The Bluebacks Have Arrived!

If you have a chance, go down to Mill Pond or Middle Pond and check it out! The runs were packed yesterday!!

The herring are here!

The herring have finally arrived! We saw quite a few this morning, so if you want to count, now is your chance. If you haven't signed up yet, send an email to Heather at hrockwell@3bays.org and she will get you set up with a volunteer account and you can schedule your counting times.  It's so exciting!

The fish may not be here yet, but the ospreys are back!

If you remember, last year they built their nest here and at the end of the season, it was taken down. The bottom picture was from Friday, March 31st and the top 2 were taken today, Wednesday, April 5th. They didn't waste any time rebuilding! And the swans are nesting too, so be careful. They're a little testy when keeping those eggs warm.

The 2017 Marstons Mills River Herring Count has begun!

We are so excited that the count has begun. So that there is no confusion, we have changed a lot about the counting process this year and this will be your explanation.

• If you came to our training meeting in March, then you are aware that we have changed the scheduling process. We are now using an online volunteer program that allows you to schedule yourself  for the count, Volgistics. You can go in, see what the open hours are, schedule yourself and change the schedule if you make a mistake or find you need to take a day off that you had previously scheduled. If you would like to be a counter, and we don't have you in the Volgistics system yet, please send an email to Heather at:  HRockwell@3bays.org .  She will set you up with a password and the instructions.

• This year, there is a counting program being conducted at Middle Pond as well as Mill Pond. Three Bays is still overseeing the Mill Pond count while the Town of Barnstable is conducting the Middle Pond count. If you would like to count at Middle Pond also, please contact Amy Croteau at amy.croteau@town.barnstable.ma.us and she will get you started at that spot also. She is utilizing the Volgistics program for her volunteer scheduling as well.

• Because we have two counting programs on the same river, Three Bays and the Town are collaborating on the counting process. We are trying to keep everything as uniform as possible because we realize we will be sharing a lot of the same counters.So, the scheduling process is the same, and the reporting process is the same too. We are also following the State's counting protocol more closely than we have in the past. Before, we waited until we saw a lot of fish before starting the count. Now, the State has requested that all of the runs in the State begin on April 1st and go until June 1st. So, even though there might not be any fish yet, they use the temperature and weather codes to determine the timing of the runs.

• So, after you are all set with your schedule, the counting is pretty much the same. We still have the locked box at the run (same combination on the lock)  and you are still counting in the same spot at the white board. BUT, the recording process has changed:
• In the box, there will be:  two thermometers - one for the air temp and one for the water temp - they will be labeled, pens and pencils, waterproof notebook
• All of this will be in 2 separate plastic bags with silicone drying packs included. Please be sure to put the thermometers in one bag and the notebook in the other so that we can cut down on any wetness!

• In the notebook, you will be recording the following: (you just need to turn to the next blank page and fill in the blanks)

1. Date
2. Name
3. Time you began counting
4. Time you finished counting (should only be 10 minutes)
5. Air temperature
6. Water temperature
7. Weather code (in the front of the notebook)
8. Any comments you may have (how many birds, people, if you got attacked by our resident swans, etc)

That's it! There is no need to call anyone or email anyone with the info. We'll stop by every once in a while and change out the notebooks to collect the data.

If you are having trouble with anything, please feel free to email me at JHeller@3bays.org for any help. We are happy to help you set up your schedule.

And thank you for volunteering! We can't do this without your help.

What a Strange Year We're Having!

Well, all we can say is WOW! 

This has been the strangest counting year we've had. It just goes to show you that you cannot predict anything when it comes to herring!
We started out very slowly, with just a few fish counted a day. Then, as the weather warmed up, we got such a great rush of fish, for about 3 days. And then the cold weather came back. And it doesn't look like it's going to warm up anytime soon.  Very frustrating!
I put together a chart comparing this year to the last 2 years. You can see that we are running way behind. If it would just warm up a little!!! I think it's important to note that we started the count earlier this year than we have in the past, so that may have been a factor.

 But the good news is that hundreds of fish have been spotted up at the flume going into Middle Pond. So, they're here, we just aren't seeing too many of them jump!

They're Here!

The fish have finally arrived!  If you haven't been down to the run, go soon! The past 3 days have been great, but now the cool weather has returned, so it's slowed down a bit. I think these are the Alewives moving through, and the Bluebacks will be here soon!

So, look at the schedule and see if you can fill any of the open slots. Look at the weather and pick a nice sunny & warm day!

And here are some pictures of the neighbors!

Thanks to Betsey Godley for these pictures!

Here is a video of the fish jumping!

Thanks to Jessica Kozik for the video!

They ARE here, believe it or not!

We have had a few days where there have been no fish sighted at the run, but they are around!  One of our counters, Ruth, took this video of one crossing over!!  And, if you go up to the flume at Middle Pond, they are pooling there. So, patience pays!  We just need a few days of warm, sunny weather and they will be flying through!!

Still Waiting...

It's Spring, right?
Taken by Betsey Godley

Still ice on the pond!
Taken by Bob Parsons

So, we had a great start, almost 100 fish counted in 2 days!  And then, winter came back. But, we will not give up.  The fish are still around. It's just been a little too chilly for them to move upstream.

Thank you to everyone who has braved this chilly, rainy, blustery weather!

And just to brighten up your day, I had these guys at my feeders this week. At least you could go inside to warm up!!

So, we will continue with the count. Even zero counts matter!! It is warming up every day.

They're Here!!

The fish have arrived!!  Amy Croteau from the Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that they've seen fish in the run. So they went and removed the boards up at the Middle Pond flume and the fish now have a nice flow of water going through. Now is your chance to sign up to count! Look at the schedule and decide when you're available to count. Send us an email and we'll put you on the schedule.

 

 Our email is: herringcount@yahoo.com.

Thanks so much for everyone who has signed up to help!  And if you have any friends who would like to get involved, it's never too late!!

It's Almost Time!!!

We had a great turn-out for the herring training meeting last Saturday.  Thank you to everyone who attended.  Scott Horsley gave a great presentation about the Mill Pond restoration plans and Amy Croteau was very informative about the various active and potential herring runs in town. Just remember, it's not too late to volunteer.  Just shoot an email to herringcount@yahoo.com

Amy Croteau from Barnstable Natural Resources

A look at the plans to restore the flume into Middle Pond

Scott Horsley explains Mill Pond restoration efforts

It's Herring Training time again!

Amy Croteau from the Town of Barnstable Natural Resources Department.

So, it's almost time for another herring year!  In just about 2 1/2 months, the herring will make their annual trek up the river and into the pond.  It's time to start thinking about getting prepared for another year.  This year, we will have Scott Horsley from Horsley and Witten in attendance to give an update about the plans for Mill Pond.  Believe it or not, we have finally gotten approval to move forward with cleaning up the pond! And, Amy Croteau from the Town of Barnstable will once again give us an update on the status of all of the herring runs in the town. Very exciting stuff!

The white board at Mill Pond

We hope you'll be able to join us!

When:                      Saturday, March 19, 2016  -  12:00 pm

Where:                     Liberty Hall

                                 2150 Main St, Marstons Mills, MA 02648

Done for another year

Well, we are done for another year.  Not the best year we've had, but far from the worst.  So, thank you to everyone who volunteered and spent their free time counting these little fish that are so important.  If you are still on the schedule, don't worry about counting.  There are no fish anyway!!
I will post the final totals when I figure it out.  If anyone has counts that they haven't reported, please send them on in and we'll figure it all out!
THANK YOU!!!!

Year to year comparison

I did a comparison of the last 3 years, and we seem to be a little slower than the past 2 years.  2012 was a fantastic year for us, so hopefully we can pick up a few more fish in the next few days!!

Underwater fish!

We had another person, Travis Cundiff,  share this video of the fish underwater!  It's so fun to see it from their point of view! This was taken at the flume up at Middle Pond!

The struggle!!!

And here's another video that one of our counters, Jessica Kozik took last week.  You can just see how they struggle to get over!  Thanks Jessica!

They have definitely arrived!

We went up to the flume at Middle Pond yesterday and it was packed with fish!  There were so many fish that they just kept getting pushed back down the flume!

And we took some pictures too!

Some great pictures

One of our counters, Ruth Haas-Castro, took these wonderful pictures yesterday.  As you can see, the fish are definitely here.

They're Here!

On Thursday, April 9th, Amy Croteau from the Department of Natural Resources was working in the flume and saw some fish!  So, she called me and we made the decision to begin the count on Saturday because lovely weather was forecast for over the weekend. We started the count on Saturday, April 11th and it was a slow start.  The water temps were still pretty cool, but as the sun warmed up the water, the fish arrived!  So, we have fish!  On Sunday, they started to come up a little more, so they are definitely here.  As of last night, we had 39 fish come over the white board to be counted!
So, another counting year has begun...

One of our counters, Jessica Kozik took some really nice pictures and I wanted to share them with everyone:

A panoramic view of Mill Pond

Some great views of the area with the counting box, the run, the white board, and the history of the run!

And, if anyone out there takes any pictures you would like to share, please send them on in!  We love pictures!
And Happy Counting!

It's still pretty chilly in the water around here and still no sign of the herring.  I was up at the flume at Middle Pond today, only about 40 degrees water temp.  And there's still plenty of ice around!  And we wait...

Still waiting

So, we're still waiting for the fish to arrive.  We went and took some water temperatures yesterday and the water is still pretty chilly.  It was 43 degrees at Mill Pond and only 39 degrees at Middle Pond.  The flume at Middle Pond still has a lot of ice in it too, so they might not be able to make it into the pond if they tried!

Thanks so much to everyone who has signed up for hours.  But, don't go out to count unless you hear from us!  We're predicting that it may be another week or two before they finally get here. We've been monitoring a buoy out in Nantucket Sound, and it's only 37 degrees out there!! What a long cold winter this has been!!