The almanac uses observations written by naturalists, river lovers of all ages, and scientists to assemble a journal of the river's unique moments.

The almanac is printed by Purple Mountain Press, Ltd., (800-325-2665). It is available for $10, plus New York State sales tax, and $3.50 for shipping. E-mail address is: Purple@mail.catskill.net

Limited copies of The Hudson River Almanac: Volume II are also available at the same price. Volumes I and III are sold out.

These excerpts are taken, with permission from the publisher, from the Hudson River Almanac, Volume IV, 1997-98. Each month, we'll be adding another excerpt from the book that corresponds to the current month.

To contribute observations to the Hudson River Almanac, write to Tom Lake, 3 Steinhaus Lane, Wappinger Falls, NY 12590-3927, or fax: 297-8935 or e-mail to trlake@mailcity.com.

Those who wish to see more recent excerpts from the Hudson River Almanac may visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Web site at http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/hudson/monthly.html

March 1998
"The Hudson, more than any other river, has a distince personality -- an absolute soul-quality. With moods as various as the longings of human life she responds to our joys in sympathetic sweetness, and soothes our sorrows by a gentle companionship. If the Mississippi is the King of Rivers, the Hudson is, pare excellence, the Queen, and continually charms by her 'infinite variety'." Wallace Bruce, 1907

March 1 - Constitution Marsh Sanctuary - I told Jim Rod that I'd begun to see chipmunks under my bird feeders. Jim responded,"The little rascals are emptying our feeders every day in spite of the fact they have at least 50 lb. of sunflower seeds in those burrows." Christopher Letts

March 2 - Hudson Highlands - We captured our second bald eagle, also a female. As with the first, this eagle was taken to the NYSDEC Wildlife Resources Center in Delmar where unit leader Peter Nye gave the eagle a physical and drew some blood for analysis. James Paolino, Eric Lind

March 3 - Foundry Cove - In a half hour, no fewer than 65 turkey vultures passed overhead, soaring in kettles and flying in flocks, from southwest to northeastŅa reliable sign of impending springtime. Bluebirds were poised here and thee atop old mullein stalks. Their vivid blue plumage was most striking in the late afternoon light. Martha Cheo, Jane Clark Chermayeff, Carol Losos, Ned Ames, Jane Sokolow, Fran Dunwell, Beth Waterman, Jim Rod, Clay Hiles, Helena Andreyko

Hudson Highlands - Our second female eagle was released with a satellite transmitter and leg tag 43. Eric Lind, Roddy MacLeod, Jim Beemer, James Paolino, Jim Rod
Bald eagle 43 left the Hudson Valley immediately. Its first stopover location was Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts. Following the Connecticut River Valley, it moved up to Keene, New Hampshire, then into Maine, and finally New Brunswick. Canadian bioligists in the area spotted the eagle and reported that it appeared healthy, but alone and not breeding. Eric Lind

March 7 - Croton Point - The tide was low around noon. My daughter Jacklin (age 6) called my son Russel (age 8) and me over to see some animal tracks she found on the south beach at Croton Point. Jacky told me they were tracks of a baby bear. Russel insisted they were bobcat tracks, and that other tracks indicated that a raccoon had a mortal struggle with a bobcat. We decided to let the park naturalist, Brenda Bates, resolve the matter. Operating on limited information from me (Russel had reached the tracks first and obliberated most of them during his investigation), Brenda helped us identify the tracks as a gray fox.
Other tracks were clearer -- the long talons of an eagle. There were abundant goose droppings but, oddly, they were confined to a limited areaŅa wooden platform about 10' long and 10' wide. We saw two pair of wood ducks. On the water, two men were fishing -- a sign that spring would soon replace this inadequate and disappointingly unsnowy winter. Martin Aronchick, Jacklin Aronchick, Russel Aronchick

March 9 - Croton Point - It was overcast and the wind and rain made the river rough. I spotted 34 brant in a tight single-order file order in the water among some Canada geese. Andrew Courtney

March 16 - Tappan Zee - Bob Gabrielson reported the first river herring of the spring, an alewife, in his bait net just south of the Tappan Zee Bridge.

March 19 - Croton River - Among the half dozen regular eagle watchers at the railroad bridge the talk has been about when the eagles will head north, observing that they had departed by this time last year. With migration imminent, we've observed that the immature (we think first-year) eagle has been spending more and more time in very close proximity to one or both adults. I was surprised to see them perched so close to each other that there was only a hands-breadth of daylight between them. Reminds me of parental heart-to-hearts with teenagers when they are about to go off into the wide world. Christopher Letts

March 20 - Vernal Equinox

March 22 - Sleepy Hollow - Goldfinches were well into their spring moult. The forsythia gave testimony to the chilling effects of the river at this time of year: On the river bank, just the tips of the buds were yellow; a short distance inland the windshear from a steep bank protected the bushes and they were in the first stages of bloom; in the protected parking lot away from the river they were in full bloom. Christopher Letts

March 23 - Croton Point - I spotted four immature bald eagles today, in places where I normally do not see them. I had to wonder if these were southern birds migrating through. Coltsfoot was pushing up through the remnants of the vernal equinox snow. Christopher Letts

March 25 - Tappan Zee - The first of the spring river herring were nosing their way into the Tappan Zee. In a bait we caught nine alewives: seven males, two females. Robert Gabrielson, Jr.

March 27 - Sleepy Hollow - A magnificent color and scent of spring: magnolia in bloom. Christopher Letts

March 28 - Sleepy Hollow - The world was in bloom: andromeda, cherry trees, magnolia, grape hyacinth, daffodils, and forsythia. Rainfall was 70% above normal so far this year and I got a sense the season was advanced by as much as three weeks, courtesy El Nino. Christopher Letts

March 30 - Moodna Creek - Day four in the 80s. Is this really March? Tom Lake