| OVERVIEW
It is the mating season for bald eagles and activities in the few nests that we can readily observe speak for the many dozens in the watershed. Mating activity is not confined to raptors as waterfowl have also been quite engaged. Winter ice on the estuary appears to be loosening and the increased strength and angle of the winter sun is beginning to portend a season change.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
2/6 – Ulster County, HRM 84: I took a stroll today along the old Delaware and Hudson Canal (D&H Canal) in Rosendale. From 1828 to 1899, barges on the D&H Canal carried anthracite coal from the mines of northeastern Pennsylvania to the Hudson River and on to New York City. I saw some birds getting ready for sundown and the snowstorm to come. In a particularly wide and debris-free part of the water, I saw one bird flitting down to the water and back up to different branches in parabolic patterns. It was dipping its beak into the surface as it went. When it would land on a branch it would give me the side-eye while doing its characteristic tail wag and letting out an occasional tiny “chip.” I was surprised to see an eastern phoebe here in the winter, the day before a big snowstorm no less!
– Tom O’Dowd
[Tom O’Dowd’s observation is a spot-on description of a phoebe’s behavior. The species is found here in winter on rare occasions. One was seen in Ulster Park during this year’s Lake Mohonk-Ashokan Christmas Count, the third time that a phoebe has been recorded on this count over 68 years. Steve Stanne]
NATURAL HISTORY ENTRIES
2/3 – Washington County, HRM 202: This afternoon a dozen of our Thursday birders checked a variety of key sites in the Fort Edward grasslands. Despite a cold wind, we found a plethora of raptors including a snowy owl, five northern harriers, a half-dozen rough-legged hawks, and an American kestrel. A quick detour to the Hudson River at Fort Edward resulted in a bald eagle and 20 common mergansers. After the trip had ended, Naomi Lloyd added a short-eared owl to our list perched on a brush pile at the Fort Edward grasslands. It took off hunting and gave us ten minutes of good views.
– Scott Stoner, Denise Hackert-Stoner (Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club)
2/3 – Staatsburg, HRM 86: In mid-afternoon today, I was surprised to see an osprey over the river near the Ogden and Ruth Livingston Mills Mansion State Historic Site. Was this an early arrival or one that had never left?
– Jay Meyer
[On January 11, Gina Palmer and Adrienne Popko reported seeing an osprey a short distance over the river south of the Mills Mansion. It was seen as an extraordinarily out-of-season sighting. To substantiate such sightings, scientific protocol often asks to “make it happen again.” And it did. Osprey from our area winter far to the south some as far away as Central and South America. Tom Lake]
2/3 – Dutchess County, HRM 82: We set out this afternoon to tour our glass eel collection sites on Crum Elbow but instead, stumbled upon some amazing birds. We caught quite a bird show while standing at the base of the beautiful Vanderbilt dam along the creek. A common flicker in the sunlight brought our attention to the sky where two adult bald eagles soared over joined by a red-tailed hawk. After a moment, we looked down at the falls again only to be distracted by several bluebirds flitting about in the bushes. As we walked back to our vehicle, we spotted two very white-bellied owls of medium size disappear into the trees. Our look was fleeting and species identification would have been problematic.
– Gracie Ballou, Aidan Mabey, Ashawna Abbott
2/3 – Millbrook, HRM 82: As I was driving toward Millbrook in midday I saw a beautiful adult bald eagle flying west-to-east toward Bennett College. What an unexpected and truly wonderful sight!
– Dann Kenefick
2/3 – Town of Poughkeepsie: The adult pair at bald eagle nest NY62 began mating early today. It is not a protracted encounter for eagles. They might mate four or five times in an hour, each lasting only several seconds. When not engaged, the pair perched high in their tulip (nest) tree.
– Kate Courtney, Bob Rightmyer, Sheila Bogart
[Last February 24, the original male of this pair, for 16 years, was struck and killed by a train. Shortly afterwards, an unattached male showed up and the female accepted him into her nest. In the weeks that followed, the new male and the original female engaged in frenzied mating that, unfortunately, did not result in eggs or incubating. From then until now, the newly-formed pair have been nearly inseparable, and all signs seem to suggest a better result this year. Tom Lake]
2/3 – New Hamburg, HRM 67.5: We were on the shoreline rip-rap at the top of the tide; floe ice was still running up in the channel but was beginning to tilt downriver along the shore. The interface, the seam where they met, produced screeches, groans, and rumbles, what we have come to call “the whale song.” The song can be musical or ominous, like an orchestra out of sync, but always seems otherworldly. For Charlotte Demers in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, this ballad seems like the voice of living beings. Students have often said “I hear a train,” and indeed, it may sound like a freight train is coming down the tracks.
– Tom Lake, T.R. Jackson
2/3 – Sleepy Hollow, HRM 28: We counted seven bald eagles (three adults and four immatures) in mid-morning arrayed along several ice floes in the river just off the railroad tracks. One immature was picking at a fish in his talons. Three crows calmly stood nearby awaiting their turn.
– Diane Maass, Doug Maass
 2/4 – Town of Poughkeepsie: Pre-nesting activity at bald eagle nest NY62 in a tall tulip tree remained steady. The male, whom we traditionally call “Dad,” was in and out bringing sticks and other items to refurbish the nest. It often seems like busy work, carried on instinctively, to pass the time until the serious business of mating begins. (Photo of bald eagle pair at nest NY62 courtesy of Bob Rightmyer)
– John Devitt, Bob Rightmyer
2/4 – Sleepy Hollow, HRM 28: Looking out to the river this morning, we spotted a lone adult bald eagle standing watch in our neighbor’s tree over the railroad tracks. This may have been the eagle that eyed our cat last week from a tree in our back yard.
– Diane Maass, Doug Maass
2/5 – Saratoga County, HRM 200: As birds gathered at the side of the road near the King Farm in the Northumberland farmland, I tried to record the species (26) and their numbers (species diversity/species richness). Horned larks (325) predominated with a large flock of snow buntings (45) and at least three Lapland longspurs.
– Ron Harrower (Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club)
2/5 – Saratoga County, HRM 171.5: With lots of sun this afternoon, I wanted to get some photos of drake common goldeneyes reflecting green or purple. Most of the 26 goldeneyes I photographed were purple, with some mix. What was interesting was watching several drakes trying all the courting moves in the male goldeneye “playbook” to impress a single hen. She in turn, often assumed the “head straight out, I’m ready,” position. I could not tell who the winner of her affections was, but it was fun to watch. Twenty-one drake hooded mergansers were swimming around with head feathers up and making their graining noise. The nearby females feigned disinterest. There was also a single beautiful lesser scaup.
– Ron Harrower (Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club)
2/5 – Stanfordville, HRM 82: I was able to photograph a male purple finch today, an irregular winter migrant from northern boreal forests. They can be distinguished from the more common year-round resident house finch as they are slightly larger, have more extensive reddish coloring extending from the nape, back, chest and flanks with white tail coverts, and red-washed wing bars.
– Deb Tracy-Kral
[The purple finch (Haemorhous purpureus) is a native songbird. They are frequently confused with the more common house finch (H. mexicanus) as they both occur in the watershed. Despite their common name, they are not purple. Ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson describes them as looking like “a sparrow dipped in raspberry sauce.” Tom Lake]
 2/5 – Galeville, HRM 74: I read a sidebar from the January 23 Hudson River Almanac where Zach Smith explained that he had color-banded 44 American kestrels at the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge and would appreciate notifications of sightings (zsgavilan@gmail.com). I saw one today at the Grasslands as it made a pass right over me. The black band read 00B. (Photo of American kestrel courtesy of Jim Yates)
– Jim Yates
2/5 – Town of Poughkeepsie: Early this morning, with my coffee and a sesame bagel, I found a comfortable seat at an appropriate distance to observe bald eagle nest NY372. The adult pair were already flying around as I arrived and they knew I was there. The male flew to the top of a pine tree and knocked some pine cones down on my head. Before long I heard what sounded like distress calls from the adults at the same time as I spotted two immature eagles flying toward the nest. The adults screamed. The four of them began flying low around the nest tree and after some aggressive moves by the adults, the immatures flew away. The female sat in the nest panting, seemingly upset. I was worried. The male flew off and came back with a large branch for the nest and that seemed to mollify the pair as they settled.
– Sheila Bogart
2/5 – Town of Poughkeepsie, HRM 68: For several days an immature red-tailed hawk had been busy foraging in the fields at Bowdoin Park. Today we watched as it caught a meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Red-tailed hawks can eat 4-5 voles a day.
– Mauricette Char Potthast. Deb Tracy-Kral, Bob Rightmyer, Will Cook
2/6 – Ulster County, HRM 84: I took a stroll along the old D&H Canal in Rosendale today, and saw some birds getting ready for sundown and the snowstorm to come. In a particularly wide and debris-free part of the water, I saw one bird flitting down to the water and back up to different branches in parabolic patterns. It was dipping its beak into the surface as it went. When it would land on a branch it would give me the side-eye while doing its characteristic tail wag and letting out an occasional tiny “chip.” I was surprised to see an eastern phoebe here in the winter, the day before a big snowstorm no less!
– Tom O’Dowd
2/6 – Hudson River Estuary: The concentration of wintering bald eagles along the mid-to-lower Hudson River is a feature of icy winters when the lakes and reservoirs of the watershed essentially freeze up. Seeking open water to forage for fish and waterfowl, eagles will move downstream in the estuary. From all points in the estuary, the eagles have come to settle in tidewater. By mid-March the ice will melt, the river will stir, and the eagles will leave for their breeding grounds.
– Tom Lake
2/7 – Town of Wappinger, HRM 67: Heavy snow, later to total six-inches, was blanketing our feeders and there was a sense of urgency if not outright frenzy among the finches, juncos, Carolina wrens, and woodpeckers. One moment thirty birds were feeding, the next they were all gone, replaced by a dozen starlings. European starlings have a countenance that clears the deck when they show up. They always remind me of “mobsters from out of town,” as they bully their way into the feeders.
– Tom Lake
 2/7 – Garrison, HRM 51: A light freezing rain over an inch of wet snow revealed shrew runways below, etched as dark lines in the snow at Garrison School Forest. Each runway had a branching pattern, with a 15-foot main stem and side branches every few feet. I encountered four of these during a half-mile walk in the oak forest, each nearly identical. The runways were so narrow they must have been made by a small species, most likely masked shrews (Sorex cinereus). Their taxonomic order of small mammals, Eulipotyphla, translates to “truly fat and blind.” (Photo of Masked shrew courtesy of Robinson Library)
– Ed McGowan
2/8 – Hudson River Watershed: We have previously touched on ice safety, an important component of winter recreation. This topic is very broad and complex when we consider the range and variety of iced-over water in the watershed from streams, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs, to tidewater. The term “safe ice” should be considered an oxymoron. While ice thickness is often seen as the best indicator, it is ice integrity, the strength of the ice, that is most critical, and that can be difficult to measure. All “six-inches of ice” is not equal. We have to know if the ice is “new” (strong black ice) or “old” ice that has frozen, thawed, been rained on, and then re-frozen with snow, debris, air bubbles, and inherent weaknesses. Tidewater presents its own unique safety factors: on the estuary, ice rises and falls with the tide and can also move laterally with the current. Fissures can suddenly open or close and as a result, walking on frozen tidewater requires constant attention.
– Tom Lake, B.J. Jackson
 2/8 – Palisades, HRM 23: At least three male red-winged blackbirds were singing this morning (konk-la-ree) in the marsh at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. This seemed like an earlier arrival than usual. I have seen one or two at Piermont on a few occasions during the winter, but not regularly. I haven’t seen or heard any at Lamont-Doherty in the winter, but it is possible they were there (or nearby). (Photo of Red-winged blackbird courtesy of R.L. Hambley)
– Linda Pistolesi
[Some birders would argue that some red-winged blackbirds never leave, they just shift their range a bit. I think we are seeing a mix of migrants and winter-overs, orchestrated by the subtle influence of climate change. I do not see them in winter along the river in Dutchess County, but other birders see them on-and-off all winter in eastern Dutchess County. Tom Lake]
2/9 – Valatie, HRM 129: Sometimes the action is right there at the parking lot instead of on the trails. I completed my trail walk with my dog, Loki, at the Patchaquack Preserve, and just as I was driving away the excitement began. A flurry of wings, a hard impact and success for a noble Cooper’s hawk that did not seemed fazed at all by me or the sound of my car window being buzzed down. The Accipiter stared me straight in the eye with its distinctive red eyes as it boldly held onto its prey, a fated mourning dove.
– Fran Martino
2/9 – Hyde Park, HRM 82: While standing on the rear porch of the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site’s Top Cottage this afternoon, I saw what I first thought was a dog walking through the woods on the hillside below. As it came closer, it emerged as a good-sized red fox with a large bushy tail. The fox went past the cottage then turned uphill and came out onto the lawn. The fox then crossed over a stone wall and moved on, but not before several stops to look and listen and provide some nice profile views. It certainly appeared healthy and well fed.
– Dan Zoller
2/9 – Hudson River Watershed: A few (final) words on ice safety as an important component of winter recreation, DEC Region 4’s Scott Wells suggests that, in general, four inches of ice is minimum for foot travel (six-inches for a larger group), and 12-inches for ATVs or snowmobiles. Safety can be enhanced if you wear a float-coat (same as used for cold weather boating). Another simple piece of equipment is the “picks of life,” two small spikes attached to a cord and draped around your neck. If you fall in, you can use them to claw your way out. Scott summarizes by reminding us that recreation on ice is never worth risking your life.
– Tom Lake
[For a DEC statement on ice safety (Encouraging Anglers to Put Safety First When Ice Fishing) go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/112288.html Scott Wells]
2/9 – Manhattan, HRM 1.5: I had a rare treat at Saint Luke’s Garden in the West Village today. While counting an unusually high number of American robins (13) picking at the lawn, I heard an unfamiliar song. I looked up and saw a beautiful male house finch singing away. A female soon landed in the same tree (his mate?).
– Robert Shapiro
[The house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is a gorgeous rosy-red songbird native to the Western U.S. They were illegally introduced as caged birds toour area at New York City in 1940. They are frequently confused with the native purple finch (H. purpureus) as they are both found in the watershed. Tom Lake]
 2/9 – Manhattan, HRM 1: We checked our collection gear in Hudson River Park at The River Project’s sampling station on the lighthouse tender Lilac at Pier 25. Nestled in a colony of sea squirts was a 37.5 millimeter (mm) skilletfish! Sea squirts, or sea grapes, are marble-sized tunicates, colonial marine invertebrates, that attach themselves to substrate. These filter-feeders have two siphons through which they take in and expel water. (Photo of Skilletfish courtesy of Melissa Rex)
– Siddhartha Hayes
[The skilletfish (Gobiesox strumosus), is a small benthos-loving fish somewhat related to gobies and blennies. Their name comes from a dorsally-flattened body with a large, roundish head that altogether look like a skillet. The skilletfish was added to the Hudson River Checklist of Fishes in April of 2012 from a 52 mm skilletfish caught by The River Project. – Tom Lake]
WINTER-SPRING 2018 NATURAL HISTORY PROGRAMS
Saturday, February 24 – 1:00 p.m.
The Changing Ecology of the Hudson River Flyway
Tom Lake, Hudson River Estuary Program’s Consulting Naturalist
Five River Environmental Education Center, Delmar
Hosted by the Audubon Society of the Capital Region with Southern Adirondack Audubon
For information, e-mail John Loz
Saturday, March 3 – 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Fragmented & Forgotten: Tracing the Tannery Brook
Original maps of the Tannery Brook, paired with historic maps, images and text will visualize changes in and around the stream over time.
Presented by Emily Vail and Jiamin Chen
The Lace Mill, East Gallery
165 Cornell Street, Kingston
For information, Emily Vail
Wednesday, March 14 – 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Workshop: Green Infrastructure in Kingston
Presented by Emily Vail, Amanda Lavalle and Steve Noble
The Lace Mill, East Gallery
165 Cornell Street, Kingston
To register, please contact Emily Vail
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@aol.com.
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 twelve monitoring stations, visit the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System website.
Information about the Hudson River Estuary Program is available on DEC’s website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html.
Smartphone app available for New York outdoor enthusiasts!
DEC, in partnership with ParksByNature Network®, is proud to announce the launch of the New York Fishing, Hunting & Wildlife App for iPhone and Android. This FREE, cutting-edge mobile app gives both novice and seasoned outdoorsmen and women essential information in the palm of their hands. Powered by Pocket Ranger® technology, this official app for DEC will provide up-to-date information on fishing, hunting and wildlife watching and serve as an interactive outdoor app using today’s leading mobile devices. Using the app’s advanced GPS features, users will be able identify and locate New York’s many hunting, fishing and wildlife watching sites. They will also gain immediate access to species profiles, rules and regulations, and important permits and licensing details.
NY Open for Hunting and Fishing Initiative
Governor Cuomo’s NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative is an effort to improve recreational opportunities for sportsmen and women and to boost tourism activities throughout the state. This initiative includes streamlining fishing and hunting licenses, reducing license fees, improving access for fishing and increasing hunting opportunities in New York State.
In support of this initiative, this year’s budget includes $6 million in NY Works funding to support creating 50 new land and water access projects to connect hunters, anglers, bird watchers and others who enjoy the outdoors to more than 380,000 acres of existing state and easement lands that have gone largely untapped until now. These 50 new access projects include building new boat launches, installing new hunting blinds and building new trails and parking areas. In addition, the 2014-15 budget includes $4 million to repair the state’s fish hatcheries; and renews and allows expanded use of crossbows for hunting in New York State.
This year’s budget also reduces short-term fishing licenses fees; increases the number of authorized statewide free fishing days to eight from two; authorizes DEC to offer 10 days of promotional prices for hunting, fishing and trapping licenses; and authorizes free Adventure Plates for new lifetime license holders, discounted Adventure Plates for existing lifetime license holders and regular fee Adventure Plates for annual license holders.
Copies of past issues of the Hudson River Almanac, Volumes II-VIII, are available for purchase from the publisher, Purple Mountain Press, (800) 325-2665, or email purple@catskill.net |
Hudson River Almanac
