Chesapeake Almanac – Details, episodes & analysis

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 are making their way north, just as much a benchmark of spring as the first crocuses on land. It's March madness, which for finfish means renewed traffic and spawning on the Bay and in rivers and creeks. On this episode, John Page Williams highlights the fish you'll find making an appearance in the Chesapeake in March. From Norfolk spot, winter flounder, Labrador herring, and river herring to yellow perch spawning in small creeks on balmy days, white suckers, largemouth bass, chain pickerel, and the first of the blueback herring. March is a busy time in our waters.

Thank you for joining us for this series. If you're new, check out our past episodes to find out what's in store around the Bay each month.

If you liked this episode, please give us a thumbs up and share your comments, it really helps us to spread these seasonal stories to new listeners.

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to Chesapeake Almanac, find us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.

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 connected directly to the Bay. The Chesapeake itself is a river, after all. It is the drowned valley of the Susquehanna, a 200-mile-long tidal river mouth. In this episode, John Page Williams provides a geography lesson of the Chesapeake's life blood--its rivers.

If you liked this episode, please give us a thumbs up and share your comments, it really helps us to spread these seasonal stories to new listeners.

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to Chesapeake Almanac, find us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.

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, or some may say tradition, flying more than 1,000 miles to the same wintering grounds each year. In this episode, John Page shares some of the reasons these birds select the Chesapeake, as well as what changing conditions in the Bay may mean for their future.

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to Chesapeake Almanac, find us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.

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, hard clams, brackish-water clams, hooked mussels, ribbed mussels, and the stout razor clam each have their own niche and specialty--and guidance for eating. In this episode, John Page shares the stories of the "other" Chesapeake mollusks--including one that can dig faster than you can!

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to Chesapeake Almanac, find us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.

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 explains the intricate system of how oysters eat and what makes them so plump in November and December (prime time for oyster stuffing and oyster stew!).

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to Chesapeake Almanac, find us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.

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--microscopic algae--are stunningly abundant this time of year. In Edwardian England, those interested in natural history made a hobby of collecting diatoms, looking at them under a microscope and marveling at their complex shapes, which have been referred to as "intricately carved glass jewel boxes." But those intricate designs are more than stunning to look at. They play an important role in the organism's survival. Listen now and learn more with John Page.

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to Chesapeake Almanac, find us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.

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 thousands. In this episode, John Page shares his personal introduction to the Chesapeake's fall loons and their extraordinary "banquets" of menhaden.

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to Chesapeake Almanac, find us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.

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 migrations? In this episode, John Page shares observations of scientists and watermen about the most important fish in the sea. [To find out why menhaden are considered "the most important fish in the sea," go to our video at https://www.cbf.org/news-media/multimedia/video/why-are-menhaden-the-most-important-fish-in-the-sea.html]

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to Chesapeake Almanac, find us on your favorite podcast platform, or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.

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 landscape, why so many early settlements were established on the outsides of these curves, and why wildlife habitat flourishes on the insides.

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to our Chesapeake Almanac playlist. Or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.

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 dinner table. In this episode, John Page reflects on how his father shared the story of a why a fish with a face only a parent could love deserves some parenting respect.

TRANSCRIPT

Subscribe to our Chesapeake Almanac playlist. Or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform or visit our podcast page at https://www.cbf.org/ChesapeakeAlmanac.

Chesapeake Almanac is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Saving the Bay through Education, Advocacy, Litigation, and Restoration. Find out more about our work to save the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed's rivers and streams, and what you can do to help, at https://www.cbf.org.

These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at Amazon.com.