Courtesy of the New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation
May might be the true “month of spring” in the Hudson valley, for it is in this month, regardless of the year, that new life bursts forth in triumph. Deciduous trees leaf out, wildflowers color the fields, and everything seems to be coated with pollen. It is a month for sneezing but also one in which our senses awaken to the sights, sounds, and fragrances of spring. On the uplands along the river, dogwood and wild cherry pick up where shadbush left off to keep the riverside covered in a blanket of white. Along tributaries, the fragrance of lilac, multiflora rose and dame’s rocket delight hikers. In the river’s freshwater shallows, the first green rosettes of water chestnut leaves will reach the surface by month’s end.
Some of our most beautiful and melodious songbirds arrive early in the month: rose-breasted grosbeaks, wood thrushes, northern orioles, and scarlet tanagers among them. Mockingbirds have been here all winter, but their singing now has an almost symphonic impact and occasionally loses coherence as the birds’ exuberance overtakes their sense of order. By month’s end, the first baby birds will fill the air with less melodious, more demanding, and seemingly incessant calls for food.
May is also the month when newly-hatched, white-fluffed eagle nestlings first feel the warmth of the sun, dine on river fishes, and thrive in the security of their tree-top nests. Wildlife biologists will count the weeks - about eight - until the nestlings trade fluff for feathers, and are able to fly from their nest. The new eaglets will delight us all summer long as they learn to soar and fish, reminding us of the value and vitality of our Hudson River estuary.
The commercial shad fishery will peak and conclude in May, as does their quarry’s 150-mile “run” from New York Harbor to above Albany. The American shad run peaks usually around mid-May, with their numbers fading at month’s end along with the lilac blossoms. Their eggs are hatching on the river spawning grounds north of Kingston as those adults whom evaded the gauntlet of hooks, nets, teeth, and talons return to the sea.
You can sample the harvest yourself at one of many local shad bakes. These celebrations are a ritual of spring on the river dating back to colonial times. The communal harvesting, processing, and baking of American shad is continued today in the form of fishing and baking contests. The Hudson River Foundation has been sponsoring public shad bakes along estuary for nearly 20 years. Free samples of planked (baked), pickled, and smoked shad are served. For more information, call (914) 739-3222.
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Visit the New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation