Warming Up to Cold Water
This was the third winter that Heather Caputo, Spencer Schneider, Mike Bottini, and Jeremy Grosvenor have been swimming three or four times a week at various spots in the ocean and in the bay.
On the Water: 'Itching to Go Fishing'
Despite below normal water temperatures, things are starting to open up on the fishing front at least, especially in areas west of Montauk.
Chilly Start to Fishing Season
Meteorological wishes notwithstanding, it has not been a surprise to see our local water temperatures drop. On a jaunt to my lobster traps last weekend, I saw 47-degree water at Cedar Point to the entrance of Gardiner's Bay, a 3-degree drop from a week earlier.
On the Water: Marinas Spring Into Action
Marinas and boatyards, which had been deemed non-essential under the governor's New York on PAUSE executive order, have been allowed to open, giving people happy to social-distance with fishing gear in hand reason to celebrate.
Virtual Nature Programs at South Fork Natural History Museum
The South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center has introduced a new digital program to help people stay connected to nature while stuck at home helping to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Fishermen See Market Dry Out
Unable to sell a 1,000-pound catch of fluke last week, Capt. Chuck Morici of the dragger Act 1 spent three days filleting the fish at Montauk commercial dock and offering it for free straight from his boat. On Saturday morning, he gave it away from the back of his pickup truck in downtown Montauk, a big handwritten sign announcing, "Free Fish."
Nature Notes: The Cutest of All
Larry Penny
Halfway through March, chipmunks are up for good, it would seem. I see ours almost every morning running about, looking hale and sassy.
On the Water: Early Season Optimism
As of this week, spring officially arrives. While it's pretty clear we will be dealing with the effects of the virus for the foreseeable future, I'm putting forth in solitude, preparing my boat for the season and launching my lobster traps into the still-cold waters.
Nature Notes: True Blue
The eastern bluebird, the New York State bird, is the only North American thrush that doesn't build a typical nest in a tree or bush during breeding season. It lays its eggs in a hole in a tree or a nonliving substitute, a bird box.
Nature Notes: For the Birds
For the last 81 and 67 years, annual end-of-the-year, or Christmas, bird counts have taken place without fail in two nearby areas, Quogue to Water Mill, and Central Suffolk. The tradition lives on and is increasingly revealing.
Parasite May Be Factor in Scallop Die-Off
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's commissioner announced on Friday the detection of a coccidian parasite in a sample of bay scallops collected from the Peconic Bays, which is believed to have contributed to the massive die-off discovered in the fall of 2019.
Nature Notes: Birds of a Feather
The theory of evolution is still intriguing. It is "survival of the fittest" in one sense, but not totally so. And it's going on all around us today.