Few shad in the Hudson River means no shad at Riverkeeper’s annual Shad Fest. Read more after the break.

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Who knows what a bird thinks when it thinks real estate. For some reason, this aluminum extension ladder in Mark Paulvin’s Somers garage seemed like THE spot for a robin to build its nest.

From here, I’ll let Mark talk:

“Two weeks ago I noticed the beginnings of a robin’s nest being built on an extension ladder hanging from the ceiling in my garage. Sure enough, by day two, there were two large blue eggs in the nest and the mother robin was going to have a difficult task sitting on her eggs in my busy garage.”

“We have left the garage door open for the past 2 weeks to allow the mother robin access to the nest. Hopefully, the
chicks will hatch very soon from the two eggs and we will be able to use the whole garage again.”

Polar bears are now listed as a threatened species by the federal government. The loss of sea ice, the bears’ habitat, led to today’s decision. Such loss of habitat “puts polar bears at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future, the standard established by the (Endangered Species Act) for designating a threatened species,” according to the announcement.

Read the entire announcement after the break.

Two kids in sight this morning at the bald eagle nest in Southeast but no sign of mom or dad, when I stopped by for a peek. Toward the end of last week, I could only spot one eaglet in the nest and I was worried that one of the young had pushed out its sibling, as apparently sometimes happens.

But both were sitting atop the nest today, panting in the bright sunshine. Here’s a slew of information on bald eagles and their recovery and removal last year from the federal endangered species list.

TJN photographer Frank Becerra made these photographs last week. I especially like the one with the adult sitting above the nest, its shoulder highlighted by the setting sun.

Want to see a couple of photos of a suburban-prowling bobcat? Check out this news video from a Connecticut television station that reports on a bobcat wandering around a neighborhood about 10 miles or so from downtown Hartford.

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Closer to home, here’s an account of a bobcat in the Great Swamp, the large wetland that spreads over Putnam and Dutchess counties.

And, lastly, here’s information on the animal in New York and what to do if you see one. The photo, by the way, shows a bobcat in the fall of 2006 along Federal Hill Road in Southeast, courtesy of TJN photographer Frank Becerra.

Now that Mother’s Day is past us, we can look ahead to Endangered Species Day (not sure Hallmark’s on board with this one). The day is billed as “as a national celebration of America’s commitment to protecting our country’s wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction.” It’s Friday (May 16).

After the break, check out the Sierra Club-Lower Hudson Group’s plans for the day.

If you’re ever looking for a unique view of the Hudson River and one of its marshes, I can do no better than recommending a visit to Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Garrison.

Some 700 feet of boardwalk will take you out into the marsh, just a foot or so above the water. On Saturday, the marsh was still mostly brown and quiet – save for a handful of red-winged blackbirds.

When my daughter and I showed up, the marsh was at low tide. Some bird tracks could be seen in the mud, next to section of boardwalk. I’m thinking great blue heron but I’m also open to other suggestions.

Download:

Gov. Paterson has kicked off a brand new tourism campaign using a favorite old slogan: I Love New York.
The original effort was launched 31 years ago and focused on New York City attractions.
The new version, which also taps all of the current technology, including the web, also emphasizes the assets of the rest of the state, including the Lower Hudson Valley.
New York’s magnificent natural attributes are a highlight, from Niagara Falls and Adirondack State Park to the Hudson River and Bear Mountain State Park.
The goal of the new campaign is to boost the tourism dollars coming into New York, according to a press release issued by the governor’s office.

It’s baaaack:

For $5.98, and tax, of course, I am now (mostly) paper-and-plastic-bag free.

The guilt about using grocery-store-issued plastic bags had really been building.

It’s not like I hadn’t seen the reusable cloth bags at ShopRite in Airmont, where I buy my weekly groceries.

Or at the Pathmark in Nanuet, where I sometimes shop because it’s close to the newspaper office.

Or the A&P in Valley Cottage, which I sometimes hit if I have to pick up a prescription at the nearby Rite-Aid.

No, these bags have been staring me in the face for a looooooong time now.

But hanging on their display racks, the bags looked small, like they couldn’t hold much, and wimpy, like they’d break if you put a half-gallon milk container inside.

I’m happy to report, I was totally wrong.

I purchased six of the bags thinking I was probably going to need at least 12.

I was able to fit a week’s worth of groceries, and had room left over in each bag.

They open up to a significantly larger size than they appear on the rack, and are pretty strong.

As some already know, communities around the nation have been considering outright bans on plastic bags or even charging customers who don’t bring or use their own reusable bags.

Just last month, the Rockland and Westchester county legislatures voted to require stores that are 10,000 square feet or larger to set up collection bins so customers have a place to return their plastic bags. The bags would then be sent to recycling companies that use the material in outdoor fencing and decking.

Here’s a shot of one of my new bags, purchased for 99 cents (plus tax).

All those times I pretended to have a broken wing so you wouldn’t get eaten . . . One can almost hear the mother killdeer to her teenage offspring. OK, so I’m taking an anthropomorphic leap here but you get the idea (and stay tuned for the video).

A killdeer is a shorebird, one many people have probably seen on ballfields, along parking lot edges, on golf courses and in other open areas. The birds nest on the ground. To lure predators away from their young, parents feign having a broken wing. They pretend to be injured by flopping about on the ground in the hopes of attracting the predator. Kind of a Hey-look-at-me, I’m-hurt-and-so-easy-to-catch thing. Check out the video after the jump.