy
[The striped anchovy (Anchoa hepsetus) is a coastal marine species that, unlike its close relative the bay anchovy (A. mitchilli), is not often found in estuaries. However, they may be a bit more common than we think since they can easily be confused with bay anchovies. Tom Lake]
7/10 – Greene County: There was a steady stream of swallows (mostly tree swallows with a few bank swallows) this evening moving along down the Hudson River in Greene County. Even though there are plenty of insects around, and some swallows are incubating a second brood, there are those that are beginning to line up to leave us right about now. Shorebirds were also showing up in small numbers but not much in variety – yet. But the parade has begun!
– Rich Guthrie
7/10 – Yonkers, HRM 18: Our staff took to the water today at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak for seining practice, prepping for future programs. Our modest catch included just one fish, an American eel, but we did manage to find two dozen delightful mixed sand and shore shrimp.
– Marla Wilson, Janesse Bell, Zahir Foster, Lucy Jurina, Katie Lamboy
 7/11 – Hudson Highlands State Park, HRM 55: There was a touch of salt in the water (1.5 parts-per-thousand), so we had some expectations. A dozen of us set our seine at Little Stony Point on what might be the nicest beach on the river. We were looking for young-of-year river herring and American shad, but, once again, none showed up. The baby striped bass were there in numbers (27-112 mm) as well as young-of-year bluefish (99-101). A single hogchoker (57 mm), with their peculiar life history, became an instant teaching moment. And, as if in response to the trace of salt, Atlantic silverside (96-99 mm), uncommon this far upriver, made the net sparkle and glow. (Photo of students seining at Little Stony Point courtesy of Tom Lake)
– Tom Lake, C.T. Lake, T.R. Jackson, B.J. Jackson
7/11 – Yonkers, HRM 18: The Bronx New Settlement House summer camp brought their students to the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak for a fun morning of seining. The students were excited to see, most of them for the first time, American eels, Atlantic silverside, blue crabs, sand shrimp, and shore shrimp.
– Lucy Jurina, Elisa Caref, Marla Wilson, Janesse Bell, Zahir Foster, Katie Lamboy
7/11 – Manhattan, HRM 2: When the Hudson River Park’s Estuary Lab staff and interns hauled up our oyster cage, as part of our Billion Oyster Project monitoring program, they found two oyster toadfish (105-209 mm). This was, in no way, a good sign for our oysters!
– Olivia Radick
[Oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau), known colloquially as “oyster crackers,” are common in New York Harbor. They set up shop on the bottom of the river, and with strong, sharp teeth, they crush and feed on shellfish such as crabs, oysters, and other bivalves. Tom Lake]
*** Fish of the Week ***
 7/12 – Hudson River Watershed: Fish-of-the-Week for Week 30 is the Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia), number 123 (of 228) on our watershed list of fishes. If you would like a copy of our list, e-mail trlake7.
The Atlantic silverside is one of four silverside species (Atherinidae) in our watershed. They are a marine species that is found along the coast in bays and estuaries from the Gulf of Sant Lawrence to Florida. While Atlantic silverside is by far the most common, on occasion the inland silverside (M. beryllina) will show up. Most recently, B.J. Jackson caught one (68 mm) in a seine at Kowawese (December 2017), a catch that not only was surprisingly far upriver, but also far outside of its usual warm-water season.
Atlantic silverside has long been a local folkloric fish that can be “fried to a crisp and eaten whole” (Mervin Roberts). Spearing, their colloquial name, were “fried in cooking oil and sold in restaurants as whitebait” (Robert Boyle). (Photo of Atlantic silverside courtesy of Tom Lake)
– Tom Lake
 7/12 – Kingston, HRM 92: We had let a few milkweed plants grow along our driveway in the hopes of helping monarch butterflies. Sure enough, when I came home from work today, I found a monarch butterfly working the plants. It seemed to be most interested in the flower, but lighted long enough on the leaves to allow me to take a photo. (Photo of monarch butterfly courtesy of Nancy Beard)
– Nancy Beard
7/12 – Yonkers, HRM 18: We ended our week at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak with a second group of middle-school students from the Bronx Helpers program, part of the New Settlement House. While our catch seemed ordinary to us, through the eyes of our students, they were magical creatures, including American eels and Atlantic silverside as well as sand and shore shrimp.
– Katie Lamboy, Marla Wilson, Janesse Bell, Zahir Foster, Maya Kharem, Eco Valdes.
Summer 2019 Natural History Programs
Tuesday, August 20 – Thursday August 22 (9:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
2019 Teachers on the Estuary and Living Environment Institute
Amazing Watersheds (22 credit hours for NYS certified teachers and administrators)
Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar, New York
Join us this summer as we explore amazing watersheds. Teachers will spend three days gaining valuable knowledge and learning new curricula while using interdisciplinary approaches to explore watersheds. Some easy hiking on trails is involved.
Cost: $60.00 for materials, supplies, and refreshments (dinner provided on Wednesday)
To register, e-mail drew.hopkins
Saturday, September 14 – 1:00- 4:00 PM
Science on the River
Norrie Point Environmental Education Center, Staatsburg
We would like to invite you to our open house featuring hands-on, interactive demonstrations, displaying scientific research and discovery on the estuary and in the Hudson Valley. Activities, with educational games and crafts, will be targeted towards both young and adult audiences.
For more information, email maija.niemisto or call 845-889-4745 x109.
Hudson River: Striped Bass Cooperative Angler Program
You can share your fishing trip information and help biologists understand and manage our Hudson River striped bass fishery.
Here’s how it works: Fill out a logbook provided by us whenever you fish on the Hudson River (by boat or from shore). Record general location, time, gear used, what you caught (or if you didn’t catch anything) and return the logbook when you are done fishing for the season. You’ll receive an annual newsletter summarizing the information in addition to the latest news regarding regulations and the river. Whether you catch-and-release or take home a keeper, you can be part of the Cooperative Angler Program.
Join today by contacting: jessica.best, or call 845-256-3009
– Jessica Best
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.
To subscribe to the Almanac (or to unsubscribe), use the links on DEC’s Hudson River Almanacor 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 sixteen monitoring stations, visit the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System website.
DEC’s Smartphone app for iPhone and Android is now available at: New York Fishing, Hunting & Wildlife App. |
