By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
The former and revised range maps for the Checkered White butterfly in New Jersey.
Just as world maps get updated with the addition of new countries (most recently South Sudan in 2011), wildlife range maps also need to be revised occasionally as new information becomes available.
There are 173 range maps available on Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s on-line field guide web pages for New Jersey’s endangered, threatened, and special concern species. Although some of these maps were created only two years ago, 23 range maps were in need of minor to major revisions since new data had become available. The range maps are based upon data within the NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s Biotics database, the official statewide database of rare wildlife. While some new data was received from biologists’ surveys, a portion of it was received from the general public who submitted Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Forms for their own personal observations.
One of the most striking range map revisions is the Checkered White Butterfly. Previously documented only at Newark Airport, this species has now also been documented in southern New Jersey. Whether or not this disjunct population has been there all these years and not reported (flying under the radar so to speak), or this represents a recent natural range expansion or introduction is unknown at this point.
Take a tour of our on-line field guide – revised maps are labeled “2012”.
We recently decided to have a photo contest to choose a new cover photo for our Facebook page. We wanted to do this as a way to engage people with our work and generate some conversations around the wildlife photographs we received.
Black Skimmer by Zachary Kirby.
We were thrilled to receive an amazing response to the contest and today we opened voting on 89 photos submitted from across New Jersey. Yes, we received a lot of photos of ospreys which speaks to their photogenic quality and the fact that many photographers are down the shore this season. We also received photographs of a wide range of species – mostly birds but also reptiles, amphibians, insects and a mammal.
The album of 89 photos represents New Jersey’s biodiversity in all its glory. The album also represents New Jersey’s geography and clearly illustrates how habitats occur across the state from the busiest beaches to urban parks and from National Wildlife Refuges to suburban backyards.
Check out our Facebook page and the cover photo contest album. Be sure to LIKE our page and cast your vote for a new cover photo (just “like” the photos you want to vote for). You can vote for as many photos as you want.
The photo with the most likes becomes our cover photo. Voting closes on Friday at 12:00 pm.
by Larissa Smith, Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Manager
In June of 2011 two chicks (male & female) from the Merrill Creek Reservoir eagle nest in Warren County were fitted with solar-powered transmitters that are monitored via satellites. The males movements have been tracked for over a year starting when he left the nest in June. You can see the eagles movements by going to: http://www.merrillcreek.com/eagletracking.html In September the male flew as far West as Harrisburg, PA and in January spent a few days at the upper Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. He has spent the majority of his time in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. It is very interesting to see where the eagle is spending his time and the type of habitat he is using. When you go to the map you can zoom in to get a close up look at his locations.
Unfortunately the female chick died in October due to starvation. She tested positive for West Nile Virus which could have contributed to her death. The transmitter was recovered from the female and in May of this year the transmitter was placed on the largest of three chicks, a female, in the Merrill Creek nest. She just recently left the nest and is still in the area of the nest taking short flights. To follow her movements go to http://www.merrillcreek.com/eagletracking.html
I might be a little biased in saying that Bass River State Forest is one of the most beautiful state parks in New Jersey, only because I live in the same town where it’s located. There is so much to explore at BRSF: large pine plantations by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) that helped build NJ’s state parks, Atlantic white-cedar swamps galore, sugar sand, and all the wildlife that occupy pinelands habitats. One new and much different portion of Bass River State Forest is Ballanger Creek, pronounced “Baa-lan’-ger”. The surrounding forested habitat is mostly unfragmented and is comprised of mature pine-oak woodlands. There are some very large pitch pines that cover many species that are shade tolerant like, american holly. Two old freshwater impoundments were drained after Hurricane Irene blew out an earthen dam. Now freshwater wetlands have emerged and atlantic white-cedar seedlings are beginning to sprout.
Common along much of the coast of New Jersey, this site has had a lot of use in its history. A saw mill once operated here in the mid-19th century and in the early 1900s fields along the creek were used for agriculture. It was also used as a dump site for fill and other debris. A house and several out buildings were demolished when the property was acquired by the Green Acres Program in the mid-90s. Since its acquisition the site has not been actively managed for wildlife. That all changed in late 2009 when Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ acquired funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to enhance the degraded wildlife habitat on site. We’re all done with the project and there’s a lot to explore here. We invite you to explore this site and enjoy its natural beauty and its wildlife residents. Click on the map to download or print a copy of it. Here is a link to the site via Google Maps.
Severe weather may have reduced productivity this year
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
Surveys of nesting osprey have ended for 2012. Each year volunteers, state biologist and CWF staff complete nesting surveys of ospreys. These “osprey banders” complete “ground surveys” (referred to as ground surveys because they are surveying nests by land/sea, not by helicopter) that cover around 70% of the state population. The surveys are meant to keep tabs on the state population and data collected from the surveys are used to determine the health of the population. Young are also banded for future tracking. Next year a state wide aerial survey will be conducted; the last aerial survey was in 2009 where 486 nesting pairs were found. We won’t know the total size of the population until then. Nesting success is mixed this year and is highly variable by different regions, mainly because of severe weather.
I never heard of a “derecho” until this summer. According to Wikipedia it is “a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms.” A derecho hit Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic & southern Ocean County in the early morning hours on June 30th, right in the middle of the nesting season for ospreys. Weather plays a significant factor in the success of nesting ospreys. They nest in open areas, which makes them vulnerable to high winds and severe weather, and since they primarily feed on fish, water clarity affects foraging success.
“In South Jersey, Atlantic City Electric reported that 206,000 customers lost power from downed trees. Most of the outages were in Atlantic County, which prompted a county-wide state of emergency. Near Atlantic City, a boater died while trying to bring his vessel ashore. Officials believed that lightning struck a 104-year-old church in Longport and caused a fire that damaged the building.An elderly couple was killed when a tree fell on their house. In Vineland, damage was preliminarily estimated at $125 million.On July 19th, 2012, President Barack Obama declared three counties in New Jersey (Atlantic, Cumberland, and Salem) federal disaster areas. This assured disaster relief through federal assistance to local and state governments and some non-profit organizations.” (from Wikipedia.com) I also know that two people were killed while sleeping in a tent at Parvin State Park.
At this time most young were between 2-3 weeks old, with some a little older and some younger. All young are very vulnerable to severe weather, especially when wind gusts reach 70-100 mph, they can be easily blown from their nests and if not retrieved quickly could become food for ground predators or washed away with the tide. Winds gusted to 81 mph in Tuckerton, 74 mph in Absecon (Reported by the NJ State Climatologist Dr. David A. Robinson). In three areas that I survey (Absecon, Mullica River, & Little Egg Harbor) many young were either lost or blown from their nests and found dead or live on the marsh. In Absecon 9 of the 22 young produced had been lost or found dead on the marsh as a result of the storm. At a couple other nests to the north a few young were found on the ground shortly after the storm. Off of Great Bay Blvd. many nests that had young before the storm had lost them. One of our volunteers reported that many nests in Ventnor that were previously occupied had no young after the storm.
We can only hope that severe weather like this will not occur during the middle of the osprey nesting season again, but with a warmer climate these might become commonplace in New Jersey. One thing that we might consider is to take a long look at our current design for nesting platforms and look to see if we can make changes to allow for a deeper nest bowl. More of a problem is that some ospreys do not build substantial nests and use little sticks and branches, while others build large nests that are not easily blown away with the wind.
Compiled by Todd Pover, Beach Nesting Bird Project Manager
American oystercatcher.
The Beach Nesting Bird Project is one of our major initiatives here at the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. During the spring and summer months, we employ several field technicians to help us carry out our mission of monitoring and protecting endangered piping plovers, least terns, and black skimmers, as well as American oystercatchers. We also help oversee the seasonal staff from the state’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program on this project.
As a slight change of pace for a blog, I thought it would be both fun and insightful to hear a little bit of their perspective from the field. So, I asked everyone from the joint beachnester crew to submit a short entry about what they like and dislike most about the project, as well as a favorite or unique photo. I will kick it off with my thoughts…Because the main goal of the project is to recover at-risk species, obviously the most satisfying aspect of the project is when the birds have a successful year. But that isn’t always the case, so my personal favorite thing is finding the first piping plover nests of the season. Aside from the challenge of actually locating the well-camouflaged nests, those first eggs embody the eternal hope of each new season. Early in the season, before spring tides wash away eggs, predators discover helpless chicks, and the crush of beachgoers squeezes out colonies, you still believe every nest will successfully produce young.We interact with the public on a daily basis on this project and for the most part we meet nice people. But we also deal with our share of people who do not support the effort. Our motto is “share the shore” and, in fact, only a small percentage of our state’s coastline is protected for beach nesting birds and many of the restriction put in place to help the birds are seasonal in nature. Nonetheless, the “plover fence” brings out the worst in some people, and when that anger is directed at you personally it can be pretty unpleasant and frustrating.
for his contributions to the NJ Bald Eagle Project
by: Larissa Smith, Biologist/Volunteer Manager
Landowner Robert Johnson with Eagle Project volunteers Earl and Mary Ellen Holton.
Landowners are an important component of the NJ Bald Eagle Project since fifty-six percent of eagle nests are found on private property in NJ. This year we recognized a landowner for his contributions to the project over the years. Mr. Robert Johnson has had a pair of eagles nesting on his property in Cumberland County since 2003. He has always been very protective of the pair and makes sure that they aren’t disturbed during the nesting season as well as keeping the nest observers updated on any activity that he has seen or any problems. He helps the volunteers by cutting the grass in his field so that they can drive in and park when monitoring the nest. This year when the volunteers truck got stuck in the mud at another close by nest Mr. Johnson came with his backhoe and pulled them out.
Mr. Johnson received a certificate of appreciation and an eagle frame handmade by CWF biologist Ben Wurst www.reclaimednj.com. The photo in the frame was of Mr. Johnson holding an eagle chick during a eagle banding on his property.
On behalf of the NJ Bald Eagle Project we thank Mr. Johnson for his dedication to NJ eagles.
By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
Conserve Wildlife Foundation Intern, Nelson Melendez, and I recently had an opportunity to assist Endangered & Nongame Species Program Biologist Sharon Petzinger in her research on golden-winged warblers, a species just added to the state’s list of Endangered species this year. We were banding males which had been observed previously and had already claimed breeding territories. They were being banded in order to obtain data regarding their distribution and habitat use, as well as other life history information.
Only males were being targeted for banding. Males are territorial during the breeding season and do not tolerate the presence of other male golden-winged warblers. Therefore, in order to catch a male, we would use their own territorial instincts to lure them into a mist net (a mist net looks a little like a volley ball net with much finer netting which becomes invisible to birds if set-up properly).
Once a mist net was set-up near a known golden-winged’s territory, Sharon used a custom-painted “toy” bird to play the role of an unwelcome male visitor. She also used a call play-back, a recording of a male golden-winged’s song. The song would lure the male near the net, and the decoy should bring him right into the net.
We went to several locations in northwest New Jersey where golden-winged warblers had been observed earlier in the year to set-up the mist net. On this particular day, however, luck was not with us for no golden-winged warblers were caught. Several other species were captured however, such as a veery, chestnut-sided warbler, and a Brewster’s warbler. The Brewster’s warbler is actually a hybrid of a golden-winged warbler and a blue-winged warbler. Another hybrid form between those two species is known as Lawrence’s warbler.
CWF Intern, Nelson Melendez, holding a chestnut-sided warbler. Photo by Mike Davenport.
The veery and chestnut-sided warbler were released from the net unharmed. Before the Brewster’s was released, a small aluminum band was placed on its leg and measurements such as wing length and weight were taken.
Warblers are often an overlooked group of birds by some birdwatchers due to their small size and relative difficulty in observing. They are stunningly beautiful however, which becomes apparent when you have the opportunity to view them up-close. They are a very diverse species group with a variety of interesting life histories. There is currently one species (the golden-winged) listed as Endangered in the state and 11 additional species listed as Special Concern. To learn more about them, please visit our on-line field guide links below.
…and learn about threatened and endangered species.
by Larissa Smith; Biologist/Volunteer Manager
For the second year in a row 5th graders at the Ocean City Intermediate school adopted a species from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ. The 40 students are in two of science teacher Mrs. Rosander’s classes. They earned the money through chores and donations to adopt the Bald Eagle. This year they chose to adopt a bald eagle which is one of the species that I work with so I was glad for the opportunity to talk about NJ eagles.
Students learned about threatened and endangered species as well as the NJ bald eagle project. The students asked a lot of great questions and I’m pretty sure they’ll now be on the look out for eagles!
Thank you to the students for their donation to CWF!
Birding by Kayak on Barnegat Bay, surf fishing off Island Beach, night hikes, and more…
CWF is excited to partner with NJ State Parks and offer incredible programs about New Jersey’s natural world. Programs are taking place at both Island Beach State Park and Allaire State Park.
Become a WILDCHILD, take a sunset kayak tour, try your hand at surf-fishing, go bird watching, or discover the night. Whatever you decide, you will be guided by professional educators and naturalists who have plenty of natural and wildlife stories to share with you.
At nearly 10 miles long, Island Beach is New Jersey’s most expansive stretch of undeveloped barrier island. Our programs help you to connect with the beauty of this ecosystem and its ample natural resources. Have your kids participate in a WILDCHILD program including surfing, surf-fishing, and island exploration. Try and catch the big one during a surf-fishing class or discover the beauty of Barnegat Bay through kayaking.
Allaire State Park covers almost 3,000 acres within the coastal plain of New Jersey. An extension of the Pine Barrens, Allaire has sandy soils and forests of oak, cedar, and pine. The Manasquan River flows through the park, creating floodplain that serves as habitat for many species of wildlife, including the barred owl, wood turtle, and bald eagle. Discover moths, take a quiet bird walk, or splash around in the pond and stream during one of our summer programs.
