It is clear to me that White-nose syndrome (WNS) has decimated a large portion of the bat population in New Jersey, or at least at a site where I count bats for the Summer Bat Count. In 2008 (before WNS), I counted 261 bats at the Chatsworth General Store in August. Counting bats may seem like a daunting feat, but at dusk (when there is still a little light) the bats fly out of their daytime roosts. Sometimes, 1-2 at a time or in bursts of 3-4 or more. In August 2009, I counted 169 bats at the store. This past Sunday, I only counted 23 bats. To say the least these results are alarming. I hope that at other locations in New Jersey people are still seeing bats and I hope that WNS does not continue to decimate the population.
The eagle in a carrier to be transported from Sandy Hook to The Raptor Trust. Image courtesy National Park Service.
Last Tuesday I met with Debra and Gail, volunteers with The Raptor Trust in northern New Jersey to help release a juvenile eagle. The release was coordinated by Kathy Clark with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program and Cathy with the Raptor Trust. They transported the eagle for more than 2 hours to see it return to the wild. I was merely there because I have experience with handling birds of prey (in case anything were to happen).
The eagle was found on Gunnison Beach in late June inside Gateway National Recreation Area on Sandy Hook.The eagle was spotted by park visitors on the beach. The eagle was distressed but had no injuries. Jeanne McArthur–Heuser, NPS transported the eagle to the Raptor Trust, located in Millington, New Jersey.
Many juvenile raptors or birds of prey are not 100% successful at catching prey. Some rely on their parents for food until they learn the skills to catch prey that they will use for the rest of their lives.
The eagle was rehabilitated at the Raptor Trust for 6 weeks. It was a male and was banded with a federal USGS bird band for future tracking. At the Raptor Trust it got plenty of rest and relaxation under their care. I met Gail and Debra in Millville where we traveled south towards Newport. We released the eagle at a location determined by Kathy Clark in Cumberland County at Nantuxent Wildlife Management Area. The release was uneventful (which is good!!!). We basically stood behind and to the sides of a large dog crate and opened the door. I held the door open and lifted up the back to try and encourage the eagle to leave the crate. After about 45 seconds, the eagle hopped out of the crate and immediately took off into the distance with a strong flight.
Without the care of the National Park Service, The Raptor Trust, and the Endangered and Nongame Species Program, this eagle might not have survived! This is a clear example of how we are all connected and how delicate the balance of nature is! We hope this eagle lives on and is able to flourish in New Jersey!
Click here to read a news release from NPS when the eagle was found.
The office where I work, inside Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area in northern Cape May County, recently lost its connection to the world wide interweb. The office is home to the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife staff and three CWF employees. Since the demise of our connection to the world wide interweb the office has been ghostly quiet. Some have chosen to work at home, use some vacation time, or get some field work done. I just wrapped up my primary field season surveying osprey nests along the Atlantic Coast of NJ so I chose to be constructive, literally. I started constructing some artificial nesting platforms for ospreys. Normally I do this in the winter when field work is very limited, but finishing these now will give me a chance to install them this fall. Late summer and fall are the best times to install platforms. The water and air are warm and the winds are calm, so boots and bulky clothes aren’t required. So, I’m glad the internet is down because it gave me a reason to construct these platforms earlier than usual.
Two platforms will be going up in Lavallette, one near Tuckerton, and the other has yet to be determined (possibly Sea Isle). Stay tuned for more updates and photos!
This year we started a new project to try and help reduce the amount of road kills of northern diamondback terrapins along Great Bay Blvd. in southern Ocean County. Great Bay Blvd. is a 5 mile long paved road that extends into the coastal saltmarsh. The road leads to the Rutgers Marine Field Station and the old Fish Factory on Seven Island. We were able to fence a small portion of the road, install three crossing signs along the road, and develop an educational brochure (that is available at marinas in the area).
Unfortunately, terrapins are still hit by motor vehicles along other portions of the road. This is inevitable. Fencing the whole road would almost be impossible and very time consuming to maintain. This fall and winter I am going to work with the town (Little Egg Harbor) and NJ Fish and Wildlife (who owns the land around the road) to come up with a plan to minimize road kills along the road. A viable option would be to install speed humps to reduce the speed of motorists along the road and for the town to post and enforce a reduced speed limit (25mph) along the road.
1. Plant trees! The more the better, plant evergreens on the north-east side of your house and deciduous on the south side. Evergreens provide cover to birds and other wildlife in winter months and also shelter to your house from those cold NW winds. Make sure to choose native species like Eastern red cedar or Pitch pine for NW locations and Tulip poplar or Sweet gum for south locations.
2. Minimize use of pesticides and herbicides. Use only plant based pesticides, like ones made with Pyrethrum, which is made from the dried flower heads of Chrysanthemums. Try using vinegar as a natural alternative to broad spectrum herbicides. Do not use any pesticides or herbicides before any precipitation.
3. Use local and FREE mulch and compost. Many municipalities and county utility authorities provide free mulch to their residents. This is a great way to reuse a large portion of the waste stream in your county. Better yet, start a compost pile in your own backyard!
4. Use native species! They are acclimated to our climate and most are non-invasive. Many plants and trees sold at nurseries are meant to be aesthetically pleasing and most don’t provide suitable habitat for wildlife, besides providing cover.
5. Create a brush pile using branches and logs to provide cover for small mammals, reptiles, and songbirds.
6. Plant fruit bearing shrubs and trees. These can provide food for songbirds and other wildlife throughout the year. From eastern red-cedar and American holly to winged sumac and northern bayberry.
7. Reduce the size of your lawn by planting a wildflower garden. They require less water than cool season grasses and provide nectar to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds and also provide seeds to many songbirds. You will save money and time by reducing the amount of grass on your property.
8. Install bird and bat houses. Bird houses can provide a place for cavity nesting birds to nest, like chickadees, wrens, and bluebirds. Monitor the birdhouse throughout the spring and summer to be sure no exotic species are utilizing it, like European starlings. Maternity bat houses can provide female bats with a place to raise their young. Bats feed on thousands of insects each night. They help control insect populations and in some areas help pollinate fruit and vegetable crops.
9. Wildlife need water to survive. Put out a bird bath or even better, install a pond. A simple bird bath can be a medium-sized saucer or shallow bowl. Change the water frequently to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Ponds are even better for wildlife, especially amphibians, like frogs, toads, and salamanders. A simple pond can be made out of an old bath tub. Place rocks along the edge, plant some flowers along the edges, and put some branches and rocks in the water to enhance the habitat in the pond.
The iris is the thin colored part of an eye that is responsible for controlling the size of the pupil and the amount of light that enters the pupil. As a hatching the iris of an osprey is blood red in color. As a nestling (pictured below) they turn to an amber or orange color. The eye color and plumage of juveniles help distinguish them from adults, which have a yellow iris. Juvenile ospreys also have “buff” or tan feather tips on their contour (body) feathers. This helps camouflage them before they can fly and it also helps distinguish them from adults, who have dark brown body feathers.
Over the past few weeks volunteers and biologists have been performing ground surveys to help determine the health of the osprey population in New Jersey. The surveys are part of the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program, Osprey Management Project. Ospreys are listed as a threatened species in New Jersey. They were originally listed as endangered in 1974 after only 50 nesting pairs were found in 1973. By 1986, their status was upgraded to threatened after their population rebounded to 100 nesting pairs. Today there are over 450 pairs of ospreys that we help to monitor in New Jersey.
Ospreys are highly dependent upon humans to provide artificial nesting structures for them and they are highly susceptible to many different heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants like DDT, DDE, PCBs and more recently brominated fire retardants (PBDE) that bio-accumulate in the food chain.
Surveys are performed each year during summer when osprey nestlings are old enough to band (3-6 weeks old) but not old enough to fly. They cover all major nesting areas including, the Delaware Bay, Raritan Bay south to Cape May, and inland. During ground surveys nestlings are banded with USGS aluminum leg bands for future tracking. I survey areas from Great Bay in Little Egg Harbor north to Fort Monmouth in Oceanport and Mantoloking along the Atlantic Coast.
The data we collect (whether or not a nest is active and the # of young produced) is used to calculate the productivity rate. Ospreys need a productivity rate of at least .8 young/nest to sustain the population. In the past 5+ years they have had more than double this rate. The population has grown by 21% from 2006 to 2009. Last year there were 485 nesting pairs in New Jersey. This year we expect there to be even more. Last years results are summarized in the 2009 Newsletter.
Last year was a record-breaking year. Before the effects of DDT, habitat loss and persecution decimated the population in the mid-1900’s there were over 500 nesting pairs. Since the mid-1970’s, when the project began the population has slowly risen to its current level. Each year more platforms are damaged by harsh winter weather and the extremes of being located in saltmarshes. Work is continual and never ending. Repairs to existing platforms occur during the “off” season or non-breeding season from late August to the end of March. New platforms (built with stainless and galvanized hardware, that are meant to last) are placed in areas where suitable habitat exists where little to no available nest sites occur. It is our goal to help the population recover to historic numbers.
Preliminary results show that some areas fared very well this year. The colony from Little Egg Harbor to Atlantic City had 25 active nests that produced 57 young. Last year, 36 nests produced 55 young. The climate has been optimal for ospreys, except for the occasional thunderstorm with high winds. Temperatures have been above normal and precipitation has been below normal. Full results from the season will be available this fall once the survey results are collected and summarized.
Our work would not be possible without the support of our members and volunteers. Thank you!
On June 29th I visited Fort Monmouth to survey the nesting platforms there. Four structures were occupied including this platform that was placed along a tributary of the Shrewsbury River, an area in need of more nesting structures for ospreys. A total of 8 young were produced there this year. The young were banded with a federal USGS bird band for future tracking.
Highly domed carapace (upper shell) and a hinged plastron (lower shell). Most terrestrial turtle found in New Jersey.
Identification
Box turtles range in length from only 4″ up to 8.5″. The shell of the box turtle is unique. It’s carapace is high and shaped like a dome. It’s keel, or the ridge along the backbone is weak or very flat. The plastron is hinged and can close very tightly, in front and in rear. This is meant to protect the turtle from predators, especially the neighborhood dog.
Sexes are slightly similar in appearance. Both have yellow, orange, olive, or tan on their carapace and plastron that is contrasted by a light or dark black background. Individuals can appear very different in coloration. The male (pictured above) is very vibrantly colored. Younger turtles are more vibrantly colored than older ones. Males have a longer and wider tail than females. Their carapace is often more flattened than females. Males have a more vibrantly colored (orange or red) eyes. The plastron of males is slightly concave. Females have lighter colored (light brown to light orange) eyes and their plastron is flat. Their carapace is often more domed in shape.
Distribution and habitat
The Eastern or Common box turtle occurs in the eastern United States from central Maine south to southern Georgia and Alabama, west to central Michigan and southern Wisconsin and then south into parts of Illinois, all of Kentucky, Tennessee, and then parts of Mississippi. It can be found in all of the 21 counties in New Jersey.
Range of the Eastern box turtle. Image courtesy Davidson College Herpetology Lab.
Box turtles inhabit open woodlands and meadows. They are often seen in neighborhood backyards in rural and suburban areas. They are usually not far from streams or ponds, however, during rainy weather they may roam farther from water. They are the most terrestrial turtle found in New Jersey. They like water, but are not adapted for swimming in water.
Studies have shown that box turtles have very small home ranges. Researchers found that their territories are around 250 square yards or less. If box turtles are removed from their territories and placed in an unfamiliar area, then they may die while trying to find their way back home. It is very important to not take a box turtle from its habitat and relocate it. If you find an injured one and do transport it to a state certified rehabilitator; record the animals location and make sure to inform the rehabilitator so it can be re-released where it was found.
Diet
Box turtles are omnivores. Changes in food preference occur during different seasons and life stages. Young turtles eat more insects, while adults eat more plant matter. Young turtles eat earthworms, snails, insect larvae, and some vegetative matter. Adults eat large quantities of fungi and particularly like berries and fruits from trees and shrubs.
Life Cycle
Box turtles, like other reptiles are cold-blooded and in the northern parts of their range hibernate from late October or November until April. During hibernation they burrow into loose soil, vegetative debris, and/or loose sand, and sometimes in the mud of stream bottoms. They dig burrows with their front legs, instead of their back legs (which are used to dig holes for laying eggs). Some hibernate at depths up to two feet deep. They can arise during warm spells.
Individuals become reproductive at 4 to 5 years in age. They can live to be older than 20 years in age. Mating begins shortly after individuals emerge from hibernation. During courtship, males chase or follow females to mate. Males often bite the edges of the females carapace, head, and neck. The male mounts the female (males have the concave plastron that helps during copulation) and hooks his back legs under the back edge of the females shell. During copulation the males body becomes upright and reproduction occurs. There has been evidence that females can remain fertile for two or three years after mating.
Eggs are laid in June and July. Nesting usually occurs in the late afternoon. Females deposit eggs in a hole that she digs in loose or sandy soil and sometimes in lawns. The cavity is around 3 inches deep, or about as long as the back legs of the adult female turtle. They lay between 2 to 7 eggs. Most hatching occurs in September or average incubation is around 87 to 89 days. Young either remain in the nest after hatching, emerge and go directly into hibernation, or emerge and explore for a few days to weeks, then hibernate. They do not require food during their first summer or fall before going into hibernation.
Current Status, Threats, and Conservation
Box turtles are fairly common throughout their range; however, they’re population is declining in New Jersey. Habitat destruction and fragmentation isolate individuals from finding mates and food. This causes local populations to decline in numbers or become extirpated from an area. Their slow reproductive rate does not allow for a fast recovery if a local population losses several individuals in a given amount of time.
Be aware for box turtles while driving!
Another threat to box turtles is the illegal collection for use as pets. They are highly sought for their use in the illegal pet trade (one of the world’s most profitable markets). Many people collect box turtles to breed in captivity for use as pets. Another conservation concern is the impact of high mortality rates from impacts with motor vehicles. Many roads transect suitable habitat for box turtles and many turtles that enter roadways die each year.
These threats have exacerbated their decline and the fact that the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program have listed them as a Species of Special Concern. This listing will mostly importantly help garner protection through enhanced habitat protection of suitable or critical habitat for box turtles.
How to help
The Endangered and Nongame Species Program would like for individuals to report their sightings of box turtles. Record the date, time, location, and condition of the animal and submit the information by submitting a Sighting Report Form. The information will be entered into the state’s natural heritage program, commonly referred to as Biotics. Biologists map the sighting and the resulting maps “allow state, county, municipal, and private agencies to identify important wildlife habitats and protect them in a variety of ways. This information is used to regulate land-use within the state and assists in preserving endangered and threatened species habitat remaining in New Jersey.”
Schwartz, Vicki and Dave Golden. 2002. Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of New Jersey. NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife. Available in our online store!
The subject of peregrine falcons have hijacked this blog! On Friday, I visited a nest at Forsythe NWR to medicate the young for prevention of trichomonas, an avian disease carried by pigeons and doves. Adult peregrines can transfer it to their young and if not treated can kill them. Kim Steininger, a renowned and award-winning bird photographer joined me and got some amazing photos! While I was up on the nesting tower, Kim was stationed behind her camera, which was wielding a powerful lens to capture these amazing photos of the adult peregrines in flight while I checked on the nestlings.
This was my third visit to this particular nest. I can attest to the strong parental bond of this female to her young. During my first visit (5/21) she hit me while I was attempting to look for a parasitic fly that has caused hatchlings to die in previous years. The young were about 2-3 days old and were very vulnerable, so the aggressive nature is understood.
Peregrines and other birds of prey, like eagles, owls, ospreys, and hawks see humans as predators. This is because they don’t have any other predators in the wild. This is also why disturbance is a major issue during the nesting season. When an adult leaves the nest; its young are unprotected. They are susceptible to predators like gulls and crows. Never approach a nest and only view from established viewing locations!
On the second visit (5/24) the female landed on the nesting tower, not more than 5 feet away from me! In the nest 2 weeks the young will be banded with federal USGS bird bands and state bi-color bands for future identification.
