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
We could smell spring on the wind. That is how much of this week felt. Glass eels had begun to surge into the estuary after a long ocean voyage, nets were being set and fish were being caught, and our eagles were diligently incubating their eggs.
Highlight of the Week
 3/2 – Town of Esopus, HRM 87: We were on the western bank of the river this morning, a hundred yards back from the water. A fisher was on the ground in the woods and quickly climbed a tree as we approached. This is a rare sighting for this area although there have been trail-cam sightings at Scenic Hudson’s Shaupeneak Ridge, a short distance away. (Photo of fisher courtesy of Doug Domedian)
– Rob W., Clarence Mow
[The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a large, dark, long-haired member of the weasel family (Mustelidae) in New York State. Others include American marten, mink, long-tailed weasel, short-tailed weasel, and river otter. Fishers are found exclusively in North America, inhabiting a band of forested and semi-forested land from coast to coast, and prefer extensive closed canopy forests. Their stature is relatively low to the ground, with short legs, small ears, and a well-furred tail. The color of their fur varies from dark brown to nearly black. NYSDEC]
Natural History Entries
 2/26 – Rensselaer County, HRM 133: While viewing thousands of Canada geese in a field near South Schodack, that included a greater white-fronted goose, I spotted a collar-banded Canada goose number 1078-13298. I reported the band number to the USGS (United States Geologic Survey) asking for the origin of the banded bird. (Photo of Canada geese courtesy of Nancy Kern)
– Nancy Kern (Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club)
[The Canada goose had been banded at Varennes, Quebec, Canada, by Sauvagine Quebec-Canadian Wildlife Service-Waterfowl, on June 28, 2012. At the time, the gosling was too young to fly. When spotted by Nancy Kern a few days ago, the goose had been free for 3,528 days (9.6 years). Tom Lake]
 2/26 – Bear Mountain, HRM 45: With air temperatures in the 50s and a warm misty rain, I drove around the south side of Bear Mountain to inspect a known road-crossing for spotted salamanders. I was relieved not to find any migrants at this early date, given air temperatures were forecast to plunge into the low teens in the next day or two. However, as I continued up the mountainside, I encountered a single determined spotted salamander, a male, as is usually the case with early movers, shimmering across the slick road. (Photo of spotted salamander courtesy of Doug Pfeiffer)
– Ed McGowan
 2/27 – Fort Edward, HRM 202: Five short-eared owls showed up late today at the Washington County Grasslands Wildlife Management Area. They were still swooping around but it was getting dark. Earlier we had seen northern harriers. Later we saw more harriers and a sharp-shinned hawk in a field. (Photo of short-eared owl courtesy of Jeff Nadler)
– Sue Rokos, Dennis Rokos
 2/27 – Verplanck, HRM 40.5: A great blue heron, motionless on the shore of the ice-bound “clay hole,” presented a lonely and spectral picture. Nearby, two more herons perched on pilings at the Viking Boatyard. I was told there were no fewer than six a few days before. It was a cold winter in Westchester County; it must have been difficult for these long-legged waders. (Photo of great blue heron courtesy of Mia McPherson)
– Christopher Letts
[The clay hole was one of many that were excavated during the brick-making hey-day of the Hudson Valley a century and more ago. The clay was deposited by the wasting away of the Laurentide Ice Sheet that had covered New York State with up to a mile of ice 20,000 years ago. The clay particles had been carried here in the belly of a glacier from as far away as the Canadian Maritimes. Tom Lake]
 2/28 – Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: Almost daily this winter, I have heard or seen small flocks of what must be wintering robins. But watching them hop across our deeply frozen lawn has been worrisome. Heads cocked, they had to be grocery shopping, but the pickings must be thin. They might take a tip from a relative: For the past two days, a hermit thrush has visited. It contends for the seeds with the sparrows and other ground feeders. The hermit thrush also visits our suet feeders for some variety. Out on the snow, the first snow drops (Galanthus nivalis) were popping, and snow fleas were hopping. (Photo of snow flea courtesy of Michael Runtz)
– Christopher Letts
[Snow fleas (Hypogastrura nivicola), or springtails, are frequently seen on the snow in winter. They are not insects (Insecta), but are taxonomically in their own sub-class, Collembola. Springtails have a small, forked tail (furcula) that they fold under their body and use to spring up many times their body length (thus, “springtails”). Their bodies contain a protein that acts as a natural antifreeze allowing them to appear on top of the snow where they’re easy to spot on warm days. It is thought that springtails, as snow melts on frozen soil, move up onto the snow as it gets too wet for them below. They have been described as being scattered like pepper sprinkles or aligned in long narrow soldier columns, marching to somewhere. Tom Lake
2/27 – Hudson River Watershed: We have been alerted by ichthyologist Bob Schmidt of a taxonomic revision of our gobies (Gobiidae). For most of us, moments like these go unnoticed. But for ichthyologists, this is the bread of life.
Until now, our six species of Hudson River Watershed gobies (small, bottom-dwelling fishes) were assigned to the Goby family (Gobiidae). However, recent DNA discoveries has led some ichthyologists to take three of our gobies and move them into a new family (Oxudercidae), called the Mudskippers. These amphibious fish are known for their ability to survive both in and out of water, “skipping” across muddy surfaces.
Now, when you now request a copy of our list of Hudson River Fish Fauna (236 species), you will find the American freshwater goby, the lyre goby, and the highfin goby, placed in the new family. The naked goby, seaboard goby, and round goby, remain in Gobiidae.
– Tom Lake
[Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification of organisms. Put more succinctly, taxonomy creates order out of chaos. Eighteenth-century Swedish physician and botanist Carl von Linnaeus is the founder of the modern system of binomial nomenclature (e.g., Genus, species). His major work, Systema Naturae (1735), created a series of hierarchical classification: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Most scientists in biological disciplines follow Linnaeus’ protocols. Tom Lake]
*** Fish of the Week ***
 2/28 – Hudson River Watershed: Fish-of-the-Week for Week 162 is the seaboard goby (Gobiosoma ginsburgi), number 214 (of 236) on our watershed list of fishes. If you would like a copy of our list, e-mail – trlake7. (Photo of seaboard goby with permission by Barnegat Bay Partnership)
[Seaboard goby, a temperate marine stray in our watershed, is one of three members of the recently downsized goby family (Gobiidae). The others are the naked goby and the round goby. The former is a native fish species, and the latter was introduced.
The seaboard goby inhabits coastal inshore waters from Massachusetts to Florida. They are a small, demersal species, living on or near the bottom, and can reach 60-millimeters(mm) in length. They feed on small crustaceans.
In May 2021, naturalists Christina Tobitsch and Peter Park, seining for The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, caught two seaboard gobies off the Pier 4 beach in the East River. Where they are found in numbers, they use old oyster shells as primary spawning sites. In times when oysters flourished in the Upper Bay of New York Harbor and the East River, it is likely that seaboard gobies were more common. Tom Lake]
3/1 – Hudson to Athens, HRM 118: The Rip Van Winkle Bridge, spanning the Hudson River, officially opened on July 2, 1935. Before the bridge, a ferry boat shuttled people and goods across the river. In winter, when the river was frozen over, people would walk across or take a ferry-sleigh drawn by horses. Here is a notice from the Columbia Republican dated March 3, 1922:
– That the ice in the Hudson River at this point is not weakening to any extent and in no danger of moving out right away, was shown Friday afternoon about 4 o’clock when a big automobile containing five passengers was run across the ice from Hudson to Athens.
The motorists came over to Hudson from Great Barrington, Mass., expecting to cross the river on the ferry. When they learned that no ferries were running hereabouts, they decided to take a chance and run across the ice here in spite of the fact that the horse-ferry sleighs were not running here.
So, the chauffeur discarded his overcoat gloves and rubbers, the others opened both doors of the car, and away the car sped onto the ice from the Standard Oil Co. dock.
Without a stop, the big machine, weighting 2,500 pounds itself, made the trip over the ice and left the frozen surface at Athens. They were on their way to Windham in the Catskill mountains. Quite a number of persons watched the car make the trip over the ice.
– Cathy Poluski
 3/1 – Furnace Woods, HRM 38.5: Cooper’s hawks and red–shouldered hawks are frequent winter visitors to our feeder areas, sometimes landing on the top of the feeder supports to use as hunting perches. This morning, an adult northern goshawk was perched on the top of a feeder pole, 35 feet from my window. Roger Tory Peterson says, “larger than crows.” At 35 feet, it appeared bigger than an eagle. What a rush! (Photo of northern goshawk courtesy of Chris Early)
– Christopher Letts
3/1 – Yonkers, HRM 18: Our staff at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak got back on the river today with all our sampling and collection gear including a eel fyke net and a beach seine. We made our standard five seine hauls and were pleased with catching two mummichogs (80 mm).
 Later, our staff checked the fyke net that we had set in the small Beczak tidemarsh for “glass eels” (immature American eels). We caught no glass eels overnight but did catch 70 larval Atlantic silverside. The chilly river was 40 degrees Fahrenheit (F), the salinity was 8.33 parts-per-thousand (ppt), and the dissolved oxygen (DO) was a very healthy 11.55 parts-per-million (ppm). (Photo of glass eel fyke courtesy of Chris Bowser)
– Jason Muller, Emma Salada, Muhammad Raza, Zensu Nguyen, Maddie Eggen, Phoebe Hurd, Alex Tonsberg
[Our glass eel research net is called a fyke. The name is derived from the Colonial Dutch word for a fishnet–fuyckorfuik– that forms the shape of a truncated cone. The name was used to describe a neighborhood of the early settlement at Fort Orange (17th century Albany) because of the two roads that emanated from the fort, one along the shoreline and the other leading inland. Viewed from the north wall of Fort Orange, these diverging roads would have resembled the basic shape of a fyke net. Tom Lake]
3/2 – Yonkers, HRM 18: Our staff at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak were eager to get back on the beach again today with all our sampling and collection gear including the fyke net and beach seine. We made our standard five seine hauls and were pleased with two Atlantic larval silverside (60-80 mm), three mummichogs (75-80 mm), and four Leidy’s comb jellies (pea to cherry-size).
Later, our staff checked the fyke net that we had set in the small Beczak tidemarsh and were delighted to find that it had caught nine “glass eels.” Also in the net were 79 larval Atlantic silverside and one Leidy’s comb jelly. The river had warmed a bit to 43 degrees F., the salinity was 7.48 ppt., and the dissolved oxygen was 11.34 ppm.
– Jason Muller, Ishika Joshi, Tyler Freeland, Sam Wendel, Ava McGahran, Cecilia Goncalves de Azeredo
3/2 – Manhattan, HRM 2: Our Hudson River Park’s River Project staff checked our sampling and collection gear that we deploy off Pier 40 in Hudson River Park. Our traps were fishless today, as they have been for the past few weeks. However, our minnow pots collected grass shrimp (Palaemon sp.), one of several species in that genus that are also known as shore shrimp.
– Natalie Kim, Zoe Kim
 3/3 – Hamilton County, HRM 265: Recently, I was skiing around on town trails in Indian Lake where I saw some snowshoe hare tracks in the woods. The snow was perfect for bunny tracks—soft, but not too soft—a half-inch dusting (I have also seen their tracks behind my home in Minerva). Among the indigenous Mohican people, the snowshoe hare was called wãapãatkwaath. Snow fleas, the little hopping springtails, were all over the place, especially in deer tracks in the snow. (Photo of snowshoe hare courtesy of Connor Leiss)
– Mike Corey
[Large hind feet, long ears, short tail, and typical rabbit shape distinguish the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) as the only rabbit found in the coniferous and mixed hardwood forests of the High Peaks of the Adirondacks.
From mid-December until late April, their soft dense fur is mainly white with only the black-rimmed ears and dark eyes conspicuous against a background of snow. The summer coat is yellowish to cinnamon brown above; the chin, tail, and lower parts are white to grayish white, and the ears are tipped with black. The seasonal color change, which takes place over a period of about 70 days, is a result of molting, and is largely controlled by day-length.
Also known as the varying hare, they are an important food source for several Adirondack predators including eastern coyote, American marten, fisher, gray fox, and red fox. Adirondack Ecological Center]
3/3 – Town of Wappinger: At 5:20 p.m. we had an exchange at bald eagle nest NY459. This is one of the signs, just tepid at this point, of shared incubation by the adults. One adult flew in and the other flew out. I’m guessing that the adult that took over was the female. They ordinarily take the night shift. If this is the beginning of egg incubation, we might expect a hatch around April 1 to 4.
– Judy Winter
[High winds from a severe thunderstorm (microburst) destroyed bald eagle nest NY459 in 2019, the first season for this pair along Wappinger Creek tidewater. On that occasion, a pair of 42-day-old nestlings fell 75 feet to the ground. Wildlife rehabilitators rescued the nestlings and they survived. Undeterred, forty days later, the adult pair began the rebuilding process. We often speak of how resilient bald eagles seem to be, and this is a good example. Their genes of resiliency must be passed on; in three breeding seasons, 2019-2021, the adult pair have had six nestlings. Tom Lake]
3/3 – Yonkers, HRM 18: Our staff at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak checked the fyke net that we had set in the small Beczak tidemarsh. The nine glass eels we had caught yesterday had risen to eleven. Also in the net were twelve larval Atlantic silverside and one Leidy’s comb jelly. The river had dropped to 39 degrees F, the salinity was 5.93 ppt., and the dissolved oxygen was 12.52 ppm.
– Jason Muller, Diane McKay, Kiki Quiros, Rachel Lynch, Ruby Alcorn
3/4 – Verplanck, HRM 40.5: There was no floe ice on the river today, but I counted eleven immature bald eagles sporting in the frigid wind. There was plenty of aerial hijinks, talon grapples, shoulder bumps, and general sparring.
– Christopher Letts
 3/4 – Tarrytown, HRM 27: While walking our dog today, 50 yards from the Riverwalk along the Hudson River, we heard a large bang on the pavement next to us. Lying not more than five feet away, we saw a dead fourteen-inch, several pound, striped bass. After the initial shock wore off, we looked up in the sky and saw an immature bald eagle pirouetting overhead. We were fortunate the fish did not hit us. It was an amazing as well as unexpected event. (Photo of striped bass courtesy of Robert Perlman)
– Robert Perelman, Hiromi Perelman
[This occurs more frequently than we might expect—a dropped fish requires an observer to document the occurrence. In recent years, there have been records of “dropped” immature Atlantic sturgeon, gizzard shad, American eels, and common carp. While eagles have an incredible talon grip, struggling or heavy fish can wiggle free. One of the more memorable “day of drops” occurred a few years ago in autumn at Edgewater (NJ). Eagles were stooping on immense schools of Atlantic menhaden in the river grabbing them off the water one after another, two at a time. Flying inshore along the Palisades, their gluttony became unmanageable as half the fish they caught were dropped. Anglers, fishing cut bait (menhaden) for striped bass, raced en masse into the brush at the base of the Palisades to retrieve the precious bait. Tom Lake]
3/4 – Yonkers, HRM 18: Our staff at the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak checked our glass eel fyke net that we had set in the Beczak tidemarsh. As a testimony to the vagaries of aquatic sampling, today we found no glass eels at all. Still, we caught three larval Atlantic silverside and five amphipods. The river was down to 38 degrees F, the salinity was 7.17 ppt, and the dissolved oxygen was 12.15 ppm.
– Jason Muller, Emma Salada, Kiki Quiros, Zensu Nguyen, Gabrielle Krieger, Mia Harada
Spring 2022 Natural History Programs and Events
The World Fish Migration Foundation
The World Fish Migration Foundation is partnering with Wildlife Forever Fish Art for a Fish Flag Contest. In past years, students were asked to create a painting or drawing of a migratory fish. This year, in a break from tradition, students are encouraged to create a migratory fish flag of any shape, size, and material! This award highlights the diversity of migratory fish from across the world and the importance of the free-flowing rivers they rely on. This global contest is open to all young artists ages 5-18 and is free to enter.
To enter the Fish Flag Contest, young artists should:
1. Go to https://www.fishflags.org for more information on the contest and World Fish Migration Day
2. Create a flag depicting a migratory fish species of your choice such as American eel, American shad, Atlantic sturgeon, Atlantic tomcod, river herring, and striped bass. To qualify, your migratory fish must spend some of its life in freshwater.
3. Complete an entry form and submit your flag before the April 14th deadline (visit www.fishflags.org) to learn more).
4. Fly your flag on World Fish Migration Day: May 21, 2022!
Feel free to reach out to Nicole Friedman, the coordinator of the Fish Flag Contest (nicole) with any questions about the contest or World Fish Migration Day.
Let’s use art to make a difference!
Winners will be announced during a live broadcast on May 21.
Pollution with PCBs in this section of the Hudson River accumulates in the fat tissue of fish and has led the NYS Dept of Health to issue the following advisories regarding eating fish you catch between Troy and Catskill. This advice is based on laboratory testing of fish caught in this section of the river, and the detected PCBs in these fish.
Hudson Falls Dam to the Federal Day at Troy:
Catch & Release Fishing Only
This is part of a series of submissions for the NYS Department of Health’s Hudson River Fish Advisory Outreach Project (HRFAOP) by project grantee, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County, Diane Whitten, Resource Educator. Contact: dwhitten
The Hudson River between the Hudson Falls Dam and the Federal Dam at Troy has the highest amounts of PCBs. In fact, the levels of PCBs, as measured in fish caught by the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, are so high that the DEC has designated this part of the river Catch and Release Fishing Only. In fact, one could be fined by the DEC for taking fish from this section of the river. According to the NYS Dept. of Health no on should eat any fish from this section of the river. So, the advice is simple for all ages and genders: EAT NO FISH. Click here for Hudson River Fish Advise for Eating Fish You Catch: https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2794.pdf
The Good News: there are lots of places in Saratoga & Washington Counties where the whole family can eat the fish! Choose locations in counties that border the Hudson River from Hudson Falls to the NYC Battery outlined in blue at these maps: www.health.ny.gov/fish/maps.htm
– Diane Whitten
Announcing the 2022 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). You can also use our survey123 app and record your trips using a smart phone or computer. 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. Online logbook instructions can be found here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/hrcoopanglerelogbook.pdf
Join today by contacting: hudsonangler or call 845-256-3009
Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs Program
Now Accepting Applications. The Hudson River Estuary Program’s Trees for Tribs program offers free native trees and shrubs for planting along the tributary streams in the Hudson River Estuary watershed. Our staff can help you with a planting plan and work with your volunteers. Due date for Applications is March 1 for 2022 spring planting projects. Download and submit the two-page application found here: HudsonEstuaryTFT, or call (845)256-2253 to find out if your site is eligible for a 2022 planting project!
Hudson River Education
Teachers and students will enjoy our new Hudson River K-12 Unit of Study. This carefully curated group of lesson plans, arranged by topic and/or grade, brings together great learning tools developed by the DEC and dozens of estuary partners:
https://www.dec.ny.gov/education/25386.html
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.
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. |
