A Whale of a Winter
February 1, 2011
Riverkeeper Team
It's hard to decide what is the most magical time on the Hudson River. The summer when the water is warm and we can get in it, and on it, and feel that we are one with it? Or the winter when it transforms daily before our eyes from fluid to solid and back again?
Of course the spring and fall both offer picture-postcard-beauty, but I find my connection with the river strongest in its extreme states.
Creaking crystalline shoreline
Another treat of this season are the cold weather creatures. Harbor Seals are repeat visitors to Tappan Zee and Haverstraw Bay where they enjoy the frigid salt water and the delicious fish.
Lounging on a dock in Haverstraw last week
Sunbathing along the shore in Piermont, 1/09
More surprising, but increasingly common, are the whales south of New York Harbor (and sometimes in the harbor).
Humpback Whale that swam under the Verrazano Bridge in 2009
Scientists are reporting that the number of seals, dolphins and whales in New York waters is increasing dramatically. In the past they have migrated through our waters, now there are pods of whales living just off the coast of Staten Island.
One enterprising skipper is even offering Whale Watching Tours.
Six types of whales have been spotted to date including Humpback, Blue, Fin and Atlantic Right Whales. South of the Verrazano Bridge an estimated 30-50 Fin Whales are living full-time.
Learn more about the whales and the people studying them.
