A banded red knot searches for food on a Delaware Bay beach.
Bandedbirds.org is an effort to collect data on shorebirds throughout their range from the southern tip of Chile to the Canadian arctic. This effort has been underway for many years and has an international network of volunteers reporting re-sightings data on shorebirds.
The following was shared with the shorebird community by Jeannine Parvin, administrator for bandedbirds.org.
The bird being discussed was banded in NJ in May 2005. It seemed to return to NJ each year, having been resighted most years up to 2010. The bird seemed to be heading back up to NJ for the 2011 Spring shorebird season, when it was shot and killed in French Guiana. Illegal hunting is still a big issue for shorebirds. Paired with loss and degradation of habitat, and pollution, these birds face major threats. Read more about CWF’s work to monitor and protect shorebirds here.
A red knot identified as FL(PPM) was shot in French Guiana by a hunter.
The data was submitted by Alexandre Vinot from French Guiana. He regularly reports to bandedbirds.org and is a volunteer with GEPOG.
His comments state: “shot in Mana Ricefield – flag given to Antoine Hausselman, who gave me the data”.
USING CARTOGRAPHY TO ILLUSTRATE WHERE SPECIES LIVE
By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
Several range maps found on the CWF on-line field guide.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ (CWF) staff have been busy updating the CWF website’s on-line field guide with additional species’ profiles in order to add descriptions for New Jersey’s Species of Special Concern. One important component of the on-line field guide, like almost any other field guide, is the inclusion of a range map.
Our Online Field Guide
The CWF on-line field guide is specific to New Jersey, so the only portion of each species’ range illustrated is that portion within the boundary of the state. For a species’ full range, there are numerous additional sources of information. CWF, being focused on New Jersey wildlife, is uniquely able to provide more specific range information based upon the data available to our staff as well as our first-hand knowledge.
The range maps within the on-line field guide are created using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and multiple sources of data. First, we begin with the raw species observation data which is maintained within the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Program’s (ENSP) Biotics database, a database which CWF staff maintains in partnership with ENSP. Then, like any range map, some generalization needs to be made to account for the fact that animals cannot be observed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In order to do so, data such as land cover types, hydrology, and/or topology is considered in order to fill-in the areas between observation points or omit other areas. Continue reading “Creating Range Maps for NJ Wildlife”
Yesterday, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection released a rule proposing certain changes to endangered species list and other considerations about rare wildlife in the state.
The list of species protected on the Endangered Species list has not been updated since 2003. This new proposal reflects years of work by wildlife biologists engaged in endangered species protection.
The rule change proposes to add five species to the list of endangered species in the state and change the consideration of eight other species to offer different levels of protection for breeding and non-breeding populations.
The species being added to the list are the black rail, golden-winged warbler, red knot, Indiana bat and gray petaltail (a dragonfly). The Indiana Bat is being added because it is on the federal endangered species list and any species on this list also found in New Jersey is, by default, considered endangered in New Jersey. The other species are being added to the list as a result of a review of their status using something called the Delphi Technique.
The Delphi Technique is an iterative process whereby wildlife biologists and academics, using the best available data, come to consensus agreement of the status of the species under consideration. This review is then approved by the Endangered and Nongame Species Council which is made up of wildlife biologists, academics and other interested parties. Delphi Reviews of birds, freshwater mussels, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies were carried out between 2000 and 2005. The results of these reviews inform this proposed rule change.
In addition to adding five species to the endangered species list, the Department is proposing to modify the endangered status of eight species of birds for either the breeding or non-breeding populations.
The bald eagle is currently classified as endangered for both breeding and non-breeding populations. The classification of the bald eagle will continue to be endangered for the breeding population, which includes all bald eagles present in the State during the breeding season. However, the non-breeding population, which includes all bald eagles present in the State outside of the breeding season, will be reclassified as threatened.
Six bird species – the pied-billed grebe, northern harrier, northern goshawk, peregrine falcon, short-eared owl and vesper sparrow – currently listed as endangered for both breeding and non-breeding populations will continue to be classified as endangered for breeding populations but will be listed as special concern for their non-breeding populations.
The Endangered Species List is not a one-way street and while we worry about the removal of protections for species, we must recognize and celebrate the recovery and return of these species. In the 1950’s, no peregrine falcons nested east of the Mississippi River, today our non-breeding population is strong and growing. In the late 1980’s, one pair of bald eagles remained in New Jersey, today the winter population is counted in the high 200’s and the breeding population approaches 100 pairs. Species recovery can succeed and with this proposed rule change, we should celebrate these successes.
But, we should mourn the additions to the list and wonder why, since the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, we still see declining populations and we still add species to the Endangered Species List in New Jersey.
The Allegheny woodrat is a state endangered species. It was added to the endangered species list in 1991. There is one remaining population of these small mammals left in the state and they need our help this winter.
This season we are going to help the woodrat by providing it with food. We will distribute acorns, beech nuts, hickory nuts or any other nuts from native New Jersey trees in the area the woodrats live. By providing them with food we will help them survive the winter.
Collecting nuts while learning about the habits and habitat needs of the Allegheny woodrat is a great service learning project! Have your students collect native tree nuts throughout the community and help to protect one of NJ’s rarest wildlife residents.
We are collecting nuts now through November 24th to distribute to the woodrat’s location throughout the winter. If you would like to contribute to the woodrat’s winter food pantry, please drop off nuts from native New Jersey trees to the Endangered and Nongame Species Program’s office in Clinton, New Jersey.
Please contact Maria Grace at Conserve Wildlife Foundation at (609) 984-0621 for specific instructions.
Well as summer’s end slowly draws near, the beach nesting bird season has wrapped up on Stone Harbor Point. All of the Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher chicks have fledged (i.e. reached the stage where they can fly). In the past, this has often been a very depressing time. Stone Harbor Point has a bad history of flooding, and many of the nests and chicks were destroyed; some years we only had a couple of chicks fledge. This year, however, there is good news! A total of 13 Piping Plover chicks and 10 Oystercatcher chicks have fledged, from 9 and 21 breeding pairs, respectively! I owe this very successful year to the weather cooperating during the high spring tides; flooding was not a big issue this summer. I also owe my thanks to the public for respecting the rules and staying out of the fenced areas, giving these beach nesting birds the room to successfully fledge their chicks.
This breeding season sure has had its ups and downs. One low point that comes to mind is finding Oystercatcher nest after nest washed away from a high tide the night before (most of them luckily renested). One of the greatest feelings is finding a chick on its fledge date, knowing that it now has a much greater chance of survival. We also had a Least Tern colony on Stone Harbor Point that fledged a good amount of chicks.
Our focus now has shifted to migration. Thousands of migratory shorebirds are now congregating on Stone Harbor Point. Most are on their way south from breeding up north in Canada and the Arctic. Oystercatchers and Piping Plovers are also preparing to head south for the winter. They are currently gathering in huge roosting flocks before their departure. This gives us ample opportunity for band resighting and to conduct surveys, estimating the population sizes of these shorebirds.
Since the season is just about over it means my job (as Seasonal Steward) is just about over. Words can’t describe how much I love this job and what I have learned over the last four months. The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ is truly making the difference for wildlife all over the state, and I’m glad I got to be a part of it!
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.
The trip wasn’t work related, and was planned before I knew I would be helping with our bat monitoring work in New Jersey. But it was appropriate because Austin happens to be home to the largest urban bat colony in North America.
Located near the center of the city, the Congress Avenue Bridge spans Lady Bird Lake, a reservoir on the Colorado River. Renovations made in 1980 created ideal roosting habitat along the bottom of the bridge and it wasn’t long before migrating bats discovered it. Now, estimates are that 1-1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats roost below the bridge between March and November. Each night around dusk the bats exit the bridge to forage for insects along the river. When conditions are right the effect is dramatic: a column of bats silhouetted against the setting sun that can last for 45 minutes as the bats exit the bridge. Although there were petitions to eradicate the bats when they first took up residence, the city has come to embrace them and it isn’t unusual for several hundred people to line up along the bridge on summer nights to watch the bats exit and begin foraging.
Unfortunately, it was cloudy and slightly cool on the evening I visited the bridge and the bats waited until nearly dark before starting to emerge. It was difficult to observe the bats except in the illumination of the streetlights lining the bridge or when they veered closer to the shore. Although it wasn’t the spectacle I’d been hoping for, it was still impressive. Even under less than ideal conditions I saw hundreds (possibly thousands) of bats-more than I observed in the week of training in Illinois, and probably more than in the rest of my life combined.
Here in New Jersey we don’t have Mexican free-tailed bat and we certainly don’t have any bat populations that rival the numbers of the Congress Avenue Bridge Colony. Even before the arrival of white-nose syndrome populations at our largest hibernacula numbered in the tens of thousands, not millions. So it was exciting and encouraging to see such a thriving bat population in person. It was also impressive to see how the city has embraced the colony as a beneficial, unique and interesting attraction. Similarly, the response to our acoustic monitoring project in New Jersey has been overwhelmingly positive. Landowners and the general public all seem interested in learning about bats, concerned about white-nose syndrome, and are eager to help however they can.
My experience in Austin was also a reminder that even at the best locations, there are variables that affect what you observe on any single night. Rain or cool weather reduce bat activity, and there’s still a lot we don’t know about bat foraging behavior; for instance they may actively forage in an area one night but not the next. So negative results during one visit isn’t enough evidence to decide bats aren’t in the area. Ideally we would visit each site multiple times to control for this variability. However with fifteen sites to monitor, only a few staff members and a fairly short survey period (roughly June 1st to July 31st) we know getting to each site once will keep us busy. As a result, we may have to survey some sites even though the conditions aren’t ideal. Unfortunately, these are common problems when surveying for endangered species and are something that many at CWF have had to deal with.
Our acoustic bat monitoring project is just getting underway; we’re taking the lessons learned in Illinois and using that knowledge to monitor for bats in New Jersey. Expect more updates on our techniques and preliminary results as we have a chance to visit more sites.
Back on May 20th, we had our first Piping Plover nest hatch at Stone Harbor Point. Three out of the four eggs hatched, and since hatching only one chick was lost. On June 12th, I was delighted to witness the two chicks flying! When a chick survives to the point where it can fly, we call it a fledge or fledgling; usually about 25 days after hatching for piping plovers. I observed the pair of chicks flying even before their estimated fledge date; they grew up fast!
Watching the chicks over the last month has been fascinating. Within a day of hatching they are out of the nest feeding, not straying far from their parents. They grew quickly in the last month, now they’re just a bit smaller than the parents. The most discernable difference between the parent and the chicks now is the color of the beak; the chick’s beak is black while the parent’s is still yellow.
It is great news when a chick fledges; it has a much better chance of survival. As of right now there are three more chicks from another pair at Stone Harbor Point. Hopefully these chicks are just as successful. Sure makes all the hard work that goes into protecting them seem more worthwhile!
A student at Unity Charter School shows off his bald eagle sculpture (c) Maria Grace
Recently, I went to Unity Charter School in Morristown to give a presentation to the 3rd and 4th graders about NJ’s endangered wildlife.The students in Julia Kelly’s class raised over $100 for Conserve Wildlife Foundation as part of a unit on endangered species.
These students impressed me with their breadth of knowledge and genuine passion to try and protect NJ’s rare wildlife. Ms. Kelly did a fantastic job using New Jersey wildlife as a focus to teach about the global issue of endangered species.Each student selected an endangered species that lives in NJ (there are 73 currently listed as either endangered or threatened). They did some research about its habits and habitats and wrote a report.
But as a finale to their projects, each student created a sculpture of their animal in its preferred habitat.I was overwhelmed by these sculptures and completely amazed by the students’ attention to detail and their comprehensive knowledge of their chosen animal. They really wowed me with their art creations and I wanted to share it with the masses in the hopes that these students will move more of us to support the work of Conserve Wildlife Foundation.
The subject of peregrine falcons have hijacked this blog! On Friday, I visited a nest at Forsythe NWR to medicate the young for prevention of trichomonas, an avian disease carried by pigeons and doves. Adult peregrines can transfer it to their young and if not treated can kill them. Kim Steininger, a renowned and award-winning bird photographer joined me and got some amazing photos! While I was up on the nesting tower, Kim was stationed behind her camera, which was wielding a powerful lens to capture these amazing photos of the adult peregrines in flight while I checked on the nestlings.
This was my third visit to this particular nest. I can attest to the strong parental bond of this female to her young. During my first visit (5/21) she hit me while I was attempting to look for a parasitic fly that has caused hatchlings to die in previous years. The young were about 2-3 days old and were very vulnerable, so the aggressive nature is understood.
Peregrines and other birds of prey, like eagles, owls, ospreys, and hawks see humans as predators. This is because they don’t have any other predators in the wild. This is also why disturbance is a major issue during the nesting season. When an adult leaves the nest; its young are unprotected. They are susceptible to predators like gulls and crows. Never approach a nest and only view from established viewing locations!
On the second visit (5/24) the female landed on the nesting tower, not more than 5 feet away from me! In the nest 2 weeks the young will be banded with federal USGS bird bands and state bi-color bands for future identification.
