If you haven’t been watching the Duke Farms eagle cam you’re missing out on some great viewing of what goes on inside an eagles nest. This year there are three chicks and they are growing fast. The first two chicks both hatched on March 29th and the third chick hatched on April 1st. The chicks are in their third week and have the second coat of down and are moving all around the nest when their not sleeping or eating.
As in past years I’ll be adding updates to the cam page. This season a new feature is the eagle cam interactive page. Eagle cam viewers can post comments, questions and photos and interact with other eagle cam viewers and biologists.
The D&R Greenway Land Trust’s “Wild Creatures: 40 Years of Protecting Endangered Species” exhibit is being featured at the Johnson Education Center in Princeton, NJ. It is a vivid art-viewing experience that celebrates the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the wildlife it has sought to protect since its inception.
But time is running out to catch this unique blend of science and art!
“The response to the exhibit has been overwhelmingly positive with visitors who are simultaneously delighted by the whimsical creatures, reverent of their noble struggle, and inspired by the recovery efforts undertaken across the globe to save them,” said Diana Moore, curator for the exhibit.
Eight local artists were featured for their work, including Tricia Zimic’s foreboding mobile entitled “A Cautionary Tale.” Henslow sparrows, a Bobolink, and a Peregrine Falcon struggle in an all-to-lifelike storm of fishing wire, plastic and debris. Annelies van Dommelon’s playful yet informative work is also not to be missed. Filling up an entire room with her breathtaking “Bestial Alphabet” viewers can glimpse the A to Z of creatures aided by the Endangered Species Act, many of those depicted being native to New Jersey. More than one viewer compared the exhibit to watching an Aesop’s Fables book come to life.
“This creative exhibit highlights just how special our wildlife is in New Jersey – and why so many species continue to need our protection,” noted David Wheeler, CWF Executive Director. “Each artist brings a unique vision to illustrating the challenges that so many wildlife species face, and to capturing the extraordinary beauty possessed by each species.”
D&R Greenway Land Trust’s mission is to preserve and protect the permanent network of lands they have ensured remain open spaces and to create conditions for a healthy and diverse environment to flourish. In creating public access to these open spaces, it is D&R’s goal and hope that people will develop a greater appreciation for the natural world, and be inspired by conservation ethics and education. D&R President Linda Mead was honored this past December at Women & Wildlife by CWF for the Greenway’s leadership in protecting wildlife habitat in a region of the state that desperately needed that protection.
by Larissa Smith: Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Coordinator
Bald Eagle Project Brochures.
The New Jersey Bald Eagle nesting population is on the rise with 148 nesting pairs monitored in 2013 and 177 young fledged.As the eagle nesting population increases so do the incidences of eagles nesting in close proximity to humans and human activity. It’s exciting to have a pair of bald eagles nesting and people often want to get a closer look but this can cause disturbance to the nesting eagles and have detrimental impacts. Over half of NJ’s eagle nests are located on private property which makes it important to advise and educate land owners, land managers about living with eagles.
To address this issue CWF received a grant to produce two informational brochures about co-existing with bald eagles in NJ. One is a general brochure for anyone interested in eagles in NJ and the other is specifically for landowners/land managers with eagle nests located on their property.The brochures contain information on eagle history, living with eagles as you neighbors, how to be a good eagle watcher or steward, as well as phone numbers for information and law enforcement. As the eagle project volunteers monitor their nests they will have these brochures available to educate interested people.
Eight pairs of NJ eagles are currently incubating (sitting on eggs). The earliest pair to start incubating was confirmed on January 12th, so the birds been keeping the eggs warm throughout the snow and cold weather. Eagle Project volunteers report that pairs all over the state are busy working on their nests in preparation for egg laying.
The Duke Farms eagle camera was put in place in 2008. Since then it has had quite a following of people interested in seeing the pair raise their young. After the young birds leave the nest it is unknown what happens to them. The mortality rate for first year eagles is fairly high since they are just learning how to fly and hunt on their own. So it was quite exciting when on December 1, 2013 Kevin Smith photographed a NJ banded bird at Conowingo Dam, Maryland. He was able to zoom in close enough to view the green band which read C96. This bird had been banded on May 18, 2009 at Duke Farms. He was the oldest of three males raised by the pair in 2009 while being watched by eagle cam viewers. Below is a photo of the three chicks in the nest following the banding. The largest bird on the right is C96. Now at 4 1/2 years old he is almost a mature adult but still has just a slight amount of brown in his tail feathers (photo on left).
Conowingo Dam is a popular spot for eagles this time of year due to the abundance of fish. Kevin noted that the eagles were catching smaller fish than usual and eating them on the fly. The photo below on the right shows C96 moving the fish from his talons to his bill. Kevin reports that he (C96) would then circle back around looking for more fish and got his share of food that day. It is good to know that C96 has survived and is healthy.
The Duke Farms eagle cam is up and the pair is getting the nest ready for the 2014 nesting season.
by Larissa Smith, Wildlife biologist/Volunteer Manager
2013 was a good year for the New Jersey bald eagle population. A total of 148 nests were checked during the season and 119 were found to be active (with eggs). A record high of 177 young were produced. Eagle nests can now be found in all but two of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
As we wrap up the 2013 season eagle pair’s are already reported to be working on nests for the 2014 nesting season. I would like to thank all of the dedicated eagle project volunteers as well as all others involved in the eagle project.
We continue following the movements of the female that had the transmitter placed on May 29th, 2012. She spent the winter down at the Delmarva Penninsula in coastal Virginia and then headed up north and spent a large portion of the summer in Maine. She is starting to head south and on September 2nd was in Connecticut.
On May 31, 2013 the largest of three chicks at the Merrill Creek Reservoir nest, a female, was fitted with a transmitter.
Merrill Creek chick with transmitter May 29th, 2013
This transmitter is different than the ones previously used in that it uses GSM technology. Instead of using satellites to pick up the bird’s location, the transmitter will transmit data via cell phone towers. The data is then transmitted over the internet and delivered as an email to a mobile device or computer. This new technology transmits more data, costs less and allows users to have instant access to the data through smart phones or computers. Since fledging this bird has been on the move spending time in NY, PA and back to NJ and as of September 3rd was back near the nest site.
Eagle Project Volunteer Tom McKelvey captured this photo of one of the juveniles that fledged from the Shark River eagle nest in mid-June. So far this nesting season 157 young eagles have fledged from NJ nests. The juveniles will remain in the nest area for the next few months while they develop their flight and hunting skills.
So far twenty-one eagle chicks have fledged from nests in NJ. Eagle Chicks take their first flight around 11-12 weeks of age but weeks before that they’ll start stretching their wings, flapping and hopping around the nest. These activities help to strengthen the muscles they’ll soon need for flight. The next step is to start “branching” which means they they’ll hop from the nest to the branches of the nest tree. They’ll then take short flights to nearby branches to gain strength and confidence. After fledging they’ll remain in the area of the nest tree for several weeks to learn to hunt and practice flying.
by Larissa Smith, Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Coordinator
Shorebird Steward Liz Hermoso shows beach visitors a clump of horseshoe crab eggs on Cook’s beach.
Once again migratory shorebirds, including the NJ endangered red knot, have returned to the Delaware Bay to feed on horseshoe crab eggs. This annual phenomenon brings people from around the world to the Delaware Bay beaches.
Beaches are closed during the migration from May 7th through June 7th to protect the shorebirds from disturbance when feeding. Just as the birds return each year so do volunteer Shorebird Stewards who educate the public about the beach closures , shorebirds and horseshoe crabs on nine beaches in Cape May and Cumberland County. Now is a great to come out to the beaches to view shorebirds and crabs and say “hi” to the stewards.
This year the hot spots for shorebirds in Cape May County are Reed’s , Cook’s and Kimble’s Beaches and Fortescue in Cumberland County.
