Recent Updates and Interesting Sightings
June 27, 2008:
We went beach seining this drizzly morning to see what was
swimming in the river. We caught 12 species of fish, including
bay anchovies, white perch, striped bass, Atlantic bluefish
and a few tiny menhaden. We kept some specimens for our nature
center aquariums, including a small blue crab. Come see them!
June 25, 2008:
Up at 3:30 am for another very early start, songbird-banding
again today on a bright and beautiful morning. We captured
for study a variety of birds, including two species of swallows...
Rough-winged and Tree. The Rough-winged swallow was identified
as a juvenile from the cinnamon edging on its feathers, and
the Tree Swallow was a beautiful male, complete with metallic
green plumage. Each bird is carefully examined and gets a
uniquely numbered leg band, including this vibrant male Yellow
Warbler.
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| Tree Swallow |
Yellow Warbler |
 June
20, 2008:
Hosted some great students today, the Brooklyn Academy of
Science and the Environment visited. We went on a fun and
educational canoe trip into the marsh and later conducted
a stream study in Indian Brook. We caught numerous organisms
including tessellated darters, American eels, and great examples
of macroinvertebrates. We enjoyed getting to know each other
and learning together, and were sorry to see the students
walk up the road at the end of the day!
 June
15, 2008:
A day off for Christy, after lots of early mornings and school
kids visiting on field trips. We climbed Mt. Taurus, one of
the many beautiful hiking trails in the Hudson Highlands.
June 13, 2008:
The workday started at 4:00 am (!)… another banding
day. The temperature was ideal so we caught quite a few birds,
and began sampling for avian flu strains. A few highlights
included a female Marsh Wren and a stunning male Common Yellowthroat.
We also caught a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, who we
released quickly.
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| Common Yellowthroat |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
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| Louisiana Waterthrush |
June 9, 2008:
After a rain-out the previous week, we began our annual songbird
banding and monitoring project today. Formally called “Monitoring
Avian Productivity and Survivorship” or MAPS, it is
program designed by the Institute of Bird Populations in Point
Reyes, California.
Temperatures soared to nearly 100 degrees,
so we had to shut down early to protect the birds (and us!)
from the heat. Before we did, we were pleased to capture and
study this Louisiana Waterthrush, a migratory warbler who
winters in Central America. They breed here in the Eastern
U.S., on the banks of freshwater streams with a healthy forest
canopy. They sing loudly, we think to be heard over noisy
Indian Brook and other streams as they race towards the Hudson.
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| Sarah with Snapping Turtle |
June 7, 2008:
We conducted our “Turtle Walk” program at the
Boscobel Restoration with about one hundred people showing
up. Sarah and Christy, our new summer staff, were a huge help.
We talked about snapping turtles, how misunderstood they are,
and of course, turtle conservation. It’s amazing to
think the Hudson River Valley has 12 species of native turtles
and ranks 5th in the world for turtle diversity.
There are hundreds of snapping turtles
that live in Constitution Marsh, and the females leave the
water to lay eggs at this time of year. They are huge, wildly
beautiful, smell really bad and can bite your fingers clean
off. A perfect animal to share with others, no?
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