Chesapeake Almanac

March: Early Spring Fish

Welcome to our last episode of "Chesapeake Almanac." Cold weather is losing its grip on the Chesapeake, but though the water is still cold, the earliest born Norfolk spot

March: River Geography

There is no other estuary in the world with a network of rivers like the one that feeds Chesapeake Bay. Every square inch in the drainage basins of those rivers is connec

March: Barnacles and Springtime

In March, you can see the tiny, wedge-shaped larvae of barnacles catching early spring plankton. They scull about with their six legs, not yet ready to settle and grow in

March: Copepods - Keystones of Spring

Copepods. They are among the most abundant multicellular animals on earth and generally regarded as the most numerous in the Chesapeake, with numbers routinely as high as

February: Cold Water Brings a Quiet Season

While February is the shortest month of the year, to many anglers it can seem like the longest. What happens to the Bay's species when the cold water of winter sets in? I

February: Sea Ducks Relish Winter on the Chesapeake

Winter brings several diving ducks from Canada and Alaska that thrive on the open Chesapeake. In this episode, John Page introduces us to four sea duck species attracted

February: Otters Are Busy Now

The Chesapeake has a healthy population of otters. In fact, every river system has at least one family. Otters are perhaps the wildest, most elusive mammals on the Chesap

February: Eagles Nesting

Did you know it's likely that most members of every population of bald eagles on the East Coast visit the Chesapeake at some point in their lives? In this episode, John P

December: Miocene Fossils

Fossils put Bay time into perspective. Features of today's region were already recognizable when the Atlantic Ocean flooded the mouth of the Susquehanna River system 15,0

December: Muskrats and Winter Marshes

In this episode, John Page introduces us to the Chesapeake's most abundant aquatic mammal and one of the few that are active in winter--muskrats. Curious how a warm-blood

December: Swan Time

When the cold fronts push into the Chesapeake region, you can expect to see (and hear) large flocks of tundra swans sweeping in after them. These are creatures of habit,

December: The "Other" Mollusks

We all know the iconic Chesapeake oyster. But studying less well known members of the Bay community is often a good window into understanding it better. Softshell clams,

November: Oysters

Sometimes it can be easy to forget that oysters share the basic processes of life with us--like eating. In this episode of "Chesapeake Almanac," John Page Williams explai

November: Diatoms - Cold-Water Jewel Boxes

In this episode of Chesapeake Almanac, John Page Williams introduces us to a group of microscopic plants that live in the Bay thrive over the fall and winter. Diatoms--mi

November: Loons - Fall's Finest Fishermen?

Loons are as well loved in summer by people on North Country lakes as ospreys are by us here. But at this time of year, they descend on the Chesapeake Bay in the thousand

November: Menhaden Migrations

Where do the menhaden go as they get older? And how do we know? Tagging fish that are caught by the tens of thousands requires an ingenious system. What about winter migr

October: River Meanders

Vienna is an old town built on the outside of a sweeping curve, called a meander, in the Nanticoke River. In this episode, John Page explains how meanders shape the lands

October: Oyster Toadfish: A Success at Parenting

From an angler's point of view, the oyster toadfish might not be good for much. But their parenting technique varies greatly from most of the fish that end up on the dinn

October: Harvesttime

As fall sets in, it's harvesttime around the Chesapeake. Finfish have fattened up on summer's bounty and the marshes provide a bumper crop of nutritious seed. Those w

October Travelers: Ospreys and Canada Geese

Two of the Bay's best-loved birds are traveling this month. Ospreys are migrating to South America, following their pattern of seeking endless summer. Canada geese are ar