Hudson River Almanac 1/29/22 - 2/4/22

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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Hudson River Almanac
January 29 to February 4, 2022


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

At a time of the season when bald eagles are normally the best show on the river, American robins, in a snowstorm, shifted the focus this week. Although eagles on ice floes is an iconic winter image on tidewater, the juxtaposition of robins and snow, as a winter scene, became a feature.

Highlight of the Week

Great blue heron2/3 – Town of Poughkeepsie, HRM 68: Eagles on ice floes have been a common, yet never tiresome, sight this season. Ice floes provide a conveyance for hunting for fish and waterfowl, as well as a table for dining. A rather new twist on that staple of winter has been several sightings of great blue herons on ice floes. I found one in midday slowly drifting upriver on an ice floe just a hundred feet offshore. Herons generally require open water to forage; many if not most migrate south in autumn Yet, those that stick around are often clever enough to do quite well.

A decade ago, during a very cold winter, Lake Meahagh in Verplanck (river mile 39) froze over trapping many gizzard shad under an inch of ice. The fish had died of “winter kill,” a malady that strikes nonnative gizzard shad in cold northern waters. The half-dozen bald eagles perched in trees around the lake were puzzled: they could see the fish but could not get to them. A wintering great blue heron emerged from a patch of Phragmites and began chiseling the ice with its bill to get at the fish. However, as soon as a fish came free, an eagle would swoop down and steal it. This went on for an hour with the heron always hoping for better luck at the next hole, but never achieving it. The heron had the better tool, but the eagles had the better strategy. (Photo of great blue heron courtesy of Rich Landers)
- Tom Lake, Pete Nye

Natural History Entries

1/29 – Waterford, HRM 159: At the top of the Waterford Fight on the Mohawk River, a white-tailed deer carcass had been left on the ice. Three immature bald eagles were feeding on it when an adult bald eagle flew in from a tree on the north side of the river. The three immatures gave way to the adult as it swooped down to feed. The three younger birds stayed nearby but maintained their distance until the adult had its fill. 
- Drew Prairie

[The Waterford Flight, built in 1915, is a set of locks on the Erie Canal (locks E-2 through E-6) that lifts vessels 169 feet from the Hudson River to the Mohawk River, bypassing the Falls at Cohoes. Tom Lake]

Humpback whale1/29 – New York Bight: In early December 2020, we spotted a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) swimming in the Upper Bay of New York Harbor. We knew the whale as we had designated it NYC0089 following previous sightings.

We tracked the whale from the Battery along the western shoreline of Governors Island, through Bay Ridge Flats, and then over to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal on Staten Island. After hours of searching, we found the whale again near Ellis Island. The whale slapped its tail twice as we watched it surface in front of the Statue of Liberty. We estimated it to be about 40-feet-long. We watched the whale lunge-feeding on live Atlantic menhaden, and it seemed to be strong and healthy. NBC New York reported the sighting as a "magical moment” in a chaotic year. (Photo of humpback whale courtesy of Bjoern Kills)
- Bjorn Kils (Gotham Whale Team)

December 2021: Through the power of Citizen Science, we have an update on humpback whale NYC0089. After several days of excitement in 2020, sighting reports of NYC0089 went silent. Our Gotham Whale Team hoped the whale had left the bay traveling south past the Verrazano Narrows and back into the Atlantic Ocean. Though we collect data from multiple whale-watching vessels and through our Citizen Science program, there were no additional reports of NYC0089 for almost a year. Then, in December 2021, Citizen Science contributors Brian Doherty and Marianne Guavard sent in photos of a whale they had watched feeding. Our research team was able to identify the whale as NYC0089. Our team was overjoyed to see that NYC0089 was alive and well.

For over a decade, our Gotham Whale Team has tracked the increase of whale sightings in the waters near New York City. One of the major concerns is the abundance of ship traffic that travels in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Paul Sieswerda explains that the whales are essentially “playing in traffic.” Visit GothamWhale.org to learn more about our mission to study, advocate for, and educate about the whales and other marine mammals of New York City, through Citizen Science.
- Sarah Ryan Hudson, Paul Sieswerda

[The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is found world-wide in major seas favoring coastal continental shelf areas. They are a baleen whale, as opposed to toothed cetaceans such as the killer whale (Orca orca). Baleen are keratin plates that hang from their upper jaw forming a curtain at the opening of their mouth. As they scoop up (lunge-feeding) large quantities of small fish, the baleen allows them to filter the prey from the water. The humpback whale can reach 52-56 feet in length, weigh 90-thousand pounds, and live fifty years. Tom Lake]

American robin1/30 – Highland Falls, HRM 47: After the snow this afternoon (six inches), several robins flew into our trees overlooking the Hudson River. We've lived here since 1980 and this was the first instance in which we have seen robins in the snow. Today, they were back in greater numbers flying around our yard and in the trees. (Photo of American robin courtesy of Shayna Hartley)
- Tim Judd, Nancy Judd


*** Fish of the Week ***
Lake trout1/31 – Hudson River Watershed: Fish-of-the-Week for Week 158 is the lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), number 101 (of 236) on our watershed list of fishes. If you would like a copy of our list, e-mail - trlake7@aol.com.

Lake trout is one of ten members of the trout family (Salmonidae) in our watershed. Notable others include brook, brown, and rainbow trout. Six of the ten, including the lake trout, are native species. The other four salmonids were introduced.

Lake trout are widely distributed to formerly glaciated regions of North America from northern Alaska, across Canada, and into the northeast U.S. Lake trout are considered “periglacial.” They were one of the first fishes to move into our watershed after the wasting away of the Laurentide ice sheet 18,000 years ago.

Their “type site” (where originally described) is Hudson Bay, Canada. While they are known to reach three feet long and 20 pounds, commercial fishing accounts have them at four feet long and 50 pounds.

Their trivial name, namaycush, is the Athapascan (First Nations-Canada) word for Lake Trout. Among the Mohican people, whose ancestral homeland lies wholly within our watershed, the lake trout is known as Pkinmaxeekan (Larry Madden).

Like most trout, they are a handsome fish; the top of their head and body are deeply vermiculated with shades of gray, their sides have white spots tinged with red. Lake trout are known to hybridize with brook trout. A male brook trout and a female lake trout will create a hybrid fish commonly called splake (Salvelinus fontinalis x S. namaycush). (Photo of lake trout courtesy of Ill. Gov)
- Tom Lake

Kemp's Ridley sea turtle1/31 – Hudson River Estuary/New York Bight: With real winter upon us, please keep an eye out for stranded sea turtles. Those that have not yet migrated south can become victims of paralyzing “cold stunning,” a condition much like hypothermia. It gives them the appearance of death, but they are in dire need of recovery and resuscitation. Do not put them back in the water. The season will extend through March.

If you come upon a sea turtle, whether you think it's alive or dead, immediately call the New York State Stranding Hotline at (631) 369-9829. If you have photos or videos, please send them to sightings@amseas.org. Learn more information at: https://go.usa.gov/xeWTs (Photo of Kemp's Ridley sea turtle with permission by NOAA)
- Kim Durham, Co-New York State Sea Turtle Coordinator for the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society

Bald eagles2/1 – Waterford, HRM 158: In checking bald eagle nest NY485 on Peebles Island last week, I could not see any indication the birds were back and active. Then I looked again today and found both adults not only at the nest but working on getting it ready for the new season. (Photo of bald eagles courtesy of Mike Lemery)
- Howard Stoner

2/1 – West Haverstraw, HRM 38.5: The Hudson River in winter is very beautiful. The ice floes and adjacent shoreline are good for bird watching. An occasional bald eagle drifted past today on an ice floe while others were perched in their favorite trees overlooking the river. My friends and I counted several immatures and adults. Other wildlife included hooded mergansers, common mergansers, various gulls, crows, ravens, and three white-tailed deer fawns, busy foraging just twenty feet away, watching us pass by.
- Jim Steck

2/2 – Waterford, HRM 158: As a regular visitor in the park on Peebles Island, I have seen the adults at bald eagle nest NY485, but only sporadically, since late December. Now, however, they are bringing in nesting material and rearranging with greater regularity.
- Drew Prairie

2/2 – Mid-Hudson: On this date last year, the Mid-Hudson reach along the river received eighteen-inches of snow.
- National Weather Service

2/2 – Manhattan, HRM 2: Our Hudson River Park’s River Project staff checked our research sampling and collection gear that we deploy off Pier 40 in Hudson River Park. For the first time in a very long time, our pots and traps were empty. The Inter-pier animal life is still there, but in the deep-chilling river, they are loathe to do much traveling. For us, this is the nadir of winter.
- Natalie Kim

2/3 – Hudson River Watershed: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s 2022 Great Backyard Bird Count begins on February 18. Take part in an annual tradition that's strictly for the birds. The Great Backyard Bird Count is a wonderful way to dip your toes into the world of birds, feel the warmth of the birding community, and discover wonders in your own neighborhood. Check out results from last year and see how to participate in the 2022 count.
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://www.birds.cornell.edu

Winter ice2/4 – Kingston, HRM 92: A winter storm that swept across much of the eastern half of the U.S. this week, hit Ulster County particularly hard with up to three-quarters of an inch of ice coating and closing roads, damaging trees, and downing power lines. With more than fifty percent of homes and businesses without power, a State of Emergency was declared for the county. [This would persist for several days with no signs of the ice-cover melting until the following week].(Photo of winter ice courtesy of Nancy Beard)
- Nancy Beard

2/4 – Putnam, HRM 52: In the middle of a serious ice storm at my house in Mahopac, a flock of thirty robins flew into a cedar tree and hung around for an hour before leaving. I thought they went south for the winter.
- Steve Fay

[Normally, thirty robins would be newsworthy, but this has been an odd season. When winter arrives in short, measured steps, our robins move south. Those from points north arrive for a while before leaving as the weather intensifies. However, this "winter" was late as autumn lingered. Then the snow and ice came all at once and the robins surged south. Several birders have reported seeing up to a thousand at a time in fields, some calling with a French-Canadian accent. Tom Lake]

American Robin courtesy of Matt Zeitler

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: www.dec.ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/hrewtftap14.pdf. For more information about the program please visit the DEC website at: www.dec.ny.gov/lands/43668.html. If you have questions about a potential planting site, please contact Beth Roessler and Emily Haase at: HudsonEstuaryTFT@dec.ny.gov, or call (845)256-2253 to find out if your site is eligible for a 2022 planting project!

Explore our new curriculum guide for K-12 classrooms

These lessons have been reviewed by classroom teachers, and other curriculum specialists:
https://www.dec.ny.gov/education/25386.html

The inquiry-based, multi-component STEM education units are a guide for teachers and students to deepen their understandings of the Hudson River and its watershed. The interdisciplinary units are designed to engage diverse learning styles, introduce students to the big ideas in science, build their knowledge of environmental issues and help them connect to the natural world.

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.


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.