Tag: 2013

Month of the Falcon – Part III

Posted on by Ben Wurst
History of the Jersey City Falcon nest

 by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

Peregrine nestlings in the nestbox at 101 Hudson St.
Peregrine nestlings as viewed from the nest cam at 101 Hudson St.

We hope you’re enjoying the “Month of the Falcon” series! The summary below was created to tell the story of a peregrine nest (also referred to as an eyrie) at 101 Hudson St. in Jersey City where a live webcam broadcast the live view of the nest during the nesting season. It’s important to remember that we would not know any of this without the use of the camera to monitor the nest. The summary was written using posts to Nestbox News and from banding and re-sighting data from Kathy Clark, Supervisory Zoologist with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program.

1999

A pair of peregrines were first spotted by observant building managers at 101 Hudson St. more than 10 years ago. They often caught glimpses of peregrines streaking through the sky, in pursuit of prey, with the NYC skyline in the background. They knew what they were witnessing was rare and wanted to help. They contacted biologists with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program and a plan was made to help establish a nesting pair there. In 1999 there were only 15 known pairs of peregrine falcons in the state. Continue reading “Month of the Falcon – Part III”

Month of the Falcon – Part II

Posted on by Ben Wurst
PEREGRINE FALCONS…BUILT FOR SPEED

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

Peregrines are now common residents of NJ's coast. Photo by Northside Jim.
Peregrines are now common residents of NJ’s coast. Photo by Northside Jim.

It’s hard to believe now, but peregrine falcons were once extirpated from their nesting grounds in the Eastern United States. They were federally listed as endangered in 1969 (prior to the passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973) under the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969.

Shortly thereafter a reintroduction project began. New Jersey was one of the first places were wild nesting occurred.

Today more than 25 pairs of peregrines nest in New Jersey and their reproduction here remains strong. However, biologists remain concerned of their long term recovery since they have some of the highest loads of DDE and mercury (Clark et al. 2009). Continue reading “Month of the Falcon – Part II”

Save the Jersey City Falcon Cam!!

Posted on by Ben Wurst
Tiercel peregrine falcon at Jersey City. © Kathy Clark/ENSP
Tiercel peregrine falcon at Jersey City. © Kathy Clark/ENSP

Since 2000, a pair of state endangered peregrine falcons have nested on a building in Jersey City, New Jersey. Peregrine falcons are drawn to urban areas since there are high levels of prey (pigeons) and suitable areas to nest (building ledges and outcrops). To follow along with their daily life cycle a webcam was first installed in 2001. Since then it has broadcast their success and struggles over the years to reproduce and help bolster the population in the state.

Peregrines have made a remarkable recovery in New Jersey since their reintroduction in the 1970s, and the Falcon Cam has allowed us to help raise awareness for their conservation. This past year we learned that the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, who hosted the camera since it’s installation, no longer has funding to maintain the webcam. Over the next month we’ll be fundraising to help keep the webcam online! At the same time we’ll also be featuring a weekly series “The Month of the Falcon” with insight from biologists and awesome photos of peregrines from New Jersey.

Duke Farms 2009 Eagle Chick All Grown Up

Posted on by larissasmith
Jersey banded bird re-sighted in Maryland

by Larissa Smith, Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Coordinator

NJ banded eagle at Conowingo Dam, MD © Kevin Smith
NJ banded eagle at Conowingo Dam, MD © Kevin Smith

The Duke Farms eagle camera was put in place in 2008. Since then it has had quite a following of people interested in seeing the pair raise their young. After the young birds leave the nest it is unknown what happens to them. The mortality rate for first year eagles is fairly high since they are just learning how to fly and hunt on their own.  So it was quite exciting when on December 1, 2013 Kevin Smith photographed a NJ banded bird at Conowingo Dam, Maryland. He was able to zoom in close enough to view the green band which read C96. This bird had been banded on May 18, 2009 at Duke Farms. He was the oldest of three males raised by the pair in 2009 while being watched by eagle cam viewers. Below is a photo of the three chicks in the nest following the banding. The largest bird on the right is C96.  Now at 4 1/2 years old he is almost a mature adult but still has just a slight amount of brown in his tail feathers (photo on left).

Conowingo Dam is a popular spot for eagles this time of year due to the abundance of fish. Kevin noted that the eagles were catching smaller fish than usual and eating them on the fly. The photo below on the right shows C96 moving the fish from his talons to his bill. Kevin reports that he (C96) would then circle back around looking for more fish and got his share of food that day. It is good to know that C96 has survived and is healthy.

  • The Duke Farms eagle cam is up and the pair is getting the nest ready for the 2014 nesting season.

 

NJ banded eagle at Conowingo Dam, MD © Kevin Smith
NJ banded eagle at Conowingo Dam, MD © Kevin Smith
Duke Farms eagle nest at banding May 18, 2009 © Mick Valent
Duke Farms eagle nest at banding May 18, 2009 © Mick Valent

Piping plover sister school project

Posted on by CWF
Dispatch from Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, The Bahamas
Sister School students of Amy Robert Primary School
Sister School students of Amy Roberts Primary School, Abaco, The Bahamas, working hard on their Piping Plover Unit!

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ continues to be extremely excited about our sister school project which links a school on Green Turtle Cay in Abaco, The Bahamas and one in Ocean City, New Jersey, USA through piping plover conservation. We particularly like how it is shaping up to be a multi-disciplinary educational initiative. Below is a report we received last week from Jan Russell, the project teacher from the Amy Roberts Primary School on Green Turtle Cay:

Today was the first official in-class activity to start the Joint Piping Plover Unit.  On Monday the students were placed in groups based upon their strengths and identified cooperation skills. The first activity included a review of the Power Point presentation presented by Todd Pover and Stephanie Egger of CWFNJ when they visited us on November 5, 2013.  As each slide was presented, each group recorded a comment or question on a large sheet of poster paper.  The comments and questions will be used to develop our research direction and our final product choices. Continue reading “Piping plover sister school project”

Osprey Cam: Back up and running!

Posted on by Ben Wurst
After much delay…

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

Last week we set out to finally repair the osprey cam at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR. (Note: we do all of the technical repairs and maintenance to the camera system) Initial repairs were delayed to protect the osprey young. Timing restrictions are set in place to reduce disturbance to nesting ospreys and nests cannot be disturbed from April 1 – August 30. This is a good thing! When we finally set out to figure out the issue with why the camera suddenly lost power, we had to wait until it was safe to enter the nest. When we first went out (August 15) for a quick diagnosis (after we knew all young were flying and not relying on the nest as much) and got the cam online again…but it died after 30 minutes of streaming…

We went out again in late September and determined it was the solar charge controller but had to wait to get a new one. In October we went out out to replace the charge controller but the system was still down and the equipment was not getting power. The two batteries only had 6 volts of charge and needed to be recharged. So, the two 50lb. batteries were lugged a pretty long distance and charged up. Once they held a charge we made plans to go back to re-install them and hoped it would work. Success!! The batteries powered up the system and within minutes the camera was streaming online!

Special thanks to volunteer Joe Bilotta for helping out with the re-installation of the batteries!

Osprey Cam equipment
Volunteer, Joe Bilotta helps to setup a ladder to access osprey cam equipment.
Ben gives thumbs up!
Thumbs up!!
Osprey nest in off season
Not so green anymore!

Get Wild! Silent Auction

Posted on by Ben Wurst
100% of proceeds support our conservation efforts!!

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

auction

Each item from our auction was donated by wildlife enthusiasts and CWF supporters in New Jersey. Their donation of an item, trip, or service will directly support our mission to “Protect New Jersey’s Wildlife.” This is our largest fundraising effort of the year and will help us to make sure salamanders will cross safely on a rainy night. It will also help make sure piping plovers can successfully nest on our beaches without getting trampled by tourists. It will give a pair of ospreys a safe place to nest on our coastal saltmarshes. Lastly, it will make sure that our future generations learn why it’s important to protect wildlife and the habitat that they depend on to survive.

Win a trip to band peregrines, ospreys or bald eagles! All support our mission!!

Please check out our online silent auction to get some awesome gifts for wildlife lovers in your family this holiday season. There are plenty of items for everyone, especially for outdoor enthusiasts! We have several outdoor “excursions” which put you in touch with some of species we work so hard to protect.

Sampling of items:


Special thanks to everyone who donated towards our silent auction!!

New Jersey’s Bald Eagle Population is Flying High

Posted on by larissasmith
© Thomas Gorman
© Thomas Gorman
2013 New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report

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.

Introducing the 2013 Women & Wildlife Honorees!

Posted on by Ben Wurst
Introducing the 2013 Women & Wildlife Honorees.
Introducing the 2013 Women & Wildlife Honorees.

Through our annual Women & Wildlife Awards we recognize women who represent a broad range of wildlife protectors in our state:

  • Tracy Leaver, who rehabilitates orphaned and injured animals, including bobcats and bears;
  • Linda J. Mead, who has a distinguished record in permanently preserving over 15,000 acres of natural habitats, farms, and open space for New Jersey’s wildlife;
  • Jo Ann Frier-Murza, who played an important role in protecting our most charismatic wildlife as part of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife;
  • Pat Sutton, who has educated about the natural world in New Jersey, especially in Cape May, for over 30 years; and
  • Dr. Edith Wallace, who has devoted more than half a century to inspiring people, young and old, to make the wild places of New Jersey part of their everyday experiences.

At the event we will also commemorate the 40th Anniversary of New Jersey’s Endangered Species Conservation Act. This landmark legislation directed the Department of Environmental Protection to protect, manage and restore the State’s endangered and nongame wildlife species and allowed state biologists to bring key species back from the brink of extinction – species such as the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and osprey.

When: Wednesday, December 4th, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Where: Trenton Country Club, 201 Sullivan Way, Ewing, New Jersey

Tickets: $75 individual ticket

$250, $500 and $1,000 sponsorships will be listed in the event program

All proceeds will benefit our work to protect our rare and imperiled wildlife!

For more information, please contact Liz Silvernail at (609) 292-3707.

Jersey City’s Peregrine Falcons

Posted on by Ben Wurst
Meet the nesting pair!

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

Peregrine falcons are the largest falcon in New Jersey. They are found world-wide and are the fastest bird. They were once extirpated from the state (and all areas east of the Mississippi River) by 1964, after DDT decimated their population. A recovery program spearheaded by The Peregrine Fund helped to re-establish the eastern population by releasing captive bred birds. The birds were “hacked” on towers on the coastal saltmarsh where prey was readily available and predators (great horned owls) were minimal. The program was successful and by 1980 the first wild nesting of peregrines occurred at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville. Since then the population has steadily increased because of the dedicated biologists and volunteers who help to monitor and manage them. Continue reading “Jersey City’s Peregrine Falcons”