Overnight two osprey eggs hatched at the Osprey Cam nest inside Edwin B. Forsythe NWR in Oceanville on day 40 of incubation. Ospreys exhibit asynchronous hatching or they hatch in the order they are laid. This ensures that the oldest and strongest young survive if there would ever be a shortage of prey. The third egg should hatch within the next 2 days.
You can tell when osprey eggs hatch by the behavior of the sitting adult. They sit higher, with their wings down and they are a bit more concerned with the young that sit beneath them. Young are born semi-altricial which means that they are downy and can open their eyes, but they require very close parental care.
CWF Releases its First Annual Report Ever Using a Story Map Format: “2014 Annual Report“
By David Wheeler, Executive Director
Technology has proven to be vital to Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s work protecting rare wildlife species over the years. Our biologists depend greatly on modern technologies to band, track, and share online the journeys of wildlife. Our webcams broadcast the most intimate behaviors of nesting birds and bats across the web. And we seek out ever-evolving communications technologies to spread the word about the inspiring stories of wildlife, from social media and infographs to e-books and Story Maps. These technologies offer newfound abilities to share complex data on multiple levels, while still incorporating the awe-inspiring photography and videos that bring wildlife’s stories to life.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is excited to offer our 2014 Annual Report in a unique format that utilizes one of those technologies – Story Maps. In the past year, we have explored the wonders of American oystercatchers with our first Story Map – and now the annual report allows all of our projects to be highlighted in this interactive format.
A screen capture of one of the pages of the CWF 2014 Annual Report Story Map.
Visit the multiple pages within this Story Map to learn about Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s many projects and partnerships in 2014, and the imperiled wildlife species in need of our help. Find examples of the innovative and dedicated leadership of our biologists and volunteers. And take an online journey across the state to learn how our projects made a difference in all corners of New Jersey in 2014 – a great year for wildlife in the Garden State!
Help us raise $350 to purchase a new infrared light in the next 7 days. UPDATE – after only 2 hours we’ve raised enough to purchase the new IR!!
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
DARK: With no infrared we will not be able to watch the osprey cam nest at night.
UPDATE: I couldn’t be happier right now! We raised more then twice that we needed to replace the IR light at the osprey cam nest! Thank you so much to all of the generous donors who gave to support this amazing project!! Any additional funds that we get will be restricted for future Osprey Cam repairs. We’ll be sure to post an update when we go out to install the new light. –Ben
This might be the new night time view of the Osprey Cam nest at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. The infrared light is currently not working and we need a replacement. If we do not get a new light installed in the next two weeks then we will not be able to view the osprey nest at night this season. 🙁
You would think it would be easy to replace the unit… Not so much. The Raytek i2 infrared illuminator is currently on back-order from our supplier (we have already had one on order for our new Hawk Cam) and we cannot get an advanced replacement from the manufacturer. Now we need to purchase one from another distributor as soon as possible.
With your support we will be able to purchase and install the new illuminator before the osprey pair starts nesting in mid-April. We need to raise a total of $350 to purchase the light. Big or small, your donation will help make sure that the osprey cam streams into the many homes and classrooms 24/7 during the nesting season! Thank you!!
Osprey Cam at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR is back online!
Thumbs up! Osprey Cam is back online.
The Osprey Cam inside Edwin B. Forsythe NWR is back online! Yay!! The source of the problem with the camera dying right when the young were ready to fledge, is with the network switch. Apparently it can’t handle the high heat inside the equipment box. Either way it turned off at the worst possible time! This fall/winter we’ll be working on a fix for the problem. We’ll also be looking to enhance the camera experience. Now that the birds are somewhat used to the camera setup, we’re thinking of installing the PTZ camera right off the nest. It’ll give us great close ups of the adults and nestlings! More news to come. For now you can keep an eye our for wintering peregrine falcons, bald eagles and any other birds that might perch on the platform!
The other day, my dad and I got the chance to accompany CWF biologist, Ben Wurst, on an osprey-banding excursion – him for photography, and me for the experience.
At 6 am, we set out on a small boat in Tuckerton, New Jersey. Through the salt marshes, we visited each nest for Ben to take notes on the ospreys occupying them. When the conditions were right , he could also band the chicks.
Ospreys are truly beautiful birds, magnificent to behold, and even more so up close. I was fortunate enough to hold one chick while Ben attached a band around its ankle.
Brooke Sambol holding an Osprey (c) Eric Sambol
Over the years, CWF has played a major role in osprey monitoring and species rehabilitation. The work they’ve done has really paid off. Due to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT during the 1970’s, osprey populations in New Jersey plummeted from over 500 nests to just 50 nests. Since then, biologists, including those from CWF have implemented an intensive osprey rehabilitation project.
This included the replacing of healthy osprey eggs from Maryland into DDT-weakened New Jersey nests, the building of hundreds of osprey nest boxes along the coast, and diligent monitoring.
In 2013, biologists counted 405 nesting osprey pairs. The success is monumental, and a testament to the change that can occur through science and dedication.
Brook Sambol is a Coastal Wildlife Intern with Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey
Three nestlings produced at the Osprey Cam nest are banded for future tracking!
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
In the late afternoon of June 24, 2014, I kicked off the 2014 Osprey Nesting Surveys by banding the three nestings at the Osprey Cam nest. I was joined by Ann Marie Mason Morrison, with Friends of Forsythe NWR, our founding partner with the Osprey Cam, and two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service interns, Jessie and Kirsten who helped bring out all the equipment needed to the nest (two 20′ ladders).
This is one of the most difficult nests to reach in all of New Jersey! It either takes a boat (at high tide) or two 20′ ladders (at low tide) to cross a 15′ wide ditch on the coastal salt marsh. Anyone who has crossed the ditch can attest to how difficult it is. Now you can watch and see what when into banding these three nestlings. A portion of the video was cut when I was attempting to repair the sound at the camera equipment box. At the same time the nest was cleaned of harmful plastic debris that the birds used as nesting material. A total of 3 balloons and a plastic bag were removed from the nest. The three young were banded with USGS bird bands (1088-04358,59 & 60) for future tracking. Check out a photo that I got of “the runt.” Enjoy!
First egg was laid on April 19.They were incubated for 38 days, which is slightly more than the average of 35 days in NJ.The first two eggs hatched on May 29th, and the third on June 1.5-7 days old. Sleepy…Feeding time is non-stop with ospreys!Downy and body feathers start to emerge at 14 days old.Today marks 21 days old (for the oldest two young). They’re now very active in the nest and like to check out all the cool nesting material mom & dad used in the nest.
Three eggs have hatched at the Osprey Cam nest at Forsythe NWR in Oceanville.
It’s been a hectic spring (to say the least). I’ve been swamped with field work since early April. Time has been flying by!!
The osprey pair nesting at the nest with our Osprey Cam on it has successfully hatched three young. The eggs hatched at ~37 days and in the order they were laid. Ospreys exhibit asyncronous hatching, which helps make sure that only the strongest young survive to fledge. In years with a good supply of fish then all young will survive. When there is harsh weather or a lack of prey (fish) then the oldest and strongest will survive, this is often called natural selection. The last two catches, from the male, have been very large white perch. There has been so much food that the young all get their fill. Sometimes the runt won’t get fed right away, but if he peeps a lot and begs for food, then he will get his share too.
Regarding the trash in the nest:
We are watching the plastic in the nest and will take action if necessary to remove it. Our policy is only to act when a bird is in a life threatening situation. Us entering a nest creates disturbance which might cause even more harm (more so when a bird is potentially entangled). Extreme care (and patience) must be taken in these types of situations. Trust us. We’d LOVE to not see the trash in the nest, BUT this is a teachable moment for all who are watching the Osprey Cam. Please share our post on social media and encourage your friends to pick up the next piece of litter they see or to not release balloons! If we all act, then we can all make a difference!
The osprey pair at our Osprey Cam nest has been “decorating” their nest with plastic marine debris. They’re turning out to be hoarders of plastic mesh bags. So far they’ve collected three to use as nesting material. How will this play out? We can’t say for sure but are closely monitoring with the Osprey Cam.
The ospreys returned and so did the marine debris.Yay! Some natural nesting material!!Too many plastic mesh bags!!They’re slowly migrating out of the nest…
The extreme cold weather in January brought some really neat winter scenery to the coastal saltmarsh. One of the most productive ecosystems in the world is almost totally desolate in the middle of winter. There are still a few signs of life though, which have been captured by our Osprey Cam, including top tiers predators, peregrine falcons, and herbivores, snow geese. There’s no doubt that each plays a role in the ecosystem. The snow geese eat any kind of vegetation that they can find and they consume any part of the plant, seeds, stems, leaves, tubers, and roots. The osprey cam showed them sticking there heads underground to forage on the rhizoidial roots of saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). Here’s an interesting fact from Cornell University’s All About Birds website: “Food passes through the Snow Goose’s digestive tract in only an hour or two, generating 6 to 15 droppings per hour. The defecation rate is highest when a goose is grubbing for rhizomes, because such food is very high in fiber and the goose inevitably swallows mud.” Their droppings will no doubt help to fertilize the marsh in the spring!
Ice floe.A few adult peregrine falcons have been perching on the platform.Snow and geese.More snow geese…YUM! Roots and tubers!Got a napkin?Looks like the arctic…6″ of fresh snow.
