Hudson Valley Winters

Each year as the seasons progress and winter gains a firm hold on the Hudson Valley, a new cast of characters appears on and along the Hudson River. With the onset of the cold nights and chilly days, ice begins to appear and depending upon the year may come close to choking the rivers pathways for commercial vessels. This year has seen an early appearance of masses of ice and with it the coincidental influx of Bald eagles. Sharon and I led our annual EagleWatch for our community group VISION this past Saturday and the conditions could not have been better. Not only was the river full of nice ice flows for the eagles to raft upon, but the weather was unseasonably warm and the skies absolutely free of clouds. The day totalled an impressive 56 eagles between Bear Mountain and Croton Reservoir. The day's viewing was augmented by a nice variety of winter ducks (over 300 Canvasbacks at Georges Island) and an extended session of posing by a local Red-tail at Croton Point Park. We'll head down to New Jersey tomorrow for a shot at Harlequin ducks along the jetty at Long Beach Island's Barnegat Lighthouse. We'll eventually head for Florida in the next couple of weeks, but this is exactly why we spend the first part of winter here in the northeast.....beautiful avian visitors from the north.