We’re thrilled to see the fourth and final peregrine falcon egg hatch atop the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth via the Union County Falcon Cam. The nest is now bustling with activity as proud parents Frida and Mango care for their four fluffy eyases.
The first three chicks, now nearly a week old, are growing rapidly—peregrine falcon chicks can double their weight within just six days of hatching. The newest hatchling, only a day old, is already being attentively brooded and fed by the adult. At this early stage, the chicks are covered in soft white down and rely entirely on their parents for warmth and nourishment.
Over the coming weeks, these eyases will continue to grow quickly, developing juvenile feathers and strengthening their muscles in preparation for fledging. Typically, peregrine falcons fledge around 6 to 7 weeks of age, so we can expect these chicks to take their first flights in early to mid-June.
Stay tuned to the Union County Falcon Cam to witness these remarkable developments in real-time. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the life cycle of one of nature’s most formidable aerial predators!
Exciting news for osprey watchers—Duke has returned! This morning, the longtime male of our Barnegat Light Osprey Cam returned to his home on Long Beach Island after an incredible journey south for the winter. After months of migration, crossing thousands of miles between New Jersey and the tropics, Duke is back to reclaim his territory. But this year, there’s a twist—a new female is waiting for him!
His previous mate, Daisy, has not yet been spotted, and while we don’t know much about this new female (since she’s unbanded), we’ll be closely observing her iris and feather patterns to track her identity. Today, Duke wasted no time settling in—he was seen feeding on his perch, interacting with the newcomer, and lounging in the nest bowl (classic Duke). If Daisy doesn’t return, he will likely form a new pair bond with this female, marking a fresh chapter in his long and successful life.
Peregrine falcons, once on the brink of extinction in the eastern U.S., have made a remarkable comeback thanks to conservation efforts throughout the region. Urban nesting sites like the Union County Courthouse provide a safe haven for these raptors, offering protection from human disturbance and plentiful food sources. Over the next several weeks, the dedicated parents will take turns keeping the eggs warm until they hatch, bringing new life to downtown Elizabeth.
As we welcome spring’s renewal, we also celebrate the resilience of these magnificent birds. Join us in watching their life cycle unfold via the Union County Falcon Cam. We are thankful to continue our partnership with Union County to help stream this live view and share their incredible life history with the world.
Ospreys are migrating north and will soon begin another nesting season in New Jersey. Earlier this year, their conservation status was upgraded from threatened to stable by NJDEP. This marks a tremendous success in the restoration of ospreys, management of their nesting structures, and vast improvements in the health of our aquatic ecosystems, and the efforts of many devoted environmental professionals and osprey lovers throughout the state. Results from 2024, show that ospreys had favorable conditions for their continued growth and success.
To track the health of the osprey population, each year project staff, volunteers, and citizen scientists collect data on nest occupancy and nest success. Most colonies are surveyed by devoted volunteers who use a ladder to access a nest and determine the outcome. Others are surveyed from a distance using optics or other visual aides, including digital cameras and unmanned aerial systems. Citizen scientists, who contribute observations of nest activity online through www.osprey-watch.org play a crucial role in determining the overall size and health of the state population, as many document nest success in areas where previous nest surveys were not conducted. Moving forward, theses passionate volunteers will play a more important role in monitoring ospreys and their continued success.
Three natural osprey nests within Sedge Island WMA. July 2024.
Overall, results from our surveys recorded a total of 729 nests that were occupied. The majority of nests monitored had increased productivity, which is a stark contrast from what was observed in 2022 and 2023, when most colonies had decreased productivity. This highlights how severe weather, specifically nor’easters, can affect the overall productivity of coastal nesting ospreys, where most osprey nests are located in New Jersey. With no severe weather, the average statewide productivity was normal at 1.63 young/active [known outcome] nest.
As reported last year, observations of adult females not laying eggs at prompted us to conduct some early season surveys in some colonies. A survey that we conducted on Barnegat Bay revealed that 40% of the nests surveys had no eggs or young, which normally had young in previous years. Similar findings were reported in the Great Egg Harbor colony and also in areas of the Chesapeake Bay, which is even more alarming. We still don’t know what caused the reduction in egg-laying females and delayed incubation. More investigation and future monitoring is warranted.
In general, ospreys had a productive season, with the outcome being determined in 73% of the nests surveyed in 2024. Those pairs (533) produced a total of 867 young. A total of 101 (12%) nestlings were banded for future tracking, 35 of which with both federal and red auxiliary, field readable bands at nests on Barnegat Bay. 89 nests were determined to have failed to produce young. This means they either had eggs or nestlings and they were lost.
Osprey 26/H, a seven year old male nesting at Sedge Island WMA. July 2024.
Osprey Band Recoveries
Each year a small portion of young ospreys are banded with federal bird bands for future tracking. Encounters with banded birds is infrequent, unless they are found injured or dead, mainly because the bands are very difficult to read on live birds. With Project RedBand, an osprey banding and re-sighting project on Barnegat Bay, we have seen more encounters with live ospreys than those that are injured/dead. This is a direct result of banding birds with red “field readable” auxiliary bands, which can be read from a distance using a spotting scope or a telephoto lens on a digital camera. In 2024, 41 ospreys that were banded as nestlings were encountered. Of those, 30 were identified by their red bands, most during nest surveys conducted by CWF staff. Obtaining re-sightings of red banded ospreys helps track individual birds as they return to New Jersey to nest as adults. We can learn a lot about their life history while engaging the public in osprey conservation. Thank you to everyone who has reported red banded ospreys that they have observed!
With ospreys being listed as stable, it means they’re not at risk of becoming threatened or endangered in the near future. It does not mean we should just forget about them or walk away. Our continued efforts to monitor ospreys will help track their health and any impacts from threats like plastic marine debris to the loss of vital prey, like menhaden shifting northward from the effects of climate change. We have to continue to maintain their nest structures, which the majority of ospreys rely on to successfully reproduce.
Thankfully we have a growing group of volunteer “osprey watchers” who will help keep tabs on them in the future. As one of the largest birds of prey that nests in very close proximity to humans, especially on our heavily developed coast, creating a connection between ospreys and people is resilience. The ability to adapt to a changing landscape is crucial to our shared prosperity in this region. We must protect our open space and habitats that wildlife depend on to survival, while also allowing our human way of life to move forward.
Special thanks to everyone who donates to support our work with ospreys and to all our volunteers who help maintain their nest structures and monitor nest activity throughout the state!
A lifelong resident of South Jersey, Harrison has always been drawn to the coast and the natural wonders of the area, inspiring him to eventually pursue a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from the University of Rhode Island. There he became a certified rescue and scientific diver, studying coral reefs firsthand in Bermuda. However, his career path unexpectedly shifted to wildlife biology after taking a field ornithology class, where his excitement and passion for birds and wildlife biology bloomed.
After graduating, Harrison pursued a variety of bird related seasonal work, starting as an intern at the Wetlands Institute, being involved in their coastal bird research program and conducting his own project investigating nest success and parameters of Saltmarsh and Seaside Sparrows. From there he worked as a Research Technician for Cellular Tracking Technologies, a wildlife telemetry company, and as a spring migration counter for the Cape May Bird Observatory. Harrison hit the road to Idaho afterwards to survey a threatened population of Yellow-billed Cuckoo as well as migratory shorebirds before joining CWF the next field season as a technician on the Delaware Bay American Oystercatcher Project.
A self proclaimed “bird nerd,” Harrison spends time outside of work birding and learning more about the world of birds. When he’s not in the field, Harrison enjoys getting in the water to surf, SCUBA, swim, or take a leisurely paddle. On more relaxed days he enjoys going to gym, cooking tasty food, and hunting for great restaurants and breweries.
Banding and re-sighting birds is such a rewarding experience. You never know where and when a bird that you banded will show up and what you will learn from that encounter. Banding is a method for biologists to track migratory birds and gain valuable information about them through band re-sightings or encounters. Each year, around 10-20% of young ospreys that are documented during nest surveys in New Jersey are banded with USGS bird bands for future tracking. On Barnegat Bay, through Project RedBand, young ospreys are also banded with red auxiliary, or “field readable” bands. Since 2014, over 600 red bands have been deployed and in recent years we have had more re-sightings of birds that are alive as opposed to those that were found dead. In 2024, we identified 30 ospreys in New Jersey by their red bands.
In a landmark decision, the bald eagle and osprey have been removed from New Jersey’s endangered species list. This remarkable achievement is the result of decades of dedicated conservation efforts and collaboration between government agencies, environmental organizations like Conserve Wildlife Foundation, and the public. The recovery of these iconic birds demonstrates the power of focused conservation initiatives and habitat protection.
The bald eagle, once on the brink of extinction due to DDT use and habitat loss, has made an incredible comeback in New Jersey. From a single nesting pair in the 1970s, the state now boasts 293 nesting pairs. Similarly, ospreys have rebounded from just 50 nests in the 1970s to more than 800 today.
These success stories highlight the effectiveness of long-term conservation strategies, including habitat restoration, nest protection, and public education. They serve as inspiration for future conservation efforts and remind us of the positive impact we can have when we work together to protect our natural heritage.
Partnerships were crucial in the early days of ospreys being listed as endangered in New Jersey in the early 1970s. From public utility companies installing tall nest platforms on coastal saltmarshes to non-profit organizations purchasing land for preservation. Today, they are still the life blood of osprey conservation, fifty years later. One partnership that has been brewing, quite literally, over the past several months was a collaboration and beer from Twin Elephant Brewing Company. They had this small batch beer called: The Osprey and they wanted it to help make a difference for the namesake of the beer, so they decided to partner with Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ to support our osprey conservation efforts. Continue reading “Brewing Partnerships: The Osprey”
I never imagined the rewarding experience of observing adult ospreys that I banded as nestlings. Over the past decade, I have banded six hundred and twelve ospreys with field readable red auxiliary bands. These birds originated from nests throughout the Barnegat Bay watershed, from Point Pleasant to Little Egg Harbor. This year, 29 red banded ospreys were re-sighted along the coast of New Jersey.
Over the past several months we have been working to get our new website online. Our old site was a good one, with a whole lot of educational content, but it became cumbersome and outdated. Although the site continued to draw tens of thousands of visitors, it was incompatible with current servers and had to be replaced. With generous support from the Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation, Osprey Foundation, Sambol Family Foundation, and invaluable help from contributors, partners, and volunteers, we were able to develop and launch our new site. We hope you’ll become a frequent visitor!
You’ll find the new site is much more user friendly, responsive, and focuses on beautiful photographs of rare and at-risk species of New Jersey. This was a crucial aspect of our new design — showcasing beautiful portraits of wildlife and our biologists working in the field. We also wanted to highlight all the people who help wildlife, so a lot of photos showcase many of our staff and volunteers working in the field. You will find updated descriptions for our various wildlife conservation projects. One new feature includes easy to find links (at the top of our site) to our various live streaming wildlife cameras, like the Union County Falcon Cam, Barnegat Light Osprey Cam, and Duke Farms Eagle Cam. Interactive features are built into each of these pages where viewers can leave comments, post screenshots and interact with biologists who work with these species. Among other things, we have a dedicated page for resources, like annual reports, brochures, guides, and we also have a page where you can report your sighting of an endangered species to NJDEP Fish & Wildlife.
