My Introduction to Beach Nesting Birds in New Jersey

By Kaiulani Sund, Seasonal Field Technician

My name is Kaiulani and I am the newest beach nesting bird crew member for CWF this year! I was super excited to get back in the field and this job offered a great opportunity to gain experience working with new birds, as well as help with the conservation efforts to protect their breeding habitats.

My first long-term experience with biological field work consisted of living on an island in Maine in a lighthouse keeper’s house on the edge of a tern colony. My undergraduate advisor at Gettysburg College, Dr. Natasha Gownaris, introduced me to her research with seabirds and when given the opportunity to go with her to one of her research sites as part of the college’s summer research program, I happily accepted. This was a completely new experience for me, and I learned a lot about seabirds, field work, and working with data. In collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, I assisted in collecting data for the long-term monitoring of several species breeding seabirds. This was my first time handling birds and it was equally exciting as it was nerve wracking. It was amazing to see how fast the chicks grew, especially when measuring and weighting them every other day. We also collected blood samples for Dr. Gownaris’ isotope research regarding trophic diversity. Additionally, we collected data for my undergraduate thesis research which focused on chick diet provisioning.

Even with my limited knowledge of birds, it is interesting to compare the differences between the ones I have come to know now working in New Jersey, as part of CWF’s beach nesting bird monitoring at the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR breeding sites. The colonial nesting of terns versus the territorial nesting of the plovers and oystercatchers was one of the more noticeable differences. I was also surprised to learn that a full clutch is 3 or 4 eggs for oystercatchers and plovers, respectively, while terns will lay anywhere between 1 and 3. The plovers’ nest protection skills of leading you away from the nest (cute but effective) definitely beats being dive-bombed by terns. But the biggest difference I noticed was the noise. The lack of thousands of terns “yelling at you” made it seem quiet! It was nice to hear some new “peeps” from the plovers and oystercatchers. Now that the terns are arriving, I’m hearing some familiar sounds and anticipating the increase of cuteness on the beach with so many equally fluffy babies. 

Stepping onto Holgate this summer, the beach became more than just a place to vacation. I have learned how to spot and identify tracks in the sand and follow them to find nest “bowls”, something I would never have given a second look at before while walking along the oceanside. I also quickly became aware of the small but important differences in the beach habitat, such as hummocks and shell beds, where the birds often prefer to set up for the summer. I have been able to expand on other skills like band resighting and pick up new ones like predator track IDing, all important to monitoring the health and productivity of these small but mighty shorebirds.

Overall, working at CWF on this project has been a great introduction to monitoring shorebirds across multiple sites and the important work that goes into conservation. I am looking forward to the rest of the summer season ahead!