vinyldev, Author at Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ

Thank You to Eagle Project Volunteers

Posted on September 11, 2024 by vinyldev

by: Larissa Smith, Senior Biologist

2024 Eagle Project Get-together; photo by: Kathy Clark

We can never thank the NJ Eagle Project volunteers enough for all they do to monitor and protect eagles in New Jersey. Conserve Wildlife Foundation hosted a get-together at the Assunpink Conservation Center this August as a way to say, “thank you”. There are 162 eagle project volunteers currently monitoring eagle nests statewide and it’s not always easy to get everyone together at one time due to distance and obligations. The volunteers who were able to attend shared stories with other volunteers about the nesting season, received an update on the proposed eagle delisting from ENSP Chief, Kathy Clark and hopefully felt very appreciated. This is down time for the eagle project volunteers, though some eagles are already back and working on their nests. THANK YOU to all the Eagle Project Volunteers.

The Bald Eagle project would not be possible without our corporate partners. We would like to thank PSE&G, Wakefern/ShopRite Stores, Wells Fargo Advisors, and the Cape May County Zoo (AAZK) for providing crucial financial and outreach resources to help keep bald eagles soaring above New Jersey.

Photo from the Field: Mixed Results for Ospreys in 2024

Posted on August 16, 2024 by vinyldev

by Ben Wurst, Senior Wildlife Biologist

*An active osprey nest with two live and one dead nestling on the Mullica River. June 2024.*

As juvenile ospreys fledge and adult females begin their southbound migration, work to summarize data from this year is ongoing. So far, it doesn’t look like a terrible year but not a great one either. Food stress (or brood reduction) was still apparent within some coastal nest colonies, despite the lack of severe weather (nor’easters/microbursts, etc) which could affect the ability of adult males to find and catch prey.

A Juvenile Eagle Fledges With a Little Help

Posted on August 15, 2024 by vinyldev

by Rich Nicol, Eagle Project Volunteer

H54 final release, August 1st, 2024, photo by Rich Nicol

As any NJ Eagle Project nest monitor will tell you, we go through many emotions during the nesting season. The first time of the season that you spot the eagle pair on the nest is exhilarating because you know at least they are back. Then comes the “will they or won’t they nest stage”, where every time you go to the nest your heart drops if you don’t see the eagles. The feeling you get when they are sitting low in the nest and you know they have laid eggs is like your fist pumping the sky. However, there are times that seriously try you. There is nothing like the gut punch of seeing a nest tree that fell over after a storm or an abandoned nest sitting empty. We have to be even-keeled, but emotions boil over sometimes and the loss of a nest can really make you rethink why you are a nest monitor at all. The eagles you watch become family, and you feel great joy when the nestlings turn into fledglings and take to the skies, although you had no part in it, you feel pride nonetheless in their success. This brings us to this story of a rather precocious male nestling who defied all the odds.

Enhancing the Sciences at LBIF

Posted on August 13, 2024 by vinyldev

by Ben Wurst, Senior Wildlife Biologist

For the past two summers, Victoria Rosikiewicz has worked for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey at the Long Beach Island Foundation (LBIF) of Arts and Sciences. LBIF is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “promote the arts and sciences on Long Beach Island and the surrounding communities by enlightening, educating, and stimulating thought and discussion about current trends in the arts and sciences through educational and cultural programs for all ages.” We began working with LBIF in 2015 to help encourage ospreys to utilize a nest platform on their 20 acre preserved saltmarsh. Over the years, our relationship has grown and we have worked to improve science based programming and environmental features on site. From enhancing their Nature Trail and installing the live streaming LBIF Marsh Cam, building the Osprey Blind, and creating terrapin nesting habitat. Victoria has helped to expand environmental education through leading LBIF’s Discovery Days public walks, CWF’s wildlife summer camp, and conducting wildlife surveys. This work has been funded through a grant from the Osprey Foundation.

Great Bay Boulevard: An Ecological Marvel

Posted on July 28, 2024 by vinyldev

by CWF Great Bay Terrapin Project Volunteer Intern, Matthew McCall

*CWF Volunteer Intern Matthew McCall holding two adult female terrapins.*

This summer I had the opportunity to work as an intern for the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF), researching and surveying Northern diamondback terrapins. Words could not describe how excited I was for this position, working with Senior Wildlife Biologist, Ben Wurst every day this summer was an incredible learning experience. Mr. Wurst taught me how to conduct surveys Great Bay Blvd Wildlife Management Area. This area is an ecological marvel, I witnessed hundreds of terrapins crossing the road on multiple occasions. I remember one day in particular when such a large quantity of terrapins were moving that it took me six hours to drive down that five-mile road, over two hundred terrapins were observed on Great Bay Boulevard that day alone.

My Terrapin Summer

Posted on July 26, 2024 by vinyldev

by CWF Great Bay Terrapin Project Volunteer Intern, Madison Rose O’Malley

*Madison holding an adult female terrapin with scars showing damage consistent with an impact with a boat/outboard.*

This summer, I had the chance to volunteer for the Great Bay Terrapin Project to help survey the local terrapin population within Great Bay Boulevard Wildlife Management Area. Being able to assist a vulnerable population was incredibly fulfilling and I personally was able to learn a lot about their behavior during this incredible time. I got to see firsthand just how many female turtles crossed that road to lay their eggs, but unfortunately that also showed me just how many were injured or killed by reckless, inattentive, or outright malicious drivers. One thing I realized during this is just how hardy of an animal the terrapin is. I saw individuals with massive chunks taken out of them, bite marks, claw marks, and huge gashes from boat propellers forever etched into their shells. I realized that despite their vulnerability in early life and extremely slow growth, the defense of their shell and their insane ability to recover from injuries left them with very few threats for a long time. Even many major boat injuries are recoverable, emphasizing the severity of the threat posed by automobiles specifically.

Photos from the NJ Bald Eagle Nesting Season

Posted on July 15, 2024 by vinyldev

Larissa Smith: Senior Biologist

The 2024 NJ Bald eagle nesting season is winding down and so far 221 young eagles have fledged from nests throughout the state. We know that these eagles have fledged due to the eagle project volunteers who monitor all known eagle nests in New Jersey. Being a nest monitor can be a joyful experience when all goes well and the pairs successfully fledge young. But, it can also be heartbreaking when a pair fails to hatch eggs and when adults or chicks are lost during the season. Despite the ups and downs of monitoring eagle nests the volunteers continue to be dedicated to the eagle project. I asked the Eagle Project volunteers to send me their two favorite photos from the season.

Please enjoy the slideshow.

All photos were taken by trained volunteers from a safe distance using high powered scopes and cameras.

Scott Northey
Alex Tongas
Alex Tongas
Evan Federici
Niko Roose
Niko Roose
Christine Alber
Robert Hofstrom
Blake Allan
Blake Allan
Cheryl Leonard
Evan Federici
Daniel Rossi
Daniel Rossi
Andrea Passarella
Spence Bennett
Spence Bennett
Kimberly Simpkson
Dede Kotler
Bryan & Alexis Everingham
Barb McKee
Ba rb Typinski
John King
John King
Cheryl Leonard
Donna & Heiki Poolake
Anne Price
Jeffrey Crawn
Jeffrey Crawn
Darlene DeSantis
Darlene DeSantis
Denise Bittle
Donna & Heiki Poolake
Lisa Romero
Lisa Romero
Joe Codis
Evan Federici
Sandy Caggiano
Kimberly Simpkins
Jim Harding
Jim McClain
Linda Palmer Hofmann
Kevin Buynie
Karin Buynie
Tony Gregorio
Tony Gregorio
Rose Marie Joy
Rose Marie Joy
Diane Cook
Diane Cook
TeddiLyn Welden
TeddiLyn Welden
MacKenzie Hall
McKenzie Hall
Kevin Redden
Dallas Hetherington
Dallas Hetherington
John Parke
Rich Nicol
Rich Nicol
Paul Lenzo
Barb McKee
Jim Harding
Alice Belthoff
Alice Belthoff
Andrea Passarella
Jim McClain
Susie Cuthie
Tony Petrongolo
Tony Petrongolo
Paul Lenzo
Christine Alber
Denise Bittle
Scott Northey
Joe Mish
Joe MIsh
Margaret Ferry
Margaret Ferry
Stacey Emery
Stacey Emery
Barbara Typinski
Bryan & Alexis Everingham
Sandy Caggiano
Sandy Caggiano
Clare Luisi
Clare Luisi
Bill Reinert
Bill Reinert

Unusual Year for Breeding Ospreys in New Jersey

Posted on June 21, 2024 by vinyldev

by Ben Wurst / Senior Wildlife Biologist

Aerial view of an empty osprey nest. Little Egg Harbor, NJ. June 2024.

So far it has been an usual year for nesting osprey in New Jersey. This spring, the pair that has nested at our osprey cam in Barnegat Light, who arrived on time, the female did not lay any eggs. Then I heard from a woman who watches a nest near the southern end of Long Beach Island who reported the same — pair present but incubation was never observed. Another report came in from an osprey nest watcher on the Mullica River (to the southwest of LBI) who reported the same — no incubation observed. We put out a call on social media for osprey nest watchers to report anything odd like this to us (while also reporting osprey nest activity online via Osprey-watch.org). Some people reported seeing the same behavior..

Shorebird Stewards: A season in photos

Posted on June 4, 2024 by vinyldev

by: Larissa Smith, Senior Wildlife Biologist

Twenty-nine Shorebirds Stewards were posted at Delaware Bay beaches in Cumberland and Cape May Counties during the annual shorebird migration in May. Stewards help to protect the feeding shorebirds by keeping disturbance to a minimum. Shorebirds birds need to feed and fatten up on horseshoe crab eggs for their journey north to their breeding grounds. Stewards educate the public about this phenomenon and the reasons for the restricted beaches. The 2024 shorebird season went smoothly, the crabs spawned throughout May, so there were plenty of eggs on the beaches. This season the shorebirds were using many of the beaches with restricted access to the public. These beaches had stewards present and viewing areas, allowing people to witness the multitudes of shorebirds, especially the Red-knot, a federally listed species. Thank you to all the stewards for making this a successful shorebird season.

photos by Shorebird Stewards

Photos from the Field

Posted on May 29, 2024 by vinyldev

by Ben Wurst / Senior Wildlife Biologist

There aren’t many times when you get to climb to the roof of a courthouse in a major metropolitan area. Except if you’re a raptor biologist! We recently joined NJ Fish & Wildlife’s Chief of the Endangered and Nongame Species Program, Kathy Clark and Union County staff and guests to band the four young falcons produced at a nest atop the Union County Courthouse, home to the Union County Falcon Cam.