2016 Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest Winners honored at Awards Ceremony
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
2016 Species on the Edge Winners with representatives from CWF, Wakefern, PSEG and GAF.
On Tuesday, May 24, 2016, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey celebrated and recognized the winners of the 2016 Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest, a statewide educational contest open to all fifth-graders. The 14th annual contest encourages students to become wildlife biologists through their research and artwork on the endangered and threatened wildlife species in New Jersey.
“These talented children poured their hearts into the Species on the Edge contest, creating vibrant artwork and passionate essays about these rare wildlife species,” said David Wheeler, Conserve Wildlife Foundation Executive Director. “We are inspired to help connect the next generation of New Jersey conservation leaders with the natural world around them. Their art and essays illustrate the wonders of nature – and reveal many of the challenges we must overcome to help vulnerable wildlife survive in our densely populated state.”
Students were asked to draw a picture of one of New Jersey’s over 80 endangered and threatened wildlife species and compose an essay about how the animal became endangered and what can be done to help protect it. The Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest encourages students to learn about local environmental issues, express their concerns for the world around them, think creatively about ways to improve it, and to consider how their actions impact the natural world.
This year’s ingenious group of winners was honored at an awards ceremony which was hosted at the New Jersey Education Association, in Trenton, New Jersey. The contest was sponsored by PSEG, NJEA, GAF, Atlantic City Electric, Church & Dwight and ShopRite.
The statewide contest drew over 2,000 entries from across the state. Since 2003, over 10,000 children from across New Jersey have entered the Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation Releases New Amphibian Crossing Story Map
by Kelly Triece, Wildlife Biologist
Spotted Salamander Crosses a busy road to reach a nearby breeding pool. Photo by Kelly Triece
Farewell to May — also known as Wetlands Month! As a final ode to Wetlands Month, Conserve Wildlife Foundation would like to share a storyabout a very special wetland! Please check out our latest Story Map: “Connecting Habitat: Waterloo Road.” This story map shares the story about a vernal pool wetland that is located at Waterloo Village History Site in Byram Township, Sussex County, New Jersey.
This vernal pool wetland, as depicted in the Story Map, is a breeding ground for thousands of amphibians. However, each spring these amphibians must cross the heavily trafficked Waterloo Road in order to reach the pool. A single vehicle can crush dozens of the slow-moving animals as they try to cross the road during migration. High enough traffic volumes can wipe out entire populations over time.
Since 2002, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey has worked to protect early-spring breeding amphibians like the wood frog, spotted salamander, Jefferson salamander, and spring peeper during their annual migrations through the Amphibian Crossing Project. On peak nights each spring, we work with a fleet of incredible volunteers to hustle amphibians across the road at rescue sites, collect data on the numbers and species seen, measure the impacts of vehicular traffic, and document additional amphibian crossings for future protection.
This is our 2016 Waterloo Road Amphibian Crossing Report:
Spotted Salamander: 334
Jefferson Salamander: 147
Wood Frog: 215
Spring Peeper: 255
American Toad: 479
Pickerel Frog: 2
TOTAL Amphibians: 1,432
The Amphibian Crossing Project aims to secure funding for amphibian crossing tunnels at Waterloo Road. This project is part of a larger effort led by the Division of Fish and Wildlife called Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ). CHANJ aims to identify key areas and the actions needed for preserving and restoring habitat connectivity for terrestrial wildlife in New Jersey. CHANJ has the potential to increase the sustainability of New Jersey’s terrestrial wildlife populations and de-list endangered species. #CHANJiscoming #CHANJ
New, exciting programs at Island Beach State Park this summer
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
Full moon on the beach by Eric Hance.
The Jersey Shore has changed immeasurably over the past century. But one place gives you the chance to recapture the beauty and wild feeling that once encompassed the entire coast – Island Beach State Park.
At Island Beach State Park, you can still find hands-on adventures along the Atlantic Coast and the Barnegat Bay. You can still be immersed in the nature of coastal beach dunes, maritime forest, and vast saltmarsh. You can still find wildlife like osprey, red fox, diamondback terrapins, piping plover, sea turtles, and an incredible array of fish and shellfish.
Red fox by Eric Hance.
We are excited to partner once again with New Jersey State Parks and offer incredible programsabout New Jersey’s natural world at Island Beach State Park.
A new feature has been added to the Moonlight Hikes this year. The hike will start in parking lot A13, through the thicket, over the dunes, onto the beach and the bonfire will be in front of the judges shack. A representative will be there to talk more about the shack’s history. The astronomers will be with us again this year too.
The Kayak Eco-Tour and the Sedge Islands Then & Now Tour have been merged into one program. The program is now called the Sedge Islands Eco-Tour and will be an all-encompassing kayak tour of the area.
Also new this year, Island Beach State Park has partnered with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center to offer Mock Stranding events. There will be four this year, two mock dolphin strandings and two mock sea turtle strandings.
Make sure to point your browser to the new, Island Beach Nature Programs website. Check out the list of programs. Bookmark the site and share it with your friends! Make sure to include some awesome, educational outdoor recreational plans for your summer vacation along the Jersey Shore!
Photo by Ray Hennessy.
Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Manager for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.
Encouraging a Conservation Ethic in Locals and Travelers Alike
by Kelly Triece, Wildlife Biologist
Even though Honduras is no larger than the state of Tennessee, the country is very diverse in landscape and wildlife. In a short period of time, you can travel from the Caribbean and lounge on its white sand beaches and then visit the high-altitude pine forests. You can also see the Honduran emerald, an endemic hummingbird in the arid dessert. The diversity in eco-types and warm climate makes Honduras a great candidate for ecotourism, a growing industry since the 1990’s.
While Honduras is very diverse in climate and landscape, for many years it has been a country based on agriculture. Cattle ranching and growing cash crops, such as coffee and bananas, are common. While subsistence farming is essential to the Honduran way of life, the wide-spread slash and burn method to create agricultural land is destroying many Honduran forests and other landscapes. Since the country is rich in forest, marine and other natural resources, ecotourism can have many benefits on the land and the economy. Ecotourism may have the potential to serve as another way of living for Hondurans.
Isidro (on left) and visitor at Isidro’s wildlife education preserve.
During my stay in Honduras, I had the opportunity to meet many local conservationists eager to make a living off environmental education and ecotourism. We met with one such man, named Isidro on the fourth day of our trip. Upon arrival, we were offered some fresh brewed coffee from his farm and then headed straight through the forest for a tour of his land. Isidro bought the land in the 1990’s and has since been managing the land for bird habitat. Isidro told us he originally bought the land to raise cattle, but eventually decided instead turn the land into a nature preserve for wildlife.
He now resides with his wife and children on the property and dreams to have an environmental education program, where people come to hike, eat fresh local tilapia and view wildlife. At the environmental center, adults and children will have the opportunity to go bird watching, take a hike and learn about the importance of the natural world. He grows citrus, avocados and other fresh fruits, leaving many fruits just for the birds as well as shade grown coffee. This form of ecotourism is a way to bring nature and people together. Once children and others care about the natural world around them, they too will work to preserve it. It also provides a sustainable way of living for those like Isidro and his family.
Migratory Bird Festival photo by Kelly Triece
Education about the environment through hands-on experience, as well as formal education, has the potential have a significant impact on local communities. While visiting the Universidad de las Agricultureal (Agriculture University) in Olancho we had the opportunity to take place in the Feria de Aves Migratorias (Migratory Bird Festival). The festival was put on by the Juniata Valley Audubon Society and Ruth Bennett, Ph.D. student at Cornell. The festival was part of a program that educates Honduran families that live very close to national parks. The program teaches children about the national park, local flora and fauna and its overall ecological importance.
Elementary children learning about migratory birds at the festival. Photo by Kelly Triece
We had the pleasure of attending the festival, where we colored pictures of birds with elementary children and spoke to the college students. Most of college students are majoring in Natural Resources and are eager to learn about becoming a biologist. Students also compete in bird photography contests, present posters and learn about the natural history of migratory songbirds. The festival brings education and awareness to migratory songbirds, especially the Golden-winged Warbler.
Jon Kauffman, Raptor Center Assistant Director of Penn State’s Shaver’s Creek poses with the elementary children at the festival. Photo by Kelly Triece
Through education of Hondurans and visitors alike, ecotourism has the potential to serve both the local communities and those visiting the country. Ecotourism should inform tourists about the environment and wildlife they are seeing, as well as help local populations understand the importance and value of their home. Through the combination of education and ecotourism, a sense of stewardship can be fostered by encouraging travelers and locals to be mindful of their natural resources and instill a sense of wonder about the natural world. For those who are educated about wildlife and the natural world, will often work toward preserving it as well.
Violet-crowned Wood Nymph. Photo by Laura Jackson
In Honduras, wildlife is all around. Melodious blackbirds, Social flycatchers and Violet-crowned wood nymphs, fly tree to tree in and among the villages and farm fields. When children, such as those at the migratory bird festival, learn the importance of biodiversity, they too will want to protect these amazing animals. Ecotourism not only provides a way to travelers to see exotic wildlife, it also provides a way of living for locals. It is through sustainable ecotourism and education that Honduras can continue to be rich in culture and wildlife.
Manville School District science teacher Lauren Kurzius joined biologists to help band Duke Farms EagleCam chicks earlier this month
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
2016 Lesson Plan Winner Lauren Kurzius
Manville School District science teacher Lauren Kurzius was recognized by Duke Farms and Conserve Wildlife Foundation for winning our EagleCam lesson plan contest earlier this month! Kurzius joined wildlife biologists to help band the new Duke Farms EagleCam chicks on Monday, May 9. The EagleCam lesson plan contest, jointly organized by Duke Farms and Conserve Wildlife Foundation, called upon educators to submit lesson plans incorporating the Duke Farms EagleCam into their classrooms.
Installed in 2008, the Duke Farms’ EagleCam has provided a streaming look into the daily lives of the eagle family for over 10 million viewers. Kurzius is working with the Duke Farms and Conserve Wildlife Foundation EagleCam team to expand the camera’s potential as an educational vehicle by including her lesson plan for use in classrooms across the country.
“Duke Farms is pleased once again to support dedicated New Jersey teachers that bring wildlife ecology into their classrooms. Lauren Kurzius’ winning lesson plan (“Birds of Prey – Who Done it?”) is a terrific introduction to predator-prey interactions, patterns among organisms, and ecosystem viability while allowing them to take on the role of student detective” explained Michael Catania, Duke Farms Executive Director. “Her participation in this year’s banding of the Duke eagle chicks was one of the highlights for our staff, and certainly a thrill for her students in Manville, New Jersey to watch.”
The EagleCam became a prominent teaching tool in Kurzius’ classroom in 2013. She had begun viewing the eagles in 2011 and recognized its potential for using it in the classroom immediately. Regarding the banding process, she says it was “priceless,” adding, “I connected with educators, scientists, and environmentalists. I get to share that with my current students and my future students. When you have new experiences, it leads to authentic teaching. Maybe my experience will inspire one of my students to follow a career path in science and that makes the banding all worth it.”
From left to right: David Wheeler, Lauren Kurzius, Duke Farms Programs and Community Garden Manager Tanya Sulikowski, Duke Farms Executive Director Michael Catania.
CWF’s David Wheeler stated that “by exploring science with creativity and a sense of wonder, Lauren Kurzius inspires her students to connect with the natural world around us. That personal connection reveals just how much people can strengthen the environment and benefit wildlife like bald eagles, which have made an awe-inspiring comeback. The Duke Farms webcam offers Lauren’s students and so many others the opportunity to intimately experience the lives of these magnificent creatures.”
We were thrilled at the enormous response received from teachers across the state, and will continue to offer the amazing opportunity to teachers in New Jersey! Congratulations, Lauren!
One in a Series of Updates on the 20th Year of the Delaware Bay Shorebird Project
by Dr. Larry Niles, LJ Niles Associates LLC
Photo by Jan van der Kam.
We conducted our first bay-wide count of shorebirds on Delaware Bay and the results suggest we are rapidly approaching the peak number of shorebirds. Last year, we counted 24,700 knots and 16,000 ruddy turnstones. This year’s counts are lower because it’s earlier, but we are still over 20,000 knots and 16,000 turnstones, and 10,000 sanderlings that have stopped over in the bay. These promising results are preliminary, but it seems we are getting close to our peak population of red knots and at the peak of the other two species – if populations are similar to last year.
This year’s aerial counts were conducted by Guy Morrison and Christian Fries, both of Environment Canada.
Bird condition also looks promising. Our catches show average weight increases for red knot compared to past years, which is good news given the very spotty horseshoe crab spawn. Ruddy turnstone average weights have increased considerably, the best in the twenty years we have been trapping (see the graph below). The distribution of these weights reveal more.
This graph shows the average weights of all ruddy turnstone catches made from 1997 to 2016. 2016 is represented by big squares and shows a very good increase in weights.
If we sample the same bird population with our cannon net catches, one would expect increasing average weights but similar distribution of weights – the same proportion of different weight birds, all getting higher. If a new group of birds arrives in the area, then one would see a new distribution of weights, only lower than the group that has been in the area longer. This can be seen in the historgram for ruddy turnstones below. The historgram supports our assumption that a new group of turnstones has arrived in the bay and are busy gaining weight. Based on our last catch, the distribution of knot weights shows no new arrivals, however the aerial survey and ground counts done after the catch point to a new group yet to be sampled. To our team of biologists this data is food for hungry minds. Within a few days, all will be revealed.
This histogram shows the number of red knots in each weight category in our catch made on May 21. See text for more explanation.
The actual distribution of the birds in the count tells another important story – the importance of the beaches and creeks between Reeds Beach and Pierce’s Point. This 3-mile section of Delaware Bay accounted for more than half of the entire population of red knots on the bay and outsized portions of the other species. This has been consistent through this season and over the last three years – ever since Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) and American Littoral Society (ALS) restored the four beaches with new sand.
The restoration of these beaches avoided a potential disaster caused by Hurricane Sandy, which not only destroyed seventy percent of all the suitable horseshoe crab habitat on the New Jersey side of Delaware Bay, but it did much more. South Reeds Beach tells the story.
After the hurricane ripped through the area and pounded Reeds Beach with punishing westerly winds, most of the sand had been pushed off the beach and onto the marsh behind it. This unveiled a long standing and nearly impervious layer of rubble, remnants of long abandoned houses, bulkheads and the access road connecting them. We had no idea this laid beneath the sand of Reeds Beach South, but it explained why it never had good crab egg densities. Crabs couldn’t burrow deep enough to lay eggs.
The CWF and ALS restoration teams with funding from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and Community Foundation of New Jersey, along with other groups, removed the rubble and laid down a beautiful sandy beach. Every year since, horseshoe crab egg densities were among the highest in the bay. This, of course, attracted higher than average shorebird numbers which greedily consumed the newly available trove of eggs. Similar work was done at Cooks, Kimbles and Pierce’s beaches.
However, the restoration work did even more. Sand naturally erodes from these beaches just as it does on the Atlantic Coast beaches. The sand lost at Stone Harbor and Avalon beaches, for example, ends up in Hereford Inlet. The same happens on Delaware Bay beaches and the eroding sand flows into the the nearby creeks forming beautiful crab spawning shoals. I described their importance in the Reeds – Pierce’s Cove in the previous blog. These creek shoals represent the best habitat in the bay, because they are loose sand, create small inner protected areas loved by spawning crabs and are washed by warm water flowing out from the small intertidal water drainages. Early season spawning almost always occurs in or near creek mouth shoals. Thus, even sand lost from restored Delaware Bay beaches goes to a good end.
A sandy shoal at the mouth of the nameless creek between Reeds and Cooks Beach. At the time of this picture, over 3,000 knots and 1,000 ruddy turnstones were using the shoal and the inner sandy beach behind the shoal. Photo by Stephanie Feigin.
One more characteristic, perhaps the most important feature, is that all these beaches, creeks and their shoals together create a small and very important landscape within the overall Delaware Bay landscape. The overall warming creates the best early season habitat for crabs and shorebirds and the continued volume of spawning maintains the value throughout the season. We now have over 10,000 knots on these beaches and thousands of other shorebirds.
All of these important natural features are greatly strengthened by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s restrictions that keep people from disturbing the birds. Without them, visitors, even those with good intentions, may disturb the birds from feeding. The restrictions are implemented without conflict by a very cheery and passionate group of volunteer stewards who explain the importance of letting the birds take advantage of good habitat. Ironically, the Reeds to Pierce Cove still attracts the most people in the bay because they can easily see the birds from access areas provided at each of five road ends and the Bidwells Creek jetty.
All in all, it’s a shorebird’s – and shorebird lover’s – paradise. But soon it may be a paradise lost.
This year, state and federal agencies permitted thousands of structural aquaculture racks to sprawl over this wonderful shorebird habitat. If all goes according to their plan, soon ATV’s will be rolling all over the intertidal area, disregarding their long-term impact. Welded rebar racks will stop some a portion of the crabs from reaching the beaches, and more importantly impair their return. More and more crabs will fail to breed or die as gulls tear apart crabs stranded on the intertidal shore. Like much of New Jersey, this beautiful cove has the potential to be degraded by runaway commercial exploitation.
This photo of about 4000 red knots and turnstones was taken at low tide in an area the federal and state agencies have declared as not useful to the birds, about 300 meters from the beach. It is also the area now be filled by the sprawling oyster aquaculture. Looking close you can see the first of the racks in the background on a lease owned by family of staff of Rutgers Extension, the primary advocates of the expansion. – Dr. Larry Niles
There are ways to expand aquaculture without destroying shorebird habitat. This is not one.
Dr. Larry Niles has led efforts to protect red knots and horseshoe crabs for over 30 years.
Coalition of Agencies Working Together to Enhance Turtle Habitat in Sussex County
by Kelly Triece, Biologist
Bog Turtle photo by Brian Zarate, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
Through federal partnerships and incentive programs, the federally endangered bog turtle can have a fighting chance in New Jersey! The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in partnership with Conserve Wildlife Foundation, New Jersey Audubon Society, and Wallkill River Watershed Management Group, are currently working to restore a once natural wetland on private property in Sussex County. The program is possible through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, Wetlands Reserve Easement (WRE). WRE is a voluntary program that provides an opportunity for landowners to receive financial assistance in exchange for permanently protecting retired agricultural land. In their first year, NRCS and USFWS helped to restore and protect 52 acres of bog turtle habitat in New Jersey!
The goal of this project is to restore hydrology, enhance bog turtle habitat, control invasive species, and stabilize the stream bank. Through the partnerships we have already planted riparian buffers along the river and plan to conduct invasive species removal and create shallow water pools for wildlife such as amphibians.
The site contains active bog turtle habitat that has been degraded over time through grazing and other human induced impacts. Bog turtles are found throughout the state, but Sussex County is a hot spot because of its prime wetlands habitat. At the bog turtle site, cattle will be actively managed to graze the area for specific periods of time throughout the year. This will reduce invasive species and create mucky soils preferred by the bog turtle.
New Jersey Audubon Society was also able to supply a native sedge plant to enhance the wetland. Last week, a youth corps group from Phillipsburg, New Jersey met on site to help plant green bulrush. The bulrush will aid to improve water quality, as it will take up phosphorous and other nutrients moving into the water column. It will also aid to reduce erosion and provide food and cover for ducks, and other water birds. So far, 5,050 plugs of green bulrush have been planted!
CWF has also partnered on other Sussex County bog turtle restoration projects with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, USFWS, and the New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Program.
Discover New Jersey’s Hidden Coast – the Delaware Bayshore
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
Making your plans for Memorial Day Weekend at the Jersey Shore? Discover New Jersey’s “other” coastline, a Hidden Coast, the Delaware Bayshore.
A new episode of our video series “New Jersey’s Hidden Coast” will air every two weeks throughout the summer! Catch a glimpse of the bay, the horseshoe crab at the center of the bay’s system, and the incredible relationship between horseshoe crabs and migratory birds, like the red knot. We will reveal the real value of horseshoe crabs, the challenges to the ecosystem, and the potential for a thriving regional economy along the Bayshore. We will show Hurricane Sandy as a catalyst for decisive action and the work being done to rebuild the area for both people and wildlife.
Over the next several weeks, we will explore the use of “living shorelines” instead of bulkheads and the central importance of marshes to the marine ecosystem. We will discover the on-the-ground, grassroots efforts of the community to build oyster reefs alongside veterans. And we will examine the future of the Bay and the work that needs to be done to preserve our conservation successes thus far.
One of a Series of Updates on the 20th Year of the Delaware Bay Shorebird Project
by Dr. Larry Niles, LJ Niles Associates LLC
In spite of the very spotty horseshoe crab spawn, the shorebirds on Delaware Bay seem to be gaining weight on schedule. Below you will find a graph composed of the average weights of all the red knots by our team for the last 20 years. The curve is the result of combining all the data we collected and shows the sweet spot for most knots. As they arrive, they take time to gain weight but after about 5 days they start gaining weight rapidly. After the 26th or so, birds start reaching the critical weights necessary to safely reach the Arctic breeding grounds. One can see the curve deep at the end of the month because fat birds fly off leaving the less fat behind. In general, weights above the line are good, below the line not good. The large squares on the graph are the average weight of this year. So far, so good.
Average Red knot weights from catches made in 1997 to 2016. The most recent are the big squares. So far average weights are following normal pattern of weight gain.Cannon net firing over red knots on Delaware Bay
This is a bit of a surprise for the team. The weather here on Delaware Bay is wet and cold. The water temperature struggles to lift above 59 degrees, the temperature necessary for a crab to spawn on Delaware Bay. So far, the temperature has been below 59 degrees more than above. We had good spawns in the last few days, but only in key places.
Water temperature at the mouth of Delaware Bay.
A key place for horseshoe crab spawn happens to be the mouths of small creeks. The New Jersey side of Delaware Bay is blessed with many small intertidal creeks, most draining only marsh or small inland watersheds. Some of these creeks have names, Goshen Creek, West Creek, Nantuxent Creek, but many do not. Almost all have shoals at their mouth with the bay because bay currents, tidal flow and wind driven waves act against each other to settle sand coming from adjacent beaches or from inside the creek drainage. Much of the sand lost from our restored beaches settles into these shoals. For horseshoe crabs, these shoals are sweet places.
A sandy shoal at the mouth of the nameless creek between Reeds and Cooks Beach. At the time of this picture, over 3,000 knots and 1,000 ruddy turnstones were using the shoal and the inner sandy beach behind the shoal. Photo by Stephanie Feigin.Red Knots in flight on Cooks Shoal. Photo by Stephanie Feigin.Red Knots on Cooks Shoal. Photo by Stephanie Feigin.Red Knots on Cooks Shoal. Photo by Stephanie Feigin.
Usually, the shoals lie just under the high tide line and are composed of large grain sand, the optimal conditions for a good crab spawn. However, the most important characteristic and key to this unusually cold May, is the warming water flowing out from the marsh drainages. On a flooding tide, colder warmer flows into the vast marshes of the Delaware Bay. This warms the water. On an ebbing tide, it flows out the creek and over the shoals, making them slightly warmer and more conducive to inducing crabs to spawn. Even on these cold days, they literally climb over themselves to breed on the shoals. The shoals also protect the inner mouths of the creeks thus making the sandy shores at the mouth of the creek a crab spawning heaven.
Breeding horseshoe crabs. Photo by Jan van der Kam.
However, as it seems usual with this blog, there is a growing concern. Right now, most of the red knot population on the bay is feeding on these shoals along with thousands of other species, but only half have arrived from southern wintering areas. We now have about 12,000 red knots on the bay and in a day or two we should find another 12,000 falling from the sky. Will there be enough eggs? Will the water temperature finally reach normal levels? These are the important question for the next few days.
New, weekly updates from New Jersey’s beach nesting bird project team
by Todd Pover, Beach Nesting Bird Project Manager
American oystercatcher Chick
It has been a busy week on the beach nesting bird project! We had our first least tern nests of the season, as the brief spell of warmer weather (finally) made for a burst of breeding activity. The first American oystercatcher nests hatched, so we have chicks on the beach now, as well.
Least Tern Nest
And there was a big spike in new piping plover nests all along the coast, so we were busy erecting “predator exclosures” to protect the eggs from predators, such as crows, cats, gulls, and foxes. While they are not effective or viable to use on every nest, these wire cage structures are one of our best management techniques to increase hatch success by deterring predators.
Piping Plover Exclosure
This week we will be even busier, as we make a mad scramble to protect the nests and colonies before the crowds of beachgoers arrive for the Memorial Day weekend!
