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.
Each year biologists with the NJ ENSP & CWF band chicks at eagle nests though out NJ. Each chick gets a green (NJ) band on one leg and a silver federal band on the other. The Green band indicates that the bird was banded in NJ and the letter over the number combination is recorded so we know where and when. There are at least 20 pairs of eagles nesting in NJ where at least one of the adults is a NJ banded bird. Over the past few years we’ve gotten reports of NJ birds seen in other states and if we’re lucky (and someone has a really good camera) the green band can be read.
We recently heard from Linda Oughton who lives in PA. She has a pair of eagles nesting near her home and was able to get a photo of the perched female with green band B/64. She was able to tell us that this pair has been nesting for the past three years near her development in Montgomery County and raised and fledged four young for two of those years. They were active this season and had two chicks, which unfortunately didn’t survive due to the severe winter weather. Before nesting in this tree they nested for three years at another location where they raised seven young. The banded eagle is a female which is known because she is larger than her mate (female eagles are larger than the males).
B-64 with two chicks raised and fledged in 2013 @ L. Oughton
B/64 was one of three chicks banded in 2004 at the Hopewell West nest which is located in Cumberland County along the Cohansey River. Linda has named B/64 “Jersey Girl” and she keeps everyone in the development where she lives informed about the nest. No doubt that this former NJ bird is well loved and protected.
This week the annual nesting season of northern diamondback terrapins began. Females leave protection of our coastal estuaries to seek out suitable nest sites, course gravel and sand, which is often along roadsides. These individuals often cross roads to get to these nest sites. Please be courteous of terrapins and slow down, leave a greater following distance, and help a terrapin cross when you see one on the road.
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!
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.
This story marks the fifth of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.
Part 1, Monday, revealed the bottlenose dolphin die-off striking the Eastern Seaboard. Part 2, on Tuesday, featured a Question-and-Answer on the dolphin mortality event with NOAA’s Mendy Garron. Part 3, on Wednesday, looked at how people can safely help stranded wildlife. Part 4, yesterday, investigated the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. Part 5, today’s blog entry, discusses the importance of reporting marine mammal and sea turtle sightings and how to do so.
By Michael J. Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) staff work with the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) to manage and populate the state’s official database of rare wildlife, known as Biotics. Currently, this database contains over 39,000 animal and plant records within New Jersey. ENSP and CWF currently collect and enter data for the state’s 182 endangered, threatened, and special concern species.
Although much of the information within Biotics on imperiled species is received from CWF and ENSP biologists, a great deal of useful data is also submitted by the public since, although NJ is a relatively small state, the biologists are unable to survey all areas at all times. The biologists rely on these “citizen scientists” to help them monitor areas which they are unable to and/or locate the presence of species in areas in which they were previously unknown to occur. Wildlife watchers who observe rare wildlife may report such observations by submitting a Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form which then gets processed and mapped by CWF staff.
Rare species data within the Biotics database plays a critical role in wildlife and habitat conservation within New Jersey. It is used for a number of scientific and conservation efforts such as the state’s Landscape Project and Critical Wildlife Habitat Mapping, environmental review, research (GIS modeling), status review (determining whether a non-listed species should become listed as endangered or threatened and vice versa), and it also assists biologists in targeting future survey efforts to new areas.
A Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form is available on ENSP’s website for download as well as instructions for completing the form – there is also a Marine Wildlife Sighting Report Form, specifically for reporting sighting of marine mammals and sea turtles. A complete list of all of the species tracked by the state can be downloaded here.
Reporting your rare wildlife observation is easy. Simply complete the form, attach a map of where the animal was observed (a map is not necessary for marine sightings; geographic coordinates may be submitted instead), as well as any photographs taken, and then mail or e-mail the form and any additional documentation to ENSP at the address provided on the form. For more details about the state’s rare species mapping, please visit our webpage.
Observations of dead, dying, or stranded marine mammals or sea turtles 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.
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.
This story marks the fourth of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.
Part 1, on Monday, revealed the bottlenose dolphin die-off striking the Eastern Seaboard. Part 2, on Tuesday, featured a Question-and-Answer on the dolphin mortality event with NOAA’s MendyGarron. Part 3, yesterday looked at how people can safely help stranded marine mammals without making the mistake of being a “hero”. And Part 5, tomorrow, will reveal the importance of reporting sightings – both for live or dead marine mammals.
MARINE MAMMAL & SEA TURTLE WEEK: Sea turtles navigate a dangerous path, from entanglements to cold-stunning
By Sara DeAngelo, Conservation Intern
Over 100 first responders along the coast of New Jersey attended Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s marine mammal stranding workshops this past month. Speakers and interactive discussions educated the first responders on how to handle a marine mammal or sea turtle stranding.
The term “stranding” is used for sea turtles and marine mammals that are found along the beach dead or alive. Their death or injury may be resulting from a predator, parasites, pollution, entanglement, etc. In most stranding cases, the cause of the animal stranding itself is unknown. Determining the cause of the animal stranding will help us understand what is going on in the ocean that may be harmful to certain populations.
Sea turtles, however, face a unique set of challenges. We have four species of sea turtles that may be found in New Jersey waters during the summer. Loggerheads are the most common, while green sea turtles and Atlantic leatherbacks – massive creatures weighing as much as a small car – are less frequently seen but not uncommon. Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles are the rarest visitors.
Most of these sea turtles come to New Jersey during the summer months and enjoy the warmer waters. Yet when our seasons change and the waters cool, some sea turtles may lag behind rather than returning south for warmer waters. These turtles can face “cold stunning”.
In colder waters, sea turtles do not have the capability of warming their own bodies. If a turtle is cold stunned, it looks as if it is dead because its heart rate decreases, it becomes lethargic, circulation decreases, and it may be in shock or have pneumonia.
This condition can even result in a common mistake of a passerby or first responder believing a turtle is dead, when it is actually just “cold-stunned”. Unless the sea turtle clearly looks like it has been dead for a while, it is best to report the turtle to a marine mammal and sea turtle stranding hotline.
A green sea turtle. Photo by Cordell Brown.
Sea turtles can also get entangled in fishing nets. At the Conserve Wildlife Foundation workshops this month, first responders were informed to, upon sighting of an entangled or stranded animal, immediately call the Marine Mammal Stranding Center located in Brigantine, NJ, by calling 1-609-266-0538. They could also contact NOAA’s Northeast Region Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding and Entanglement Hotline by calling 1-866-755-6622.
Boaters who encounter an entangled sea turtle should try to remain near the turtle until help arrives if possible. On shifting seas, it could be hard for the expert responding to the call to locate the animal without the initial person spotting it standing by to direct them there.
One warning was made very clear in the workshop: boaters should never get into the water with a sea turtle or stranded marine mammal. It is extremely dangerous for both the responder and for the animal.
Should the sea turtle be on the beach itself, other tips are helpful for the first responders. While waiting for the trained rescue staff, the first responders were urged to secure the scene, try to keep people at least 100 feet away, and not to touch the animal. Keeping curious beachgoers distant from the animal will minimize stressing out the animal even more. The responders were told that calling the local police department may help enforce the directions to keep back from the animal.
A Kemp’s ridley turtle. Photo courtesy of Jenkinson’s Aquarium.
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.
This story marks the third of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.
Part 1, on Monday, revealed the bottlenose dolphin die-off striking the Eastern Seaboard. Part 2, yesterday, featured a Question-and-Answer on the dolphin mortality event with NOAA’s Mendy Garron. Part 4, tomorrow, will investigate the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. And Part 5, on Friday, will reveal the importance of reporting sightings – both for live or dead marine mammals.
MARINE MAMMAL & SEA TURTLE WEEK: Encounter a stranded marine mammal? Here’s how to help (Hint: Don’t try to be a hero!)
By Jennifer Dexter, Conservation Intern
Last year, over 150 marine mammal strandings occurred in New Jersey, ranging from humpback whales to harbor seals.
In order to better prepare first responders and the general public for such incidents, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ hosted the NJ Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop. For me, the biggest take home message I retained from attending this workshop was a clear one: “Don’t be the hero!”
Keeping people and their pets away from stranded marine mammals is for their safety as well as the animal’s. Photo by Mike Davenport.
Everyone has good intentions when they attempt to ”rescue” a marine mammal stranded on the beach, but often you may be doing more harm than good. Usually, there is a good reason why the animal washed ashore, whether it be injuries or illness at fault. If you simply return the animal to the ocean, it’s likely that they will just become stranded again.
The same goes for animals in danger at sea, such as a turtle entangled in fishing nets. DO NOT go all gung-ho by jumping in the water in attempt to cut the turtle free, as you are putting the animal and yourself in danger.
Close human interaction will put the already stressed animal in defense mode. Sea turtles, such as the leatherback, can weigh more than 1,000 pounds and one thrash of their flipper can leave a human severely injured. In addition, a human can just as easily become entangled in the netting so it’s best to remain on your boat, safe out of harm’s way.
The best and most helpful thing a witness can do in New Jersey is to immediately call the Brigantine Marine Mammal Stranding Center (609-266-0538) and provide the following information: description of the animal, photograph from a distance, location, and description of any injuries.
Most importantly, do not touch, feed, pour water on, or cover the animal. Stand by until a MMSC staff member or local police is dispatched. From that point on, it will be up to the MMSC and the authorities to assess what measures need to be taken based on the animal’s needs. You can walk away knowing you did the right thing – and helped the animal as much as you could.
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.
This story marks the second of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.
Part 1 yesterday revealed the bottlenose dolphin die-off striking the Eastern Seaboard. Part 3, on Wednesday, will look at how people can safely help stranded wildlife. Part 4, on Thursday, will investigate the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. And Part 5, on Friday, will reveal the importance of reporting sightings – both for live or dead marine mammals.
MARINE MAMMAL & SEA TURTLE WEEK: Ask the Experts – NOAA’s Mendy Garron sheds light on bottlenose dolphin die-off
By Stephanie Feigin, Program Coordinator
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) declared an unusual Mortality Event (UME) in early July 2013 for bottlenose dolphins along the Atlantic Coast. There have been an elevated number of strandings in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. These strandings have ranged from a few live animals to mostly dead animals and many very decomposed. These dolphins usually show lesions on their mouth, skin, joints or lungs.
Bottlenose dolphin. Photo by Cordell Brown.
In New Jersey, there have been 135 documented strandings from July 1, 2013 – April 20, 2014. Research attributes this UME to cetacean morbillivirus, a naturally occurring virus in marine mammal populations. It suppresses the immune system and affects the brain and lungs, and causes the death of the animal from other secondary infections. This virus has now affected about 50% of the coastal migratory bottlenose dolphin stock leading to the classification of “Depleted” for this stock under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. I spoke with Mendy Garron, the Marine Mammal Response Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries, about this dolphin die-off.
CWF: What is the unusual mortality event that is occurring for bottlenose dolphins? MendyGarron, NOAA: In July 2013, NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network partners documented an increase in bottlenose dolphin strandings occurring in the Mid-Atlantic region (New York through Virginia). Since that time, bottlenose dolphin strandings have remained elevated.
CWF: How widespread is this event? And how is it affecting the New Jersey population of bottlenose dolphins? MendyGarron, NOAA: The increase in bottlenose dolphin stranding events has extended down through Florida. Coastal migratory bottlenose dolphins migrate south during the winter months and are located off the coast of NC, SC, GA and FL during the winter. In late spring and early summer, the dolphins will migrate back up north and be found in coastal waters of mid-Atlantic states (NY through NC).
Research efforts are underway to understand the impacts the die-off will have on the coastal bottlenose dolphin population, including those that are found in New Jersey waters.
CWF: What are the results, so far, of your investigation into this UME? MendyGarron, NOAA: This Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been attributed to an outbreak of cetacean morbillivirus. More information on morbillivirus can be found on the following website: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/mmume/midatldolphins2013.html
Morbillivirus is highly contagious among animals in an infected population. The virus spreads through inhalation of respiratory particles or direct contact between animals. Animals can also be exposed to the virus through other entryways such as the eyes, mouth, stomach, skin wounds, and urogenital tract. Secondary or co-infections caused by fungus, bacteria, parasites and protozoa have also been documented in some animals.
CWF: How can we help protect the New Jersey population? MendyGarron, NOAA: Bottlenose dolphins are faced with many negative impacts in their daily lives including, but not limited to: fishery interactions, boat strikes, and contamination. There are many things that can be done to help protect these animals. Here is a link to the NOAA Fisheries Service regional website that houses information on responsible wildlife viewing practices for dolphins, as well as guidance for recreational fishermen and boaters: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/Protected/mmp/
An informational video can also be found at: http://www.dontfeedwilddolphins.org/
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.
This story marks the first of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.
Part 2, on Tuesday, will feature a Question-and-Answer on the dolphin mortality event with NOAA’s Mendy Garron. Part 3, on Wednesday, will look at how people can safely help stranded wildlife. Part 4, on Thursday, will investigate the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. And Part 5, on Friday, will reveal the importance of reporting sightings – both for live or dead marine mammals.
MARINE MAMMAL & SEA TURTLE WEEK: Dolphin die-off kills over 1,000 bottlenose dolphins along Atlantic coast
By David Wheeler, Executive Director of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey
At least 136 bottlenose dolphins became stranded in New Jersey over the past year. Most of the strandings were fatal, and many dolphins showed lesions and other infections. Over 1,200 dolphins have stranded along the entire Eastern seaboard – a situation bleak enough that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) declared an Unusual Mortality Event.
Bottlenose dolphin. Photo by Cordell Brown.
The cause is Cetacean morbillivirus. About half of coastal migratory bottlenose dolphins are affected, leading to this stock’s federal classification as ‘Depleted’ under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Bottlenose dolphins were already considered species of special concern in New Jersey, and this only further threatens their population.
In stark contrast with the 136 dolphins stranded in New Jersey since last July 1, the average number of strandings in the state for a given year is 10.
The last major morbillivirus mortality event among bottlenose dolphins occurred in 1987-88, which ultimately helped lead the U.S. Congress to establish the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program.
The dolphin virus was among the issues discussed atConserve Wildlife Foundation’s inaugural marine mammal stranding workshops last month at Monmouth University and Richard Stockton College.
Speakers at our recent stranding response workshops led interactive discussions to educate first responders on how to handle marine mammal and sea turtle strandings. Jen Zebrowski from Jenkinson’s Aquarium educated responders on how to identify some 13 species of marine mammals and 5 sea turtles they might encounter on the New Jersey coast. Mendy Garron, Kate Sampson and Scott Doyle from NOAA explained what a responder should do once they encounter the animal, how to make the situation safe, and the legal obligations facing first responders with a stranding.
Now we enter this summer hoping that cetacean morbillivirus will not claim nearly as many dolphins this year. Keep your fingers crossed!
Jen Zebrowski from Jenkinson’s Aquarium providing an overview of NJ’s marine mammal & sea turtle species at CWF’s recent stranding response workshop at Stockton College. Photo by Stephanie Feigin.
