Program from 1970’s restores osprey population to historic numbers
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
A helicopter hovers over an active osprey nest to count the number of eggs. Image courtesy NJFW.
The New Jersey Osprey Project began after the osprey was listed as an endangered species in 1973. In April 1974 an aerial survey was conducted to count the number of active osprey nests. The survey was conducted from Toms River to Atlantic City. The results were grim. Only five active nests were found. 10 years earlier there were over 50 in that same area. On all of Barnegat Bay in 1974 there was only one active osprey nest.
The heavy use of DDT in the 1950’s and 60’s was the main culprit in the decline of ospreys by affecting their ability to reproduce. When used in marine environments it was quickly absorbed by organisms and soils. It accumulated in the food web and because it was fat soluble it bioacummulated in predators, especially birds of prey. In short, it caused the thinning of eggshells which often broke under the weight of the incubating female. This threat, along with habitat loss and persecution caused the population to become almost extirpated from the state.
It’s that time of year again when we reflect on the year that is ending and look forward to the future. Many species of wildlife such as osprey and bald eagles, had a banner year while others like several species of bats continued to struggle. What will 2012 hold for NJ’s rare wildlife? While we can’t predict the future, we have thought about what we would like to happen to help these animals survive and hopefully thrive in our state.
This year, I have great hopes of laying all the groundwork (design, funding, pre-construction monitoring) for at least one road-culvert project that will protect migrating amphibians. Every spring we bring scores of volunteers onto the roads to reduce frog and salamander roadkills, but special “critter culverts” will take over that job permanently! – MacKenzie Hall, Wildlife Biologist
To secure the support of New Jersey’s Congressional Delegation for full funding for the federal State Wildlife Grants program that will allow for the continued implementation of the State’s Wildlife Action Plan – the blueprint for rare wildlife protection in our state. And, to get out in the field more to see the exciting projects that Conserve Wildlife Foundation staff are working on. – Margaret O’Gorman, Executive Director
To get Little Egg Harbor Twp to reduce the speed limit on Great Bay Blvd to help reduce the amount of female terrapins that are hit-by-car. – Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
Despite the tremendous effort by CWF and the various management cooperators around the state, New Jersey’s piping plover population has only increased slightly the past two years. We have, however, had two good years in a row of producing young, so here’s hoping we finally see a significant jump in the breeding population in 2012! – Todd Pover, Beach Nesting Bird Project Manager
To complete a status review for NJ’s freshwater mussel species. – Mike Davenport, Marine Species and GIS Programs Manager.
To create a robust speakers bureau that can present programs throughout the state about the important work that we do. – Maria Grace, Education & Outreach Manager
Last summer both New Jersey and Delaware had rare occurrences of sea turtles nesting or attempting to nest on their beaches. In Stone Harbor, New Jersey this past August, a sea turtle crawled onto the beach and dug two holes in an attempt to nest in an area fenced off for beach nesting birds. Unfortunately, the sea turtle did not lay any eggs and eventually crawled back into the ocean. Although no one witnessed the event, the turtle left strong evidence behind – its tracks! CWFNJ’s Beach Nesting Bird Program Manager along with other agency biologists was at the scene to evaluate the tracks. Each sea turtle species has a different track pattern and leaves behind a different shape at their nesting site (their body pit). It was determined that it was likely a state endangered loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) that attempted to nest. Continue reading “Rare sea turtle nesting!”
Figure 1: A diagram of how the hydraulic fracturing process works to extract natural gas
Many residents of New Jersey may have heard about hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale and the potential ecological impacts to the Delaware River Basin. The following provides an overview of the process of hydraulic fracturing and impacts to our natural resources in New Jersey.
The Marcellus Shale is sedimentary rock buried thousands of feet under the ground. It extends from upstate New York south through Pennsylvania and to West Virginia and west to parts of Ohio. The natural gas in the shale is trapped in tiny spaces and fissures within the rock.
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking uses high-pressure pumps to inject a mix of water, sand, and chemicals into drilled wells that will fracture the shale rock to open cracks and release natural gas (Figure 1). A well can be repeatedly fracked and each gas field incorporates many wells. The process takes an enormous amount of water using an average of 4.5 million gallons of water to frack a well and a well can potentially be fracked up to 18 times. Many chemicals are used in this process, some of which are known to be toxic and known carcinogens (e.g. benzene, glycol ethers). Some chemicals are unknown because they are still considered proprietary by the industry. Many of the chemicals cannot biodegrade so if released into the air or water they are there to stay. Continue reading “Fracking in the Delaware River Basin”
Last year we installed or relocated a total of 17 osprey nesting platforms. This year we installed or moved another 21. In 2011 there were 25 new pairs, some of which, that nested on these new platforms. This year was another record setting year for ospreys in New Jersey. We recorded an average of 2.07 young per active nest, a new record. We last documented the size of population at 486 nesting pairs in 2009 when we conducted a statewide census. We now believe that the state population has met recovery goals (of more than 500 nesting pairs) that were set after DDT and habitat loss decimated the population by upwards of 90%. We aren’t the only organization who has helped with the recovery of ospreys. We credit the hard work of biologists with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program in the 1970-present who worked tirelessly to help the population rebound. To name a few, former Deputy Chief of ENSP, Pete McLain; former Director of NJFW, Marty McHugh; former Chief of ENSP Larry Niles, current Chief of ENSP, Dave Jenkins; current Director of NJFW, Dave Chanda; and Supervising Zoologist Kathy Clark who has worked to protect ospreys over her entire 20+ year career with ENSP.
We can also credit the recovery efforts to local environmental and water-quality improvements, like the Barnegat Bay Initiative and restoration of the Meadowlands, and by the grass-roots efforts by concerned citizens and groups who have helped provide nesting platforms to accommodate their population growth.
In the next week ENSP and CWF will be releasing the 2011 Osprey Project Newsletter which summarizes the entire nesting season survey results. In the meantime, check out the video below of myself and two friends who volunteered to help me move a nesting platform on southern Barnegat Bay in late 2010. note: I usually have more than 3 people who assist me when installing an osprey platform.As they say “the more, the merrier…”
“Where do the chicks go when they leave the nest?” is a question that I get asked pretty often. The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ , Merrill Creek Reservoir, and the Endangered and Nongame Species Program collaborated on a new project that will help to answer this question. On June 13, 2011, biologists visited the Merrill Creek Reservoir eagle nest located in Warren County. The chicks, one male and one female, were each fitted with a transmitter attached by a harness made of Teflon ribbon. The solar-powered transmitters, monitored via satellites, allow the birds to be tracked for up to three years as they move away from the nest, migrate south, and move around the region before they begin to establish their own territories. Following the birds movements will help us to identify what type of habitat they are using during their first years.
The eaglets fledged around July 11th and both stayed in the area of the reservoir into mid- September. On September 14th the female eagle headed East to Long Island, NY. She spent time on the eastern most tip of the Island and started heading back to Merrill Creek Reservoir on September 28th. On October 17, the female was found on the ground at the reservoir in a lethargic condition. She was taken to the Raptor Trust in Morris county, but she died the following day. She tested positive for West Nile Virus.
The male eagle headed the opposite direction into PA and on September 19th was just west of the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, PA. He headed back east and spent time in Bucks county PA before heading back to NJ. As of November 15th the male was in Warren County near the Musconetcong River. To see the maps of both of the eagles movements go to: http://www.merrillcreek.com/eagletracking.html
By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
Since September, at least 146 harbor seals were found dead along the New England coast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has declared the deaths “an unusual mortality event” and federal officials are now investigating the cause(s) of the deaths. Five of the dead seals have tested positive for the Influenza A virus.
NOAA has ruled-out human involvement in the deaths (such as intentional attacks or entanglement in fishing line). They also reported that the number of deaths is three times the number of strandings that typically occur this time of year.
The months of November and December are when seals normally return to New Jersey waters from further north (they can usually be found during the winter in NJ until April when they swim north again). For this reason, there is great concern that our state’s shores may soon also witness a higher than average number of sick or dead seals.
Any dead seals or seals which appear to be ill or in distress should be reported to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center at 609-266-0538. Keep in mind, however, that a seal on the beach is not necessarily sick or injured. Resting on the beach is normal behavior for seals. They may haul-out onto beaches, jetties, or floating docks to rest or escape predators. So, a seal on land is not necessarily a seal in distress. Obvious indications of illness or injury are open wounds, entangled fishing line, or lack of responsiveness to their surroundings.
Beech tree seeds for the Allegheny Woodrats collected by Doane Academy Pre-K, Kindergarten, First, and Second Grades.
After reading our September 1st blog post about the endangered Allegheny woodrat and the supplemental feeding program, Bonnie Smith, a teacher at Doane Academy in Burlington, NJ called her students into action. The lower grades (Pre-K, Kindergarten, First, and Second Grades) began collecting beech seeds on the school grounds during their regularly scheduled nature discovery class. Over the course of several weeks, Bonnie and her students were able to collect hundreds, if not thousands, of seeds that will be used to supplemental feed the Allegheny woodrats this winter. Yesterday, here in Trenton, we received that package of beech seed nuts. It warms my heart knowing that the actions of these kids will go a long way in helping the woodrats survive in New Jersey this winter. Stay tuned into the blog as we follow these beech seeds as they make their way from Trenton to the Palisades and hopefully into the bellies of the woodrats this winter.
TRACKING THEIR PATH AS THEY HEAD SOUTH FOR THE WINTER
By Allison Anholt, Field Technician, (NJDFW) and Emily Heiser, Field Technician, (CWFNJ)
Color band being placed on oystercatcher chick at Stone Harbor, N.J.
Throughout the fall, there is a remarkable sight to see along New Jersey’s coastline. Thousands of shorebirds group together in huge flocks, using our state’s coastline as a migration stopover point to rest and feed. One particularly interesting shorebird is the American oystercatcher, which is listed as a species of special concern in New Jersey. At the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, we work with biologists from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife to survey these birds throughout the fall season.
The oystercatcher is an especially easy bird to survey during fall migration due to its distinct features. Not only do they stand apart from other shorebird species with their unique orange bill and striking coloration, but color bands help us determine individuals as well. Banding efforts have been underway in New Jersey since 2004 in order to give insight to researchers regarding the
oystercatcher’s breeding habits, pair behavior, and migration patterns. About 300 oystercatchers have been banded in New Jersey to date, including a significant percentage of the state’s estimated 400 breeding pairs. Continue reading “AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS TAGGED AND READY FOR MIGRATION”
"Bahama Mama" - If You Look Close, You Can Detect The Color Bands On her Legs
reported on a piping plover that had nested four times this
year. One reason we know so much about this individual bird is because it is one of just a few banded piping plovers found in New Jersey-it was originally banded in the winter of 2010 in the Bahamas.
This specific bird, dubbed Bahama Mama by our staff, was first observed this year at North Brigantine Natural Area on March 29. It spend the next several months finding a mate, laying and incubating eggs, and finally trying to raise young, a cycle that ended unsuccessfully near the beginning of August. Normally that would be the end of the story for this year, but because we are conducting post-breeding/migratory piping plover surveys once a week at this site through the end of October, we have more to report.
As of last week, Bahama Mama was still present at the same site, nearly two months after breeding concluded and six months after she first arrived. The fact that she has remained there well after the nesting season ended is a huge surprise and defies conventional expectations. We fully expected her to be on her way back to the Bahamas by now. Continue reading “Update from the field”
