Our exciting tournament came to a conclusion last week! For those of you who have been following along, here’s the update on the final battles.
Round 5: Shorebirds & Raptors vs. Reptiles & Amphibians
The start of the semi-finals featured a rather surprising match-up as the #1 seeded peregrine falcon took to the arena against the #9 seeded bog turtle. Our peregrine pair habitually nested on the Delaware Memorial Bridge and were thus quite familiar with the surrounding area. Father falcon was in the mood for red-winged blackbird and flew to a wetland where he knew they were plentiful. On the way, he reminisced about a most unusual creature, distinguishable from the mud by two orange patches flanking its tiny head, that he had once seen nearby. Upon arrival, he noticed that the wetland, formerly characterized by tussock sedge and sphagnum moss was now thick with tall phragmites. The invasive vegetation rendered the habitat unsuitable for bog turtle, and forced a once-thriving population to abandon it. Peregrine falcon successfully caught his dinner but was left wondering why his opponent never turned up. Habitat loss eliminated bog turtle from the competition, propelling our mighty raptor into the championship.
Round 5: Mammals vs. Grassland Birds and Invertebrates
The semi-finals continued with the harbor seal vs. the bobolink. This unlikely duo met in Atlantic City after unseasonable temperatures encouraged bobolink to begin its migration back from Bolivia earlier than usual. Upon entering NJ airspace, a severe gale blew bobolink off course and nearly out to sea! Finding shelter underneath a patch of dune grass, bobolink waited out the storm. Unbeknownst to him, he caught the eye of a nearby harbor seal. Mistaking the black and white bird for a tiny eider, which seals will occasionally eat despite their largely piscivorous diet, harbor seal quickly captured bobolink who was no match for his unbelievable bite force.
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND!
And so, it was harbor seal and peregrine falcon that ultimately earned the right to compete for the prestigious CWF Darwin Award! Both animals are adapted to make them favorable competitors within their respective niches. Though not one to spend much time on the beach, peregrine falcon was lured to Liberty State Park by the promise of an easy meal of seagulls. The seagull that had caught his eye also happened to be the target of harbor seal’s attentions, though our marine mammal was much more interested in the large fish that the gull was picking at. Harbor seal approached the bird at the same time that peregrine falcon stooped down on it- mutilating it and causing absolute bedlam among the flock. The motion and noise were too much for harbor seal, who quickly fled back to the security of the surf. Peregrine was left with the seagull, the fish, and the glory, as he became the worthy winner of the competition!
Congratulations to Peregrine Falcon and thanks to everyone who cheered all of our competitors on from the sidelines!
It’s been a chaotic week in our tournament with contestants undergoing two rounds of battle to determine the champion that will be representing each division in the semi-finals. For those who missed it, here’s the breakdown:
Shorebirds & Raptors Division:
First up in round 3, it was least tern vs. peregrine falcon. Our shorebird “terned” heads and sparked outrage when it defeated fan favorite, the bald eagle in round two. Unfortunately for least tern, the representative this week was only a baby! Patiently awaiting the return of mom, our competitor was hiding in vegetation when an off-road vehicle drove by and scared the chick away from its shelter. Cruising around on the hunt for pigeons, the movement did not go unnoticed by our keen-eyed peregrine. The raptor stooped down on tern and quickly snatched the victory.
Next, we had eastern screech owl vs. black skimmer. The skimmer, our #6 seed, also upset some fans with a shocking win over the #3 seeded osprey last week. Like the least tern, however, the shorebird’s shot at the trophy was dashed when beach litter, strewn about by vacationers, lured hungry rats and gulls toward their nest. Screech owl opportunistically snagged a rat for dinner, but a gang of gulls closed in on our skimmers, viciously driving the parents away while smashing and feasting on the eggs. Just a friendly reminder to all those with plans to recreate on the beach this summer (or in any natural area) to be courteous and respectful guests!
Eastern screech owl and peregrine falcon then went head-to-head in round 4. Deciding to try a different path while hunting for lizards in the NJ Palisades, eastern screech owl failed to pay heed to mother falcon’s angry warnings that he was getting too close to her nest. Father falcon stooped in to teach our owl a lesson about trespassing, stealthily slamming in to him from above and sending the feathered pair spiraling toward the ground. Screech owl disengaged from the falcon’s talons and high-tailed it off the battlefield, leaving the peregrine falcon the win and the title of champion for the shorebirds and raptors division!
Peregrine Falcon and Ben Wurst. Photo by Northside Jim.
Reptiles & Amphibians Division:
The first matchup for round 3 in the reptiles and amphibians division was all about the turtles! It was fan-favorite diamondback terrapin vs. lucky “under”dog, bog turtle. This battle was rather unconventional, as it occurred at a head start facility where conservationists were attempting to hatch eggs for release into the wild. A series of unfortunate events led to the incubation area experiencing very high temperatures all summer long. For bog turtles, this didn’t matter so much, as sex is determined genetically by chromosomes, however, like many other reptile species, terrapins have temperature dependent sex determination. All hatchling terrapins were females, while there was a healthy mix among the baby bog turtles. As diversity is important for recruitment, the bog turtle was deemed the winner.
Northern copperhead and eastern tiger salamander then entered the arena to put their toxins to the test. Or would have, if they ever encountered one another. The salamander dipped into a vernal pool to deposit her eggs, while northern copperhead lazily enjoyed the warmth of his hibernaculum. Our venomous snakes’ failure to turn up left tiger salamander the de facto winner.
Bog turtle’s unbelievable streak continued due to very sad circumstances in round 4, when opponent eastern tiger salamander was squished by a careless ATV rider. In pursuit of an epic splash picture to post on social media, he drove right through a highly sensitive vernal pool habitat, causing untold damage. Please stick to designated trails, folks!
Bog turtle advances to the semi-finals as the champion of the herptiles, leaving CWF biologist Christine Healy absolutely dumbfounded… It was the #9 seed!?
Bog Turtle. Photo by Lynn Sambol.
Mammals Division:
First up for the mammals, it was river otter vs. bobcat! As was the case in round 2 against the red fox, the river otter had the upper hand in this aquatic competition. Though bobcats are more at home in water than other felids and will happily hunt for beaver in the shallows, pursuing the speedy river otter through deep water was simply not worth the calories…
Our two relative behemoths, harbor seal and black bear, accidentally met on a beach in Jersey City, after black bear’s dispersal along an abandoned railway brought him to uncharted territory. Mistaking the hauled out seals for moving rocks, black bear got too close, which prompted a divide in seal behavior with some taking to the water and some adopting vigilant stances. Safety in numbers and the bears’ confusion allowed our marine mammal to seal the deal.
In round 4, river otter and harbor seal found themselves several miles from the NJ coast. Capable of diving >1,500 ft to fish in the mesopelagic zone, harbor seal felt right at home in the deep water, while river otter, whose diving ability is still impressive at 60 ft, was totally out of his element. Best of luck to river otter at getting back to shore and congratulations to harbor seal on his advancement into the semi-finals as mammal division champ!
Harbor Seal. Photo by Brett Klaproth.River Otter. Photo by Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
Grassland Birds & Invertebrates Division:
The first battle for this division took place at the Atlantic City Airport, where our competitors, cowbird and grasshopper sparrow, were thriving due to recent management activities. Cowbird, a young and inexperienced female, jumps at an opportunity to parasitize grasshopper sparrows’ nest, where she deposits a smaller than typical egg. Recognizing the imposter upon her return, grasshopper sparrow was able to push the heavy egg away from her own eggs and out of the incubation area. Cowbird left the battlefield to plot her revenge.
In the last round 3 battle, our final invertebrate, frosted elfin, took on bobolink. Poor frosted elfin missed out on the hat trick due to extensive herbivory by white-tailed deer. A herd found their way into a managed grassland along a powerline through a weak point in the exclusion fencing. Bobolink could do nothing but watch the habitat destruction occur.
And finally, in the last battle of the quarter-finals, it was bobolink vs. grasshopper sparrow. A vigilant non-parental helper from the previous brood warned grasshopper sparrow about danger near her nest! Returning swiftly, grasshopper sparrow adopted a broken wing display, in the hopes of luring the threat away, not realizing that “threat” was actually just bobolink, trying to return to his nest with a juicy caterpillar for his chicks. The spectacle did, however, attract the attention of a northern harrier that had been hunting nearby. The harrier’s swift predation on grasshopper sparrow’s nest propelled bobolink on to victory.
Frosted Elfin. Photo by Mike Hale.Male boblink in full breeding plumage.
So, it’s peregrine falcon vs. bog turtle and harbor seal vs. bobolink in the semi-finals. We’ll soon discover the worthy winner of the prestigious CWF Darwin Award- stay tuned!
