March 19, 2024

Captain’s Message: All Storms Are Different

hurricane

The Storm of 1933, 10 years before I was born, caught everyone by surprise. It ended maritime transportation and commerce in St. Mary’s County by knocking out the wharves. Here’s a look at the major storms in my lifetime, 1943 to last month.

Message from a Cap’n: Season of Jellyfish, Turtles, Ospreys

With the water temperature in the 80s, jellyfish are taking over. Bad news for swimmers. Good news for oysters.

Message from the Cap’n – Osprey Return

Two of the most famous osprey couples of Island Creek — Mr. and Mrs. Perfect and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet — returned to their nests March 5, 2023, from their winter digs in Central America. For the second year, the Perfects have defied osprey tradition by arriving together. And now the Bennets have accomplished this feat as well.

Looking Back 50 Yrs. at Hurricane Agnes – Message From the Cap’n

I watched Tropical Storm Agnes, 50 years ago this month, change my small part of the watershed, for the worst. It hasn’t recovered. Experts say none of the Chesapeake Bay recovered from Agnes.

Bad Crab Vibes for Upcoming Season

The 2021-22 oyster season was record breaking and watermen rejoiced. On the other hand, the 2021-22 crab survey, an annual measurement of the upcoming season’s crop, was also record-breaking. And there’s no rejoicing.

Message from the Cap’n — Martins Coming Home in April

Purple Martins

The Purple Martins will begin arriving in a couple of weeks — they usually reach the nests dangling at the Cap’n’s St. George Island dock between the 10th and 13th of April. “You will know when they arrive,” the Cap’n says. “They start singing and don’t stop through the course of their stay.

Message from the Cap’n — Ospreys Return to the Chesapeake

The fish hawks have returned to the self-proclaimed Osprey Capital of the World: St. George Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Welcome!

Message from the Cap’n — Awaiting the Osprey

Some of the Chesapeake Bay osprey are already heading up the 77th parallel from Central America making their way back to their home nests. Expect to see them by St. Patrick’s Day.

Great Blue Herons at Home in the Bay

Great Blue Herons are also called Johnnie cranes locally, sneaking along the shoreline in the summertime, pierce a soft crab, flip it, send it down the hatch. But you can catch glimpse of their fishing skills all year-round.

Message from the Cap’n — As the Bald Eagle Flies

After another couple of good dustings of snow, the Captain’s reflections turn to what he has named the “Rulers of the Sky in Winter: The Bald Eagle.”