A Project of the Hudson River Estuary Program
Compiled by Tom Lake, Consulting Naturalist
Overview
Every so often we are reminded of the intimate relationship our Hudson River watershed shares with the Atlantic Coast, from far to the north, south to the Carolinas, and beyond. This week amazing details emerged regarding a harbor seal whose life began in Maine, is still ongoing in the tidewater Hudson, and all of the stops in between. Our amphibians were celebrating spring in their own time, venturing from wintering hideouts to their breeding pools. Winter was losing its grip on the watershed.
Highlight of the Week
 3/6 – Saugerties, HRM 102: I spotted a harbor seal today at the foot of the falls (head of tide) on Esopus Creek. I was able to clearly photograph the white tag on its rear flipper (246). [Our thanks to Jim Yates for reporting this sighting.] (Photo of harbor seal courtesy of Jim Yates)
– Lisa Ryan
[A harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), carrying a white tag on its rear flipper (246), has been in the Hudson River tidewater in Ulster County around the Saugerties Lighthouse (river mile 202) for 215 days (as of March 6). The seal has also ventured a mile upstream in Esopus Creek to the head of tide. Across those seven months, the harbor seal has been seen several times hauled out on riprap, piers, and mud flats, feeding on fish, including carp, white suckers, gizzard shad, and channel catfish.
Kim Durham (Atlantic Marine Conservation Society), in researching the harbor seal, discovered that the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Program knew of the seal (246; their accession number MME18-031Pv).
The male harbor seal was recovered on April 28, 2018, from Lower Goose Island Harpswell, Maine. The pup had been abandoned by its mother for reasons unknown, although it was suspected the pup may have been a premature birth. The seal arrived at the Mystic Aquarium in early May for triage and rehabilitation for its emaciated body condition, umbilical discharge, and swelling under the right front flipper. Following rehabilitation that included ear surgery and the application of a satellite tag by Rob DiGiovanni, the seal was released at Charlestown, Rhode Island, on January 17, 2019.
Once released, the satellite tag imagery revealed that the seal traveled 81 miles up the Connecticut River to the Holyoke Dam, the first impassable barrier. The seal then reversed its course exiting downriver into Long Island Sound before going offshore. The seal then traveled down along the south shore of Long Island into the New York Bight and eventually into the Hudson River estuary. The seal is currently about two-years-old. Tom Lake
Natural History Entries
 2/29 – Warren County, HRM 245: I drove upriver through The Glen this morning along the Ice Meadows, a ten-mile-long reach of the Hudson River. While opening up somewhat, the frazil ice was persisting as a last statement of a winter that hardly was. (Photo of frazil ice courtesy of Mike Corey)
– Mike Corey
2/29 – Ulster County, HRM 75: We spotted a large, most likely male, snowy owl perching in the tree line along the northbound New York State Thruway a few miles north of New Paltz. I had never seen a snowy owl before, but this one was unmistakable even at 65 miles-per-hour. Its brilliantly snowy white beauty contrasted against the stark, late winter trees took my breath away.
– Jeffrey Anzevino
2/29 – Saugerties, HRM 102: Our “resident” harbor seal was spotted again this morning at the mouth of Esopus Creek. This was the seal’s Day 209.
– Patrick Landewe
The list of Hudson River Estuary marine mammals documented in the Hudson River Almanac across the last 26 years includes:
– Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina)
– Hooded seal (Cystophora cristata)
– Gray seal (Halichoerus grypus)
– Harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus)
– Common (harbor) porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)
– Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus)
– Bottlenose (common) dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
– Florida manatee-2006 (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
– Minke whale-2007 (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
– Humpback whale-2016 (Megaptera novaeangliae).
3/1 – Newcomb, HRM 302: The up and down winter weather that was February ended with a few days of snowfall making the total for the month 24.2-inches, just over our 22-inch average for the month. Air temperatures were on a roller coaster from a high of 50 degrees Fahrenheit (F) to a low of -21 degrees below zero.
Some winter finches made the bird feeder rounds including evening grosbeaks. Both white-winged and red crossbills seemed to be a common sight in our area as well. However, we are already switching into spring birds with black ducks, brown-headed cowbirds, and red-winged blackbirds all having been seen this past week. Still, with more than twenty inches of snow on the ground, we have plenty of winter left here in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks.
– Charlotte Demers
 3/1 – Fort Edward, HRM 202: I came upon a short-eared owl perched on a sign at the Fort Edward Grasslands. There had been two in the last couple of weeks. A dark-phased rough-legged hawk flapped by while the owl was perched, as well as a male and female northern harrier. Male red-winged blackbirds were setting up their breeding territories. (Photo of short-eared owl courtesy of Ron Harrower)
– Ron Harrower
 3/2 – Kingston, HRM 91: My snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) popped up several weeks ago and now seemed ready to burst open on the next available warm day. (Photo of snow drops courtesy of Nancy Beard)
– Nancy Beard
 3/2 – Hudson River Valley: The season for amphibians to migrate to breeding habitat has arrived. So far, we have at least 35 volunteers for our Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings (AM&RC) Project. They surveyed roads tonight in Dutchess, Greene, Orange, and Ulster counties and observed 12 different species. (Note that many of our volunteers are seeking out crossings and aren’t necessarily monitoring a known crossing.
Wood frog and northern spring peeper were most numerous by far, with 274 live and 171 dead wood frogs, and 228 live and 392 dead peepers counted (dead were road-killed); most of these were concentrated at a few locations, with fewer individuals also observed at other locations. There were also fewer or isolated reports of gray tree frog, green frog, pickerel frog, eastern American toad, spotted salamander, Jefferson-blue spotted salamander complex, eastern newt, northern redback salamander, four-toed salamander, and northern two-lined salamander. Volunteers counted individuals, documented conditions, and assisted amphibians safely across roads.
Now that the ground has thawed and temperatures are warming, we anticipate larger movements of forest amphibians to woodland pools on the next rainy night when temperatures remain above 40F. This has been an early start to the annual breeding migration, with the first movements of wood frogs observed on February 25. More information about the DEC Hudson River Estuary Program’s AM&RC Project is available at https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/51925.html. (Photo of wood frog courtesy of Laura Heady)
– Laura Heady
3/2 – Bedford, HRM 35: I stopped by the great blue heron rookery today and found one early arrival standing on a nest. After a few minutes it flew away. More will be arriving soon to claim their spots, and soon their mates will show up to help repair their nests.
– Jim Steck
3/2 – Yonkers, HRM 18: Our Center for the Urban River at Beczak staff put a net in the river today and were mildly surprised that we did not catch anything. The river was 39 degrees F, with no measurable salinity.
– Katie Lamboy. Eli Caref, Jason Muller
 3/3 – Ulster County: Students from the Mount Elementary School in Esopus joined hundreds of students from across New York State in the DEC’s “We all live in a Watershed” poster contest. Although our students did not make the top selections, this was one of their wonderful entries, Tiny Actions, created by seventh-grader Nancy Winter. (Photo of Tiny Actions poster courtesy of Mario Meier)
– Mario Meier
3/3 – Putnam County, HRM 53-52: I was inspired to visit Constitution Marsh Sanctuary today after reading in the Hudson River Almanac of not seeing any eagles there recently. On this visit, we had a spotting scope and shared a view of two immature bald eagles. Not having had enough on a beautiful, cold and windy day, we visited the nearby West Point Foundry Preserve (Foundry Cove). Along the edge of the marsh, a flock of at least 30 American robins (my first of the year) were flying back and forth. As if that wasn’t enough, we encountered a smaller group of bluebirds along Foundry Brook. One was perched on a bare branch and caught the afternoon sun so that its blue looked incredibly iridescent.
-Patricia Henighan
*** Fish of the Week ***
 3/4 – Hudson River Watershed: Fish-of-the-Week for Week 61 is the shorthead redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum) number 73 (of 230) on our watershed list of fishes. If you would like a copy of our list, e-mail – trlake7.
Shorthead Redhorse is one of seven suckers (Catostomidae) in the watershed. All are freshwater species and inhabit larger streams and lakes and spawn on gravel beds. The shorthead redhorse is a nonnative species having arrived in the watershed via the New York State canal system from the Great Lakes, Mississippi River basin, and the Saint Lawrence River.
Shorthead redhorse are quite common in the Mohawk River as well as the upper Hudson River above tide (Scott Wells, pers. comm.). Their presence in the tidewater Hudson was first confirmed in the Poestenkill (river mile 151.5) in 2000 by Bob Schmidt. (Photo of shorthead redhorse courtesy of Bret Billings)
– Tom Lake
3/4 – Manhattan, HRM 1: The water was still near freezing in Hudson River Park as we checked The River Project’s research, sampling, and collection gear on the lighthouse tender Lilac moored at Pier 25. No fish again today – our last fish, a young-of-year striped bass, was caught December 18. However, there were shore shrimp and isopods in our collection gear where they had taken refuge in the traps.
– Siddhartha Hayes, Toland Kister
3/5 – Delmar, HRM 143: We went out for an evening walk at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and saw our first American woodcock of the year, a male, displaying. We were with the winter raptor counters at the Grasslands Overlook when we heard “peenting” just after sunset. It peented for a while, and then started doing its elaborate courtship display. We all got great looks.
– Julie Hart, Daniel Hart
 3/5 – Town of Cortlandt, HRM 38.5: I have many bird feeders and the squirrels become a constant challenge. Each evening I fill one feeder with a gallon of sunflower hearts. So far it had been immune to gray squirrels as it is hung six feet off the ground, fully baffled, squirrel proof! So, when I checked it this morning, I wondered how could it have been half-emptied overnight? Tonight, at midnight, my spotlight gave me the answer: flying squirrels. (Photo of flying squirrel courtesy of Bob Rightmyer)
– Christopher Letts
3/5 – Bedford, HRM 35: Spring seems to be arriving earlier and earlier these last few years. I rode by the Bedford great blue heron rookery and saw four nests already occupied. It looked as though they had lost quite a few nests this winter; I can now count only 16, down from more than two-dozen at one point in years past.
– Rick Stafford
3/6 – Town of Wappinger, HRM 68: A female summer tanager (Piranga rubra), first spotted at our seed feeders on January 15, was still there this morning 6:35 AM on Day 52. For Dutchess County, there are only three previous records of a summer tanager, and none in winter.
– Melissa Fischer, Stephen Fischer (Ralph T. Waterman Bird Club)
3/6 – Yonkers, HRM 18: Our Center for the Urban River at Beczak staff tried again today hauling our seine and were far less surprised when all we caught were two amphipods (Gammarus sp.). Salinity had risen to 2.0 parts-per-thousand (ppt), and the water temperature had dropped just a little to 38 degrees F.
– Katie Lamboy, Jason Muller, Eli Caref
Spring 2020 Natural History Programs
March: Help Count Eels in Hudson River Tributaries
Are you looking for an outdoor volunteer opportunity? The DEC Hudson River Eel Project is seeking community members to help study eels in streams of the Hudson River estuary. The American eel (Anguilla rostrata), a migratory fish, is hatched in the Atlantic Ocean and enters North American estuaries, including the Hudson River, as tiny, see-through “glass eels” each spring.
As a volunteer, you will work in a team with scientists to collect these eels from specialized nets, count the fish one-by-one, weigh them in groups, and release them to habitat upstream. You will also help collect and record water temperature and water-quality data. Eels are counted in 15 streams from Staten Island to Troy. The field work takes place from March through May, and schedules are flexible. Training and all gear are provided. For more information, visit DEC’s website or e-mail: eelproject.
April: Trees for Tribs “Buffer in a Bag”
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s statewide Trees for Tribs “Buffer in a Bag” application period is now open. The Buffer in a Bag initiative is designed to increase riparian buffers statewide by engaging landowners in small-scale plantings. Qualifying private and public landowners may apply for a free bag of 25 tree and shrub seedlings for planting near streams, rivers, or lakes to help stabilize banks, protect water quality, and improve wildlife habitat.
Anyone who owns or manages at least 50 feet of land along a stream or waterbody in New York State is eligible to receive a free bag of seedlings. Applicants are limited to one bag per property. All participants must provide photos and information indicating where the trees will be planted. There is a limited supply and recipients are selected first-come, first-served. Not sure if your site fits these criteria? Contact the Trees for Tribs program by calling (518) 402-9405 or emailing treesfortribs.
May: Cooperative Angler Program
Do you fish for striped bass in the Hudson River? You can be part of the Cooperative Angler Program, share your fishing trip information, and help biologists understand and manage our striped bass fishery. Fill out a logbook we provide or record your trips on your smart-phone using DEC’s Hudson River online logbook (PDF) whenever you fish on the tidewater Hudson River. 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. You’ll receive an annual newsletter summarizing the recreational fishery information, in addition to the latest news regarding Hudson River regulations and the river.
For more information on the angler program and instructions on installing the Survey123 App to access the online logbook, visit Hudson River Cooperative Angler or email hudsonangler. If you primarily fish for striped bass in New York waters south of the George Washington Bridge, the DEC has a separate Striped Bass Cooperative Angler Program.
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 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. |
