Since 1985, one boardwalk casino has been home to a pair of peregrine falcons. On the 23rd floor of the Hilton (originally named as the Golden Nugget, then Bally’s Grand, The Grand) in Atlantic City a pair of peregrines have nested since 1988. Since then only two females have ever occupied the territory there. The first female nested there until 2002. In October of that year she was found injured after it was believed that she had struck an object. She was transported to The Raptor Trust for treatment, but unfortunately died later that night. She was the oldest nesting peregrine in New Jersey at the time (she was born in 1985 at a nest site in Sedge Island WMA) and was a NJ native falcon. She raised a total of 25 young during the 15 years that she nested there. She was known for her tenacious attitude and brave assaults on biologists and photographers by dive-bombing them “fighter jet style” to protect her young.
Here is an excerpt from the article “Storied A.C. Peregrine Dies: State’s oldest nesting falcon was N.J. native” in our old Conserve Wildlife newsletter from 2002:
“She’d been around nearly as long as I’ve been a biologist,” says Clark. “I felt a kinship from our many years at her nest, banding her young.”
Last June, as Clark was returning the bird’s two chicks to the ledge after she had banded them inside the penthouse suite, the biologist noticed the fierce female accidentally glance one of the building’s structural columns. But Clark will remember more all the times the bird was at her fighterpilot best, strafing Clark, her assistants and the news photographers who bravely clambered out onto the narrow ledge to record what had become a much publicized, annual banding ritual. In fact, in 1997 within a span of several minutes the bird was able to strike the heads of both an assistant biologist and a photographer. That’s why Clark, since then, had been banding the chicks inside.
Ironically, it took her death to solve the final mystery of her existence. In 1994, thanks to a remote-controlled camera, Clark was able to read all but the last digit on her leg band. The numbers confirmed her 1985 hatch date, but without that missing digit she could have been fledged anywhere from Maine to Virginia.
When Clark recovered the fatally injured bird, she recorded the entire banding number, and quickly learned the female had been hatched atop a nest tower erected in Barnegat Bay’s Sedge Islands Wildlife Management Area, just 25 miles north of Atlantic City. One of the first offspring of restored, wild-nesting peregrines in New Jersey, she had been a lifelong resident of the Garden State.” written by Bruce Beans.
Measuring the length of the ledge where deterrent will be installed.
Today, the only other female peregrine to nest on the ledge of the penthouse floor will be 13 years old this summer. She originated from a nest site in coastal Virginia in 1998. In early 2009 we placed a deterrent (wood and pigeon spikes) along a portion of the ledge to deter the pair from nesting. The preferred nest site is a nest tray where the pair can be more closely monitored by casino staff and butlers (Mel and Pete) on the penthouse floor and it also has more protection from harsh weather conditions. The deterrent worked quite well last year, but it wasn’t quite large enough. The female proceeded to nest directly next to our deterrents (see photo below). She was allowed to nest there, but after her young were banded, they were placed in the nest tray on the west side of the building.
Yesterday Kathy Clark, zoologist with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program, and myself visited the site to measure the ledge where additional deterrent will be placed next week. The nesting pair was present and aggressive as usual. The female dove at us both as we were out on the ledge. The spirit of the old “storied” peregrine has certainly been passed on to this bird. The new deterrents will be installed next week. Peregrines begin nesting in March.
Volunteers are needed to help conduct a study that will measure all influences of shorebird distribution (food, predation and human use/disturbance) while altering human recreational use (close sections of beach, restricted access to key areas or to the waterline) to determine impact both to recreational use and shorebirds at a coastal stopover site (North Brigantine Natural Area). Volunteers are needed to survey shorebird behavior and distribution and/or human use of the natural area.
The ultimate goal is to recommend management programs that create the best protection with minimal impact to recreational use to all Federal and State agencies responsible for sites important to migratory shorebirds.
Shorebird Study:
Volunteers/interns must have the ability to:
Identify shorebird species including Red Knot, Semi-palmated Plover, Sanderling, Sandpiper spp., Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone is required.
Accurately observe and record estimates of flock size and behaviors.
Work anywhere 11-hour days with breaks throughout the day on site as needed.
Walk several miles on the beach throughout the shift.
Communicate effectively, intelligently and positively with the public despite potential opposition.
Provide own transportation to Brigantine Natural Area.
Lodging will be provided for those traveling and/or working consecutive days.
Human Use Study:
Volunteers/interns must have the ability to:
Communicate effectively, intelligently and positively about the study with the public despite potential opposition. Volunteers will be supplied with a 1-page hand out about the project with contact information to share with the public.
Advise public of beach closure.
Interview visitors where possible to establish recreational activities, recreational rates, and perceptions.
Accurately record responses.
Work 11 hour days (includes two weekends) with breaks as needed on site throughout the day.
Provide own transportation to Brigantine Natural Area.
Lodging is available for those traveling and working consecutive days.
The schedule will be composed of 11-hour daily survey periods over the course of 12 consecutive days. This includes three pre-treatment days (10/13-10/15) followed by six treatment (beach closure) days (10/16-10/21) and three post-treatment days (10/22-10/24). Obviously, greater availability is preferred but flexible scheduling will be considered. We would like to keep this project a volunteer/intern support survey, so pay is not likely although may be considered if we are able to identify additional funding.
The 2010 New Jersey bald eagle nesting season has ended and the young eagles have left their nest areas and are heading out on their own. This season there was a high of 94 eagle pairs being monitored. Eighty-two of these pairs were active (laid eggs), 8 were territorial and it was unknown if and where 4 other pairs were nesting. Thirteen new pairs of eagles were located this season. Good news, the bald eagle population is increasing.
Forty-three nests were successful in producing 69 young, for a productivity rate of .84 young per active nest. This is slightly below the required range of 0.9-1.1 young per nest for population maintenance. Unfortunately there were 32 nests which failed to produce young this season. Many of the failures can be attributed to the severe winter and spring weather which coincided with the eagle nesting season. But every population has fluctuations so this one off season won’t effect the NJ eagle population in the long term.
More details will be available in the Annual Bald Eagle Project report which will be out by the end of the year.
Ospreys are currently listed as a threatened species in New Jersey. They were first listed as endangered in 1974 after the state population declined to only 50 pairs, from over 500 prior to 1950. Ospreys have made a remarkable recovery in New Jersey thanks to biologists with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) and many volunteers. Surveys that help monitor the population were conducted in late June and early July.
Volunteers and biologists surveyed all major nesting colonies from Sandy Hook south along the Atlantic Coast to Cape May and west to Salem County. Ospreys almost exclusively nest on man-made structures including platforms designed specifically for them, cell towers, duck blinds, channel markers, and boat lifts. Surveyors visited these nest structures to observe whether or not they were occupied. If they’re occupied, then the number of young were recorded and the young were banded for future tracking with a USGS bird band. Preliminary results show that productivity rates are up for all nesting colonies except one (Sedge Island WMA). Since ospreys are predators, they are at the top of the food chain. They are considered to be an indicator species, or a species that is sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and can serve as an indicator of an unhealthy marine ecosystem. Basically, a healthy osprey population means a healthy marine ecosystem.
The climate during this summer has been the complete opposite as last year. It was hot, dry, and calm, with only a few severe storms with high winds that caused some nests to fail. Otherwise, fish stocks are plentiful, especially menhaden. This year many out-of-state commercial fishing boats have started fishing for bunker off New Jersey waters. This is mostly due to declines in herring stocks in New England and the high demand for bait for use in lobster pots. State legislators have introduced a bill that would limit boats from catching bunker for use as bait. Read more here and this press release from the Recreational Fishing Alliance.
Full results from this years survey will be published soon in our annual newsletter. Here is last year’s newsletter.
The eagle in a carrier to be transported from Sandy Hook to The Raptor Trust. Image courtesy National Park Service.
Last Tuesday I met with Debra and Gail, volunteers with The Raptor Trust in northern New Jersey to help release a juvenile eagle. The release was coordinated by Kathy Clark with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program and Cathy with the Raptor Trust. They transported the eagle for more than 2 hours to see it return to the wild. I was merely there because I have experience with handling birds of prey (in case anything were to happen).
The eagle was found on Gunnison Beach in late June inside Gateway National Recreation Area on Sandy Hook.The eagle was spotted by park visitors on the beach. The eagle was distressed but had no injuries. Jeanne McArthur–Heuser, NPS transported the eagle to the Raptor Trust, located in Millington, New Jersey.
Many juvenile raptors or birds of prey are not 100% successful at catching prey. Some rely on their parents for food until they learn the skills to catch prey that they will use for the rest of their lives.
The eagle was rehabilitated at the Raptor Trust for 6 weeks. It was a male and was banded with a federal USGS bird band for future tracking. At the Raptor Trust it got plenty of rest and relaxation under their care. I met Gail and Debra in Millville where we traveled south towards Newport. We released the eagle at a location determined by Kathy Clark in Cumberland County at Nantuxent Wildlife Management Area. The release was uneventful (which is good!!!). We basically stood behind and to the sides of a large dog crate and opened the door. I held the door open and lifted up the back to try and encourage the eagle to leave the crate. After about 45 seconds, the eagle hopped out of the crate and immediately took off into the distance with a strong flight.
Without the care of the National Park Service, The Raptor Trust, and the Endangered and Nongame Species Program, this eagle might not have survived! This is a clear example of how we are all connected and how delicate the balance of nature is! We hope this eagle lives on and is able to flourish in New Jersey!
Click here to read a news release from NPS when the eagle was found.
Over the past few weeks volunteers and biologists have been performing ground surveys to help determine the health of the osprey population in New Jersey. The surveys are part of the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program, Osprey Management Project. Ospreys are listed as a threatened species in New Jersey. They were originally listed as endangered in 1974 after only 50 nesting pairs were found in 1973. By 1986, their status was upgraded to threatened after their population rebounded to 100 nesting pairs. Today there are over 450 pairs of ospreys that we help to monitor in New Jersey.
Ospreys are highly dependent upon humans to provide artificial nesting structures for them and they are highly susceptible to many different heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants like DDT, DDE, PCBs and more recently brominated fire retardants (PBDE) that bio-accumulate in the food chain.
Surveys are performed each year during summer when osprey nestlings are old enough to band (3-6 weeks old) but not old enough to fly. They cover all major nesting areas including, the Delaware Bay, Raritan Bay south to Cape May, and inland. During ground surveys nestlings are banded with USGS aluminum leg bands for future tracking. I survey areas from Great Bay in Little Egg Harbor north to Fort Monmouth in Oceanport and Mantoloking along the Atlantic Coast.
The data we collect (whether or not a nest is active and the # of young produced) is used to calculate the productivity rate. Ospreys need a productivity rate of at least .8 young/nest to sustain the population. In the past 5+ years they have had more than double this rate. The population has grown by 21% from 2006 to 2009. Last year there were 485 nesting pairs in New Jersey. This year we expect there to be even more. Last years results are summarized in the 2009 Newsletter.
Last year was a record-breaking year. Before the effects of DDT, habitat loss and persecution decimated the population in the mid-1900’s there were over 500 nesting pairs. Since the mid-1970’s, when the project began the population has slowly risen to its current level. Each year more platforms are damaged by harsh winter weather and the extremes of being located in saltmarshes. Work is continual and never ending. Repairs to existing platforms occur during the “off” season or non-breeding season from late August to the end of March. New platforms (built with stainless and galvanized hardware, that are meant to last) are placed in areas where suitable habitat exists where little to no available nest sites occur. It is our goal to help the population recover to historic numbers.
Preliminary results show that some areas fared very well this year. The colony from Little Egg Harbor to Atlantic City had 25 active nests that produced 57 young. Last year, 36 nests produced 55 young. The climate has been optimal for ospreys, except for the occasional thunderstorm with high winds. Temperatures have been above normal and precipitation has been below normal. Full results from the season will be available this fall once the survey results are collected and summarized.
Our work would not be possible without the support of our members and volunteers. Thank you!
In early June, I assisted Kathy Clark, a zoologist with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program to help collect and transfer peregrine falcon nestlings. The nestlings are being collected to help the recovery of peregrines in New River Gorge National River, West Virginia. The goal of the project is to help promote the recovery of peregrine falcons throughout the Appalachian Mountain range.
The project began in 2006. One fledgling that was found on the ground near the Walt Whitman Bridge New Jersey was contributed to the project. Since then, New Jersey has sent over 30 peregrine nestlings to the recovery project. The falcons are raised at a mountain hack site near Beckley, West Virginia inside New River Gorge.
Peregrine falcons are listed as endangered in New Jersey. However, over the past few years the population has done very well. Around 20 pairs occur in the state. In West Virginia, they are very rare. Only one nesting pair was found in 2009.
On Wednesday, nine peregrine nestlings were collected at different locations throughout New Jersey. Coordination of these collections can be dangerous. It also requires a lot a planning and preparation. We have to climb on bridges, ledges, and tall towers and carefully collect the young. ENSP and CWF biologists collected falcons from the Walt Whitman & Burlington-Bristol Bridge, The Hilton in AC, and several old hacking/nesting towers along the Atlantic coast.
Juvenile peregrines in a hacking tower box. Photo courtesy NPS.
The young were transported to Tri-State Bird Rescue in Delaware. From there they were driven by volunteers to West Virginia where they will be placed in the hacking tower.
“Hacking is the process of placing young falcons in a structure and caring for the birds in a manner that minimizes human exposure until they are mature enough to fly,” explained Matt Varner, NPS wildlife biologist. “The artificial aerie or hack box simulates nesting and feeding conditions on steep rock cliffs – prey is dropped into the box through a tube so the birds don’t see or associate people with the food. This cage-like structure protects the birds from predators during the pre-flight period while allowing them to acclimate to and imprint on the Gorge. When they are ready to ‘fledge’ (fly), they are released from the box, but will return for occasional feedings until their hunting skills allow them to survive on their own.” (http://www.nps.gov/neri/naturescience/peregrine.htm)
