CWF’s Todd Pover was spotlighted in a recent NPR piece on the challenges of protecting endangered beach nesting birds along the New Jersey coastline.
Listen to the Story and Read More
“Absolutely anyone can be a birder.” says Ben Kingsley in the new movie, A Birder’s Guide to Everything, directed by Rob Meyer, a coming of age comedy about teenage bird watchers.
This main-stream movie is an important public engagement tool to raise awareness for the conservation of birds and to hopefully excite some people into picking up a set of binoculars and start the addicting hobby of bird watching.
The Fledging Birders Institute will be hosting a special screening and meet the director event on Thursday, April 24th at the AMC Deptford 8 Theatre in Deptford, NJ beginning at 6:30 pm.
More info, and to purchase tickets, can be found here.
Yesterday, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ and NJ Endangered & Nongame Species Program staff released a rehabilitated bald eagle back into the wilds of NJ. Eagles, as well as other raptors, have made a huge comeback in NJ, down to just a few birds in the 1980’s. Today, CWF, with the help of volunteers, monitors approx. 150 nests.
Check out the ABC News video of the Bald Eagle Released in Gloucester County
By Charlene Smith, Program Coordinator
On a cold blustery January morning I decided to brave the elements in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Snowy Owl irruption occurring in our area. Since as early as December, the owls have been showing up all along the east coast hanging out by our beaches as it is similar to the barren habitat that they are accustomed to in the Canadian Arctic. The reason why we are seeing so many snowy owls this year is because of good productivity on their breeding grounds. There was a huge supply of lemmings this past summer that created an abundance of young. Most likely the owls that we have been seeing are juveniles who don’t have their own territories and have moved south possibly looking for food.
On my 45 minute ride out to Sandy Hook, I keep thinking that I was crazy to be doing this. What are the chances that I could spot this rare owl on a 7 mile stretch of Barrier Island? The odds were against me but I had a hunch on where to look. I arrived at Sandy Hook, grabbed my newly purchased Nikon binoculars and my Canon camera and took off in the hopes of finding an owl and catching a few shots.
As I walked along the paved path that runs along the water, I scanned the tops of the buildings for a large white bird. I noticed a few people gazing up and pointing to something in the distance. I hit the jackpot! I quickly came upon the group and locked my binoculars to the top of a chimney in absolute amazement and disbelief. There sat perched a beautiful snowy owl with faded barring, its eyes half closed, half open. With every noise it would rotate its head around in the direction of the intruding sound. We patiently waited for the owl to take off in flight and when it decided to move, we gasped in awe. It flew over to some pilings by the water and waddled cautiously up the wooden beams, occasionally starring back at the crowd of onlookers. It was clearly annoyed by the group watching its every move and in an instant it decided to fly off while the people with their telephoto lens and binoculars followed suit. I was chilled to the bone and couldn’t feel my fingers anymore. As much as I wanted to follow the owl I decided it best to appreciate the wildlife from afar and respect its boundaries. I was grateful for the experience and that I could proudly tout that I saw a snowy owl in New Jersey of all places. This is a once in a lifetime occurrence and I recommend taking the time to find a snow owl, but onlookers beware – Keep your distance and respect the owls boundaries.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is keeping track of snowy owl sightings with their eBird project, a real-time online bird checklist program. Another interesting site is Project SNOWstorm, a site dedicated to collecting important data regarding this season’s snowy owl irruption. Scientists are affixing solar-powered GPS transmitters to snowy owls, which records the owls’ location every 30 minutes via cell phone towers. Almost nothing is known about the local and landscape-level movements of snowy owls on their wintering grounds, nor about their nocturnal hunting activity and range size so information from these transmitters will help to discover more about their habits and habitats.
by Larissa Smith: Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Coordinator
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.
by: Larissa Smith; Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Manager
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.
Want to see eagles and other raptors and learn all about them? The Cumberland County Winter Eagle Festival is February 8th, 2014.
The following photos were taken by Eagle Project Volunteer Tom McKelvey.
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.
The 2013 New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report has all the details on the 2013 nesting season.
Update on the Merrill Creek birds.
by: Larissa Smith, Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Manager
Back in February I gave an update on the Merrill Creek birds that had been fitted with transmitters. https://conservewildlifenj.org/2013/02/01/tracking-eagles-in-nj/
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.
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.
To follow both these eagles movements go to: http://www.merrillcreek.com/eagletracking.html.
Wondering how you can learn more about shorebirds? Look no further.
Despite its part in one of the world’s most incredible migrations, the annual arrival of tens of thousands of shorebirds in Delaware Bay remains relatively unknown to many New Jersey residents. Only recently have shorebirds received some news coverage, but it’s not good news – their numbers are declining rapidly. Scientists have begun to fear that without concerted conservation efforts, species like the red knot may soon go extinct.
The Delaware Bay Shorebird Project, a study led by the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program, has documented shorebird activity in Delaware Bay for nearly thirty years. The result has been an extensive knowledge base that documents every aspect of shorebird life – from measuring food availability and weight gains to tracking migration routes and breeding success – in New Jersey and beyond. Now, as a longtime partner on this project, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is proud to introduce a new way to learn about these wonderful birds and the work underway to save them: a brand new shorebird site!
These new additions are loaded with content to bring you up to date on all the latest developments in the protection of shorebirds. Learn about these special birds on the Key Species page, and find detailed descriptions about their appearance, life cycle, and where to see them on their own pages in our online Field Guide. Check out the Media page for videos, photos, news articles, scientific publications, and more. Take an in-depth look at all the different areas of shorebird study currently underway on the Research page, and click on the Conservation page to discover how these birds are being protected. Finally, visit our Get Involved page to learn how you can become part of the efforts to help save these remarkable species from extinction.
Be sure to check out all the new additions at: http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/protecting/projects/shorebird/
It’s another cloudy day and I scan the beach with my binoculars. No dogs. Only a handful of fishermen dot the water line. I return my focus to the small area towards the dune line, where a high concentration of shells lies. Look for two intact clamshells just in line with where the beach entrance should be. Without the binoculars, I find the location. It is not until I use my binoculars, however, do I spot the Piping Plover incubating a four-egg nest in that exact spot. Camouflage works wonders, I remind myself.
Since late April, I have been working as a seasonal beach nesting bird field technician. Our four main species of focus are Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern, and Black Skimmer. While the latter two species form colonies where they lay their eggs, the former two species defend territories as pairs. All four can be found on the same beach, however, which leads to lots of interesting interspecific and intraspecific interactions. Oystercatchers chasing plovers, terns dive bombing oystercatchers, etc., etc.… My job is not focused on those behaviors, however. My tasks include bimonthly surveys of the tern/skimmer colonies and recording the nesting success of plovers and oystercatchers. How many eggs are laid, how many eggs are predated, how many eggs hatch, how many chicks are predated, and, everyone’s favorite scenario, how many chicks fledge (i.e. reach the stage where they can fly)? Some of the birds are also banded, which allows for individual identification and adds another layer to nesting success when the birds return year after year.
A big part of my job is also dealing with the public, and as with any field site, there are those that appreciate what I do and those that are against it. While I prefer the former, I am well aware of the arguments from both sides having grown up in Ocean City myself. I am particularly interested in human-wildlife interactions, so I really appreciate the opportunity to work with the local community. I began working in the field of ecology and conservation biology in college, but most of my previous work has been international. I looked at crocodilian diets in Peru, studied the behavior of mountain gorillas in Uganda, researched the effects of landscape management on carnivore and wildlife populations in Kenya’s savannas, but this has been my first experience working with birds and working in what is basically my backyard.
With chicks now hatching up and down the New Jersey coastline, I feel busier than ever trying to ensure these little guys have a chance to beat the odds and make it to fledging. Some days that means a lot of physical work- expanding fenced off areas to give them a little more of a buffer between the public- or sometimes it means a lot of social interaction- enforcing the law of no dogs on the beach or keeping children from chasing after the chicks at the water’s edge, where the birds feed. I know that when I leave New Jersey to begin graduate school this August, it will be hard to say goodbye to an amazing summer back home. This is an incredible opportunity to apply my skill set and wildlife conservation goals back here at home and watch these often overlooked birds through this nesting season and hope for continued success in the years to come.