Historic Landmark on the Hudson River

Month: May 2008

  • Snapping turtle

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    Yesterday, a large snapping turtle crossed our path. Fortunately, Avalon had her camera with her. She snapped a few photos before the turtle entered the water and disappeared beneath the waves. The turtle sighting reminds me that the time of year is approaching when the female snapping turtles bury their eggs in the mud near…

  • Start of summer

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    Put in the screen door today. Feels like summer.

  • Esopus Estuary

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    Description by U.S. Fish & Wildlife of Esopus Estuary: Esopus Estuary is located at the mouth of the Esopus Creek, a major tributary to the upper Hudson River estuary on the west side of the river in the town of Saugerties at river kilometer 162 (river mile 101). This tidal wetland complex consists of the…

  • Nest-building

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    This morning, I watched from the dock as an osprey (one member of a pair) glided over the jetty carrying sticks in its talons. Wings flapping, it hovered momentarily over channel marker #93 and dropped the sticks on top. With each addition, a haphazard pile of sticks is gradually taking shape as a nest.

  • Lighthouse Pancakes

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    Ruth Glunt, longtime neighbor to the Saugerties Lighthouse and local historian, described the “full larder” of lighthouse keepers on the Hudson River: Buckwheat and cornmeal flour, for ‘panny cakes’, were kept handy and maple syrup was cheaper in those days, but still a treat. Coffee was bought ‘in the bean’, and hand ground fresh and…

  • Message in a bottle

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    I found a glass bottle along the beach left behind by the tide. The mouth of the bottle was stopped up with a cork. Inside was a handwritten note on stationary. The note was a message of love from Maria to David. There was also phone number. The area code and exchange number indicated Albany…

  • Trail conditions: disheveled

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    Due to tidal surges and choppy waters last week, a section of boardwalk is slightly out of place. Also, woody debris is strewn along portions of the trail.

  • Butternut Tree

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    On the island adjacent to the lighthouse grows a small butternut tree. A type of walnut tree, it produces an oblong-shaped nut in the fall. This tree is a protected species. Butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) are becoming rare due to a fungus blight. These trees are listed by New York State as “exploitably vulnerable” native…

  • Osprey courtship

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    The courtship rituals of osprey are on display for lighthouse visitors as an osprey pair use channel marker #93 as a perch.

  • Ducklings

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    I saw the first batch of mallard ducklings on the creek–a half dozen fluff balls paddling around their mother.