A Project of the Hudson River Estuary Program
Compiled and edited by Tom Lake, Consulting Naturalist
Love Our NY Lands
State Lands Belong to All of Us
All New Yorkers and visitors should be able to access, enjoy, and feel welcome on state lands. These lands belong to all of us, our families, and our neighbors. While enjoying these shared spaces, be respectful of other visitors. Share trails, treat people with kindness, and leave things as you found them for others to enjoy. All of us have a responsibility to protect State lands for future generations. For more information, visit: https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/119881.html
Overview
A New York State endangered plant species, missing from the Hudson Valley for a century, surprisingly showed up in the Capitol District. Water temperature in the estuary was heating up suggesting a very warm-water summer. Caterpillars defoliated two upstate counties on their 10-15-year cycle.
Highlight of the Week
 6/25 – Albany, HRM 145: An extremely rare plant that was only known to exist in Dutchess County, and not seen since 1923, suddenly sprouted up in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Albany Pine Bush steward and botanist Jesse Hoffman announced the discovery of the rare, New York State-endangered, Virginia Marbleseed (Lithospermum virginianum) growing in the wild among other plants. It is unclear how the two new plants suddenly popped up after 100 years of extirpation from the region. The Virginia Marbleseed historically grew in the Karner hamlet of Albany but has not been documented there since 1923.
The plant can be identified by spiraling flower buds and its hard and shiny seeds. These white seeds look like a stone, which is why the plant is named “Marbleseed.” This discovery gives hope that the rare plant may be discovered in other areas of the Hudson Valley. Those weeds in your backyard may actually be plants in danger of extinction. The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission is currently monitoring the new find and will be coordinating with the New York Natural Heritage Program to decide how best to protect this rare plant. (Photo of Virginia marbleseed courtesy of Jesse Hoffman)
– Andrew Boris
Natural History Entries
*** Fish of the Week ***
 6/19 – Hudson River Watershed: Fish-of-the-Week for Week 126 is the yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis), fish number 78 (of 234), on our Hudson River Watershed List of Fishes. If you would like a copy of our list, e-mail: trlake7.
The yellow bullhead is one of eight North American catfishes (Ictaluridae) documented for the watershed, that includes the native white catfish and the introduced channel catfish. They are native to the Atlantic and Gulf coast watersheds from New York to northern Mexico, including the Great Lakes and Mississippi River where they can reach 15-inches. They favor ponds and clear streams and, while silty water is not conducive to their presence, they are occasionally found in the turbid waters of the Hudson River.
The original description of the yellow bullhead (Lesueur 1819) was as (Pimelodus natalis), with the type site listed simply as “Upper Canada” with no specific locality. Lesueur’s holotype (the original fish described) has been lost.
The yellow bullhead is one of my favorite fishes, primarily because of how seldom we see one. In the field, it is often tricky to distinguish a yellow bullhead from the far more common brown bullhead. One of the best field marks is their chin barbels: mottled white-yellow for the yellow bullhead; dusky brown or black for the brown bullhead. In many instances, the “yellow” of the yellow bullhead is instantly recognizable as it was a while ago during a seining program at Norrie Point when we caught a ten-inch yellow bullhead that was as yellow as a lemon drop.
– Tom Lake
6/20 – Little Stony Point, HRM 55: We hoped for an interesting catch on the solstice, knowing if there was life in our seine, there would be a story to tell. We caught nine American eels. Three were 12-inches-long, probably representing 4-5 year-classes of glass eels. We also had penny-to-quarter size “bugs” (baby blue crabs), all males, scampering all over our net. The river was 75 degrees Fahrenheit (F), and the salinity was 1.0 parts-per-thousand (ppt).
The shallows off the beach were thick with clouds of young-of-year fishes of several species including hundreds of tiny Atlantic menhaden and alewives (all 22-29 millimeters(mm)). We considered the recurring miracle of these young-of-year fishes, an event that has been part of springtime in the river long before any of us were here to witness. We thought of the many baby fish of a half-dozen species, some of which were destined to travel more than 100 miles downriver to the sea by summer’s end. The significance of the moment went far beyond the numbers. We discovered how often our language is inadequate to describe the grandeur of the world. We also wondered what the patron saint of wilderness philosophers would have to say about this dilemma:
“…any good poet, in our age at least, must begin with the scientific view of the world; and any scientist worth listening to must be something of a poet, must possess the ability to communicate to the rest of us his sense of love and wonder at what his work discovers.” Edward Abbey, The Journey Home
In the dark of almost midnight, the Summer Solstice would arrive at the river. As we watched all of the fish and blue crabs scurry about, we took in the nature of the scene—the air, the water, the land—blended seamlessly with the science of its parts.
– Tom Lake, A. Danforth
[1 inch = 25.4 millimeters (mm)]
 6/21 – Warren County, HRM 232: Gypsy moth caterpillars (Lymantria dispar) have been wreaking defoliating havoc in Warren and Clinton counties. Although these caterpillars prefer oaks, their favored food, they seem to eat pretty much whatever is available when the oak leaves are gone. When they are abundant and feeding their way through the trees, rumor has it that you can hear the collective chewing. Gypsy moth caterpillars can get to over two-inches-long before they settle, form a cocoon, and become smallish brown-beige moths in the summer, laying eggs that will then hatch next spring.
Trees are mostly very resilient, and a defoliation this spring and early summer should not seriously harm them as they will make new leaves. According to the NYSDEC, large outbreaks of this non-native species occur every 10 to 15 years. The good news is that during July, these caterpillars will likely become moths and will stop eating leaves.
– Mike Corey
 6/21 – Westchester County, HRM 18: Over time, naturalist Andrew v. F. Block has seen an array of native and nonnative turtles, counting no fewer than seven species in the Bronx River at Bronxville. Presently, among the native turtles, he counts two female eastern spiny softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera), many eastern painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), and the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Nonnative species, whose presence likely comes because of the pet trade, are the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), native to the southern U.S. the Ouachita map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis), native to the south-central U.S., and the yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta), native to the southeast U.S.
The seventh turtle is the northern red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris), a large, native basking turtle that has a complex existence. Their overall population is highly fragmented, and their numbers are diminishing. Ironically, their presence in the Bronx River may be via the pet trade but, as a result, they are listed as a Federally Endangered Species. (Photo of yellow-bellied slider courtesy of David Johnathan)
– Tom Lake
[In a world often overflowing with alien, invasive, and misplaced species, we often speak of “native” species as a counterpoint. When we ask students what we mean by native, we get answers like “it has always been here.” But always is an inexact adverb. Since the Hudson Valley was covered with more than a mile of ice 20,000 years ago (no one was home), perhaps a better measure is to ask “was the plant, bird, fish, flower, turtle, or mammal here when the first Europeans arrived?” If so, it is native; if not it was introduced later on, thus nonnative. Tom Lake]
6/22 – Greene County, HRM 112: Our hummingbird feeders have been very active this year in West Kill, with regular visits from one male and several of his offspring that I recognize from last year. On this rainy day I was surprised when a much larger bird landed on one of my feeders. It weighed enough to tilt the feeder at an angle. A bird with a red cap and a very long beak was pouring liquid down it’s throat. A closer look revealed the innovative strategy was employed by a male red bellied woodpecker.
– Emily Plishner
6/22 – Little Stony Point, HRM 55: Every time we take the long walk down the hill with our gear to this beach, it feels as though we are going home. Breaking out of the trees onto the sand can take your breath away: The panorama of the Hudson Highlands—Crow’s Nest to Storm King to Breakneck Ridge to Mount Taurus—is a 360-degree spectacle. The Precambrian granite of those mountains are among the oldest rocks on earth (1.1 to 1.3 billion years old). What we catch in our sampling gear is frequently just a bonus. The geology almost outshines the biology.
Across a half-dozen hauls of our seine, the fauna of the past few days had not changed much: young of year herring (alewives and menhaden), young-of-season blue crabs, and resident fishes like white perch and spottail shiners. The river was still 75 degrees F, and the salinity had nudged upward to 1.5 ppt.
– Tom Lake, A. Danforth
6/22 – Yonkers, HRM 18: We made five hauls of our seine today at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak. We noted that the river’s dissolved oxygen level had recently dropped to the 5-6 parts-per-million (ppm) range. With the warming summer water temperatures (72.5 degrees F) and relatively little rainfall, the dissolved oxygen level (6.2 ppm) was possibly getting into the danger zone for some of the more sensitive fishes.
Among the fishes we caught were three bay anchovies, an Atlantic silverside, a mummichog, a white perch and one American eel. There was an interesting mix of invertebrates led by eleven grass shrimp, three sand shrimp, seven blue crabs (65 mm), one Leidy’s comb jelly, and a single moon jellyfish. Salinity was up a bit to 11.2 ppt.
– Jay Muller, Molly Galant, Aubrey Baker, Eli Caref
[The dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the Tappan Zee can be variable, but the shallow edges of the bay will heat up in warm weather, like we have now, and warm water holds less DO since it has trouble staying in solution. DO can also be at its lowest value during low tides, the favorite seining tide. As Jay Muller points out, 5-6 ppm is a critical bottom threshold, but since fish are mobile and short bursts of low DO can be tolerated, especially by fish such as mummichogs and eels. The sweet spot for fish is from 6-11 ppm. Margie Turrin]
6/23 – Ulster County, HRM 76: On a windy early morning in Kerhonkson, a landowner sprayed his few fruit trees with some of the pesticide settling onto nearby maple trees. Unknowingly, I fed a few maple leaves to my tiny, newly hatched cecropia moth caterpillars. Eighty percent of the caterpillars died (50 of 62). I am hoping those I have left will survive. We all live downwind.
On a happier note, I found my first monarch caterpillar on milkweed outside my back door on Father’s Day.
– Betty Boomer
 6/23 –Town of Esopus: The Dryad’s saddle polypore fungus I came upon today, also known as the pheasant’s-back polypore, is always an impressive sight. The mycelium was doing its job of recycling the nutrients in the dead wood, while the inedible though not toxic “shelf-fruiting” bodies are busy spreading billions of spores. (Photo of Dryad’s saddle courtesy of Mario Meier)
– Mario Meier
6/23 – Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: Bald eagle nest NY459, known to our nest-watchers as the Bridge Nest (there is a nearby bridge over Wappinger Creek), has had two energetic nestlings appearing ready to fledge. (Their anticipated fledge date range was June 10-28.) During my visit today it seemed that at least one had fledged and the other was climbing the nest tree gathering courage.
– Judy Winter
 6/23 – Little Stony Point, HRM 55: Little Stony Point marks the northern gateway to the Hudson Highlands. The beach is a favorite spot not only for the fish and wildlife, but for the close and spectacular views to all points: Breakneck Ridge to the north, Crow’s Nest to the south, Mount Taurus to the east, and Storm King to the west. All support seasonal populations of peregrine falcons, ravens, the occasional bald eagle, and other raptors.
This preamble serves us well on days when the fish just cannot find our net. Today was one of those as we seined the low tide shallows looking to see what was home in the river. After a steady diet of resident spottail shiners and white perch, it seemed that the splendor of our surroundings would have to suffice. But then came the “last haul”—we always need a last haul. As we slid the net up on the sand, it vibrated in flashing silver from young-of-year bluefish (57-63 mm), visitors from marine waters 75+ miles downriver, born in April offshore of the New York Bight. The salinity was barely measurable, and the water temperature was 73 degrees F. (Photo of bluefish courtesy of Tom Lake)
– Tom Lake, A. Danforth
[Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are an excellent example of an adaptation designed for survival. At three-inches-long, they are not blue, but silvery. They are not built for concealment from predators; they are built for confusion, escape and evasion. As young-of-year, they are silvery, sleek, fast, and they just shimmer away from predators. As they grow, mature, and become an apex predator, their dorsal surface will become sea green. Tom Lake]
[Hudson Highlands State Park is a preserve of over 8,000 acres with more than 70 miles of trails. The Preserve consists of a series of separate parcels of land stretching from Annsville Creek in Peekskill north to Denning’s Point in Beacon. The Park Preserve protects a mosaic of special habitats from the estuarine shore of the Hudson River, through young deciduous forest, to the rocky ridges and summits towering above the surrounding area, providing a haven for many plants and animals just 50 miles north of New York City. New York State Parks]
6/23 – Bedford, HRM 35: Several of the nestlings at the Bedford great blue heron rookery have fledged and left the rookery. They are now very likely with their parents learning how to hunt for their own food. The seven remaining nestlings were patiently waiting for food to arrive. Their plumage has developed enough to fly, but it is easier to wait for food to be brought to them. At this point, their parents reduce the amount of feeding to encourage them to leave the nest.
– Jim Steck
6/23 – Yonkers, HRM 18: The water temperature at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak had risen (73.6 F) and, subsequently, the dissolved oxygen had fallen to 5.5 ppm. During our five hauls of the seine, we caught no fish. Could the falling DO, having reached a critical point, accounted for the lack of fish? Crustaceans were there: 18 blue crabs, 39 grass shrimp, and two sand shrimp. The salinity was 10.7 ppt.
– Jay Muller, Molly Galant, Aubrey Baker
6/24 – Town of Esopus: This morning was one of those crisp, clear-blue, June mornings with not a cloud in the sky. With the air temperature in the upper 50s, the warmer water at surface level of the Hudson River appeared to be steaming with wisps of rising mist. Then, as the sun poured over the river, I saw a marvelous sight: Columns of mist rose like mini- whirlwinds rising over a 100-feet-high rolling in a vortex upward and at the same time drifting upriver at about a walking speed (“steam devils”). They kept forming and rolling along before gradually dissipating, only for the next to form again. It was an amazing natural phenomenon.
– Mario Meier
[A steam devil is a small, weak whirlwind over water (or sometimes wetlands) that has drawn fog into the vortex, thus rendering it visible. They form over large lakes and oceans during cold air outbreaks while the water is still relatively warm and can be an important mechanism in vertically transporting moisture. Barrick & Holle (2007)]
6/24 – Croton Point, HRM 34.5: We were walking on a path when something moving fast and low caught our eye. It was a peregrine falcon in full, breathtaking pursuit mode, turning and darting just a few feet off the ground. It disappeared behind a rise for an instant and then reappeared, a bird in its talons and a wheeling flock of starlings rising all around it. For at least the next thirty seconds, the peregrine (having lost its prey in the process) winged for the horizon with the undulating cloud of starlings (a couple of hundred strong) keeping up with and surrounding it.
We’ve read that this is a starling defensive technique to confuse predators, but it looked exactly like the flock was pursuing the peregrine and driving it away. Eventually, still traveling together, they all disappeared behind some trees and were lost from view.
– Joe Wallace and Sharon AvRutick
 6/24 – Yonkers, HRM 18: Five more seine hauls in the Tappan Zee today at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak as we looked for improving numbers of fish. We caught two bay anchovies (85 mm), hardly an encouraging sign of improved dissolved oxygen levels. Today’s measurement was up a bit to 5.9 ppm.
The Invertebrates showed, however, including 28 sand shrimp, five each grass shrimp and blue crabs, three Leidy’s comb jellies, and one moon jellyfish. The river was 72.7 degrees F, and the salinity 11.8 ppt. (Photo of moon jellyfish courtesy of Stephen Keable)
– Jay Muller, Molly Galant, Aubrey Baker
6/25 – Waterford-Peebles Island, HRM 158: Leaves had nearly cut off all viewing of bald eagle nest NY485 with the exception of limbs moving in the wind and occasionally opening a window into the nest. One of those openings today presented an empty nest. I did see an adult at the nest yesterday, so I do believe the nestlings are still somewhere on the nest tree. We predicted a fledge date from June 24 to July 12, but it will be a hard to call this year as to when fledging actually occurs.
– Howard Stoner
 6/25 – Town of Poughkeepsie: It has been a treat watching the two fledglings from bald eagle nest NY62. Bob Rightmyer has been photo-chronicling their adventures. For now, they were sticking quite close to the nest, perching together in nearby trees, particularly in the naked canopy of a tall, stressed, black willow. This evening they perched on either side of a fork in the canopy. One had a meter-long stick in its talons as it came off its perch. The other quickly followed and the chase was on. (Photo of bald eagles courtesy of Bob Rightmyer)
– Tom Lake
[Bald eagles, especially immatures, occasionally engage in games that resemble “tag.” In winter, in a group of eagles, one will pick up a chuck of ice and fly off with the others in hot pursuit until it is dropped, whereupon another eagle will pick it up and the game continues. They substitute sticks, dead fish, and shellfish in other seasons. Tom Lake]
6/25 – Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: I visited bald eagle nest NY459 this afternoon and, low and behold, both newly-fledged eagles were in the nest. Very confusing. Do they come back and sit in the nest until they finally decide to leave?
– Judy Winter
[Bald eagle fledglings know where and how their food has arrived during the previous three months. Having fledged only means they can fly; it does not mean they can get their own food. It is very common for the fledglings to return either to the nest, or close by. With their new ability to fly, coupled with dependable food, and armed with natural instincts, most fledglings can begin their education process of becoming an eagle. Tom Lake]
Spring 2021 Natural History Programs
Day-in-the-Life Videos (Hudson River Estuary Program)
The Day-in-the-Life Team and DEC produced three interactive videos from live footage at three geographic areas of the Hudson River estuary. Watch each one with your class to explore the Hudson River at your own pace. Watch the video pertaining to your region along the River or watch all three!
Students can collect data virtually alongside our partner organizations with their data sheets and an online Clearwater fish key.
Upper Estuary (Poughkeepsie to Troy and beyond):
• Video
• Data Sheet
Lower Estuary (Yonkers to Beacon/Newburgh):
• Video
• Data Sheet
NY Harbor (and connected waterways):
• Video
• Data Sheet
The Estuary Live! (Hudson River Estuary Program)
Our environmental education programs are broad, varied, flexible, and dependent on the needs and interests of your students. These distance-learning programs can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and are available on ZOOM, Google classrooms, or Webex platforms. Pre-program materials from our Virtual River content include videos and lesson plans for students to explore before their Estuary Live! program. Students are encouraged to ask questions which creates an interactive learning environment, rather than a lecture. Estuary Live! is often hosted from an outdoor location but is dependent on the weather and cell service. The Norrie Point Environmental Center has three indoor sets (The Library, The Lab, and The Classroom) that allow us to stay connected during lessons and give students a feeling of being here with us.
Program types and a brief description of the topics:
Wildlife (e.g., amphibians, turtles, and fish)
Hudson River basics, e.g. geography, tides, salinity, turbidity, temperature, basic ecology.
Climate change
American Eels
Stream Study: macroinvertebrates, e.g., adaptations, habitat, and human impact.
Educators can schedule a program for their students:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScr6Sidcq70JL3xLvubH1J-WfAkRMsR6AWvUtHsdcOiUvXrcw/viewform
Contact Maija Lisa Niemistö email:maija.niemisto
Follow Us On-Line:
Check out our wonderful Tide Finder video (3 minutes) with Chris Bowser marking the extreme highs and lows of a full moon tidal cycle: Tide Finder video
Virtual River website: Virtual River 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. 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
The Conservationist, the award-winning, advertisement-free magazine focusing on New York State’s great outdoors and natural resources. The 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. |
