Weir Creek - Bronx NY - Biodiversity Assessment

Field Observations - Biodiversity Assessment

Weir Creek           

Bronx, NY 10465       40.824095, -73.813995

Date and Time: 06/06/19  4PM 
Temperature: 80 degrees F.
Tide: Moving toward low

Satellite View of Weir Creek, Bronx NY

1891 Cartographic showing former extent of Weir Creek before landfill

Note: Area of this observation is limited to the north western shore at the Wet Weather Discharge Point - except for any birds swimming, flying, or fishing thru the immediate area.

Access: Weir Creek can be publicly accessed at the foot of Ellsworth Avenue, Bronx NY 10465 from a fire department access point which is not private.  For purpose of GPS the following address may be used : 518 Ellsworth Ave, The Bronx, NY 10465

Short History:

Weir Creek is a small inlet of East Chester Bay, Long Island Sound surrounded by suburban homes, a boatyard and a public park. The original landscape was low lying salt marsh with wooded elevations.

In 1642 Weir creek was a small settlement of native Siwonoy Indians later removed by the Dutch during Kieft’s War of 1643. Post Revolution the area was dotted with the landed estates of influential New York families. In the 1850’s the land was rented or sold to small home developers.

In the early 1900’s the American Museum of Natural History and The Museum of the American Indian conducted extensive archaeological surveys of native shell heaps at the site.

In 1957 the remaining marsh was filled for construction of the Throgg’s Neck Expressway and the approach to the Throgg’s Neck Bridge.


For a short but more informative history of the area see Sergey Kadinsky’s Hidden Waters of New York City Blog, here.
https://hiddenwatersblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/17/weircr/

Presence of Water, flow, clarity, size:

Weir Creek flows roughly northeast into Eastchester Bay and Long island Sound.

Several small fresh water run-off points and one major wet weather discharge culvert enter Weir Creek at the extreme southwestern end.

The fresh water run-offs at low tide are shallow and very clear.  At low tide the major culvert lies green and murky with a minimum depth of a few inches.

At high tide the water is likely salt to brackish depending on rain conditions. Note the high water mark at flood tide on the culvert pictured below which is almost 6 feet above low water.

In New York City there is no separate sewage vs. rainwater system and high volume rain inevitably brings sewage overflow into this waterway.

Wet Weather Discharge Culvert

Green hue of culvert discharge

Bacteria warning concerning wet weather discharge

Describe soil texture, soil moisture, soil color, leaf litter depth, bare soil:

Weir Creek is at a low point in relation to the surrounding land and is essentially at or below mean sea level.  The soil above the creek is landfill, grassed and landscaped by the department of parks as well as suburban yards and streets and boat storage facility. It is buttressed by boulders which average three to four feet in diameter. From here a sand and pebble beach extends approximately 6 to 10 ft and gradually transitions to mud flat.  The sand is  brown to light brown and fine, typical of sandy beaches in the area.  The mud is black and thick, also typical of mud flats in the area.

Land Fill Soil, Rock Barrier, Sandy Beach, Pebbles, Mud flats

A 3/8 steel rod driven by hand penetrated the sand easily to a depth of 4 to 5 inches.

The same rod easily penetrated the mud from 8 to 12 inches at about 15-20 feet from the shore. It was impossible to test this further without sinking ankle deep into the mud.

List of trees present, the number, the size, cavities present:

• Black Locust

(Robinia pseudoacacia) 16 trees 15 to 30’H 12” to 24”dia

• Black Mulberry  

   (Morus nigra)    6 small trees - 4 to 6” dia - 4-6’ H

• Box elder Maple     1 tree 25’ 12’ dia

   (Acer negundo)

Black Mulberry (Morus nigra)

Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

Box elder Maple (Acer negundo)

 List of shrubs, how many, height, dense:

• Multiflora Rose

  (Rosa multiflora)*     2 medium shrubs each 4’ dia

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)*

List of Herbaceous Plants, how many, grass like or broad leaved, height:

• Japanese Knotweed     2 contiguous stands each 5’h x 30’L

   (Reynoutria japonica)*

• Common Reed           1 stand about 4’wide x 6’ high

   (Phragmites australis)

• Smooth Cordgrass      1 nearly continuous bed, 4’ x 60’

   (Spartina alterniflora)

• Common Mugwort          Many, spread thru soil above beach

   (Artemisia vulgaris)

• Common Lamb’s Quarters  2 small groupings at rock tops

   (Chenopodium album)

• Possible Seaside Goldenrod  1 Small group at rock top

   (Solidago sempervirens)

Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica*)

Common Reed (Phragmites australis)*

Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)

Common Mugwort  (Artemisia vulgaris)

Common Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium album)

Possible Seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens)

List of vines, number, size, overgrowing other plants:

 

• Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)*   2 small clusters - 4’ea

• Virginia Creeper

    (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)  1 small vine - 6’

• Poison Ivy (Rhus radicans)         1 small vine - 4’

Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)*

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Poison Ivy (Rhus radicans)

Fungi, lichen mosses, liverworts, abundant micro habitat:

• None observed

Downwood present (logs or branches on ground, size, number and moisture status):

Many small branches and wind blown or tide bourne drift wood.

Beached driftwood and downed poles

List of salt water plants:

• Stone Hair (Blidingia minima)   5 to 7 rock clung groups

• Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca)      7 to 10 scattered frgmts

• Rockweed (Fucus vesiculosus)    2 to 3 rock clung groups

Stone Hair (Blidingia minima)-light green on the right

Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca)

Rockweed (Fucus vesiculosus)

Signs of human activity (mowing, dumping, pruning, fishing, foot traffic):

• Small car rear axle

• Rubber tire

• Child’s bicycle

• Rusted machine engine

• Discarded crab trap

• Discarded building material

• Wreckage of wooden barge

Child’s Bike

Crab Trap

Engine

Building Debris

Wreck of a Barge

Truck Tire

Anthropogenic features (roads, building, stone wall, wood piles, brushpiles, boards:

• Cast Cement Culvert

• Stone Wall

• Chain link fencing partial perimeter, boat yard

• Shore line residences

Cast Cement Culvert

Stone sea wall

Chain link fencing partial perimeter, boat yard

Shore line residences - south east end

List any animals present:

• Ribbed Mussel (Geukensia demissa)    +500

• Hard Clam  (Mercinaria mercenaria)        1

• Mud Whelk (Cominella glandiformis)    +500       

• Mute Swan

   (Cygnus olor)      2 adults 3 hatch-lings                  

• Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)                  1

• Yellow-crowned Night Heron

   (Nyctanassa violacea)           4

• Mew Gull (Larus canus)                    1

• Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)           1

• Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)        2

• House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)       2

• Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica)    1  

Ribbed Mussel (Geukensia demissa)

Hard Clam  (Mercinaria mercenaria)

Eastern Oyster(Crassostrea virginica) Live on right

Mud Whelk (Cominella glandiformis)

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Animal signs present (tracks, trails, damage to leaves or trunks, scats, feathers):

• There were many small holes of about 1/2” in diameter studding the mud, likely home to sea life. These may indicate presence of soft shell clams (Mya arenaria). Where water still covered the mud there was the occasional ejection of water into the air typical of this species.

• Carcass of unknown crab

• Shell remains of soft shell clam (Mya arenaria)

Possible Mya arenaria mud holes

Carcass of unknown crab

Shell remains of Soft Shell Clam
     (Mya arenaria)

Habitat:   Predominately Salt Marsh Estuary