On Saturday February 5th thirty eagle project volunteers met to discuss the 2011 eagle season. The meeting took place during the Cumberland County Eagle Festival which is held the first Saturday in February. It was a rainy day but that didn’t keep the volunteers away.
During the festival there were talks, walks, vendors and educational displays. Eagle Project volunteer Kevin Buynie made and donated two eagle shaped bird houses to CWF. We raffled one off at the festival and it was a big hit!
People stopped by the CWF table and reported eagle sightings and a few possible new eagle nests. It is always nice to see how interested people are in eagles, raptors and wildlife in general.
Thank you to everyone who came out to visit us and support our work to monitor and conserve eagles in New Jersey!
The New Jersey midwinter eagle survey takes place each January and is part of the National midwinter eagle survey to monitor population levels. Another benefit of the midwinter eagle survey is that new eagle nests and nesting pairs are often located. The target dates for the 2011 survey was January 8th and 9th. Approximately 75 volunteers participated throughout the state. This year the snowy winter weather on Saturday did effect the count due to the heavy snow fall at times and low visibility. Sunday was clear and sunny which allowed volunteers to get out and survey.
Preliminary results:
194 eagles – southern NJ
24 eagles – northern NJ reservoirs
17 eagles – Delaware Water Gap
A total of 235 eagles were observed this year.
This total is lower than 2010s count of 333 eagles which is in large part due to the weather. Full results will be released soon.
Thank you to all the volunteers who braved the snow, cold and windy weather!
If you enjoy hearing the sounds of frogs and toads and like a bit of adventure then the NJ Calling Amphibian Project (CAMP) might be the right project for you! Each of the 16 species of frogs and toads in NJ has a unique vocalization or “call” that can be heard during their mating season. The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ is actively recruiting volunteers to participate in a statewide Calling Amphibian Monitoring Program (CAMP). Fourteen CAMP routes are currently available for the 2011 season.
The 2010 New Jersey bald eagle nesting season has ended and the young eagles have left their nest areas and are heading out on their own. This season there was a high of 94 eagle pairs being monitored. Eighty-two of these pairs were active (laid eggs), 8 were territorial and it was unknown if and where 4 other pairs were nesting. Thirteen new pairs of eagles were located this season. Good news, the bald eagle population is increasing.
Forty-three nests were successful in producing 69 young, for a productivity rate of .84 young per active nest. This is slightly below the required range of 0.9-1.1 young per nest for population maintenance. Unfortunately there were 32 nests which failed to produce young this season. Many of the failures can be attributed to the severe winter and spring weather which coincided with the eagle nesting season. But every population has fluctuations so this one off season won’t effect the NJ eagle population in the long term.
More details will be available in the Annual Bald Eagle Project report which will be out by the end of the year.
by Larissa Smith Volunteer Coordinator & Biologist
Every year starting in the late fall/early winter the bald eagle project volunteers start to monitor their eagle pairs. This dedicated group of 60 volunteers monitors each nest at least once a week during the nesting season which goes into July. Observers record all data including number of birds, courtship or nesting behaviors, incubation, feeding, hatching and fledging. Volunteers notify CWF/ENSP staff immediately if any unusual or threatening activities are seen around the nest site. The eagle project volunteers are the eyes and ears of the program. They form relationships with landowners, neighbors and educate the public about eagles in NJ.
So far in 2010, 23 eagle project volunteers have reported volunteering at total of 1,312 hours! This is a significant amount of time and will increase as more volunteers report their hours for the year.
On Saturday August 21st a get-together was held for the eagle project volunteers. Not only was this a way to thank volunteers it also gave them the opportunity to discuss the nesting season with fellow volunteers and staff. A power point presentation was shown featuring photos from the nesting season taken by volunteers.
THANK YOU to all the dedicated eagle project volunteers!
Ospreys love to bring garbage back to their nests. While out checking on nests I’ve found everything from rope, fishing line, flip flops, plastic bags, a Frisbee, hats and even a plastic crab in nests. The problem is that every year while volunteers and staff are checking on nests at least one chick is found entangled in this garbage. Fishing line gets caught around their feet and legs and a plastic bag can entangle a chick. If no one went out to check on these nests most of these chicks wouldn’t make it. It’s not only the chicks that suffer from the garbage we throw out. Adult ospreys have been found dead and hanging from fishing line. Ospreys and other species whose diet consists of mostly fish are particularly vulnerable to injury and death from fishing line and hooks. During a visit to an NJ eagle nest a chick was found with a fishing hook embedded in its mouth. I have also found horseshoe crabs and terrapins entangled in fishing line and these are just a few examples of how garbage effects wildlife.
Visitors to Reeds Beach discuss the shorebird season with Shorebird Steward Jim May.
One part of my job that is quite enjoyable is getting to spend time on the Delaware Bay beaches in the spring and working with the Shorebird Stewards. As the CWF volunteer manager I organize the Shorebird Steward program which is part of the International Shorebird Project. During the two week period that stewards are on the beaches I try to get out and check on the beaches and meet with the stewards as much as possible. This season there were 26 stewards and 23 of those had worked as stewards during a previous season.
The main part of the steward’s job is to educate people about the shorebirds and horseshoe crabs, but they do a lot more than that in a day. Stewards also keep people from going into the closed areas of the beaches so that the shorebirds can feed undisturbed. They give directions and send people to the beaches where the most birds have been sighted that day.
Shorebird Steward Rochelle Gimmillaro points out shorebirds to visitors to Cook’s beach.
If they have time they also count the number of shorebirds on the beaches and if possible record any banded birds that they see. Stewards deal with all types of people and situations. Some beaches are much busier than others, such as Reed’s beach where there is a viewing platform. On many days there is a constant stream of people coming to the view the shorebirds and horseshoe crabs.
This season there were very few problems on the beaches and it is directly due to the shorebird stewards hard work and dedication to the project.
I look forward to getting back on the beaches next shorebird season and working with such a great group of volunteers.
