Boaters urged to not approach active osprey nest inside Barnegat Inlet
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
Osprey Nest #3591
Yesterday, while working on Barnegat Bay, we visited this natural nest that is behind the dyke inside Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. This is the third time we’ve passed by to monitor their success. So far, so good and it looks like they now have young in the nest. As you can see the nest is built in a precarious location on a sandbar. When the sandbar is exposed people can walk right up to the nest. Last year the pair did not raise young but people did still walk up to the nest. With young, the adults will be more defensive of their nest to protect their young.
New document provides guidance to homeowners and landowners with osprey nest issues and focuses on the use of UAVs around active nests
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
An osprey prepares to land on its nest on a chimney along the Jersey Shore. Work to identify, protect and remedy problem nests is crucial to their long term survival. Photo by Kevin Knutsen.
In New Jersey, we’ve seen the osprey population grow to an estimated 600 nesting pairs in 2015. As the population continues to grow, work to identify, protect, and remedy problem nests is crucial for their long term survival. Each year many new young adults return to their natal areas to find suitable areas to construct nests. Ospreys have a high level of site fidelity and usually return to the same areas where they originated (females do tend to wander more). A suitable nest site for an osprey is a high structure near water, usually away from human disturbance. However, ospreys can become more tolerant of disturbance if it can be expected and is not too close to their nest, especially for those birds that nest on tall structures.
Ospreys build large nests which can weight up to 200 lbs. They use sticks, grass, muck, seaweed, eelgrass, reeds, and often trash to build up their nests.
Around 75% of the state population nests on man-made platforms that are designed specifically for them. The other 25% is a mixture of nests built on other man-made structures and a few natural nests. Yes, ospreys do still nest in trees! But, trees that are suitable for them are few and far between. A suitable tree for an osprey is a standing dead tree (snag) or a tree with a top that has broken off. As the population continues to grow and there are fewer nest sites available on platforms and few suitable trees, more nests are being built on man-made structures where problems can arise. Ospreys are being pushed to nest in areas that are not always ideal, like on utility poles, stadium lights, emergency sirens, communication towers, boat lifts, docks, and even houses. Nests on utility poles can cause power outages and sometimes the nest might catch on fire or an adult can be electrocuted. Nests on houses, docks and boat lifts often limit use of such structures unless dealt with properly, but active nests cannot be removed without consulting with experts.
Osprey builds nest on chimney. Photo by Kevin Knutsen.
Lastly, it also provides some clear guidance on the use of UAVs near active osprey nests. UAV pilots must follow all FAA guidelines and not fly within 1,000 feet of any active osprey nest. To an osprey, a UAV looks like a potential predator. Ospreys will defend their nests and attack any potential predator at nest sites. Simply flying near a nest can add stress to birds and cause adults to fly off nests where their young are vulnerable to predation. Any pilot who flies within this area and pursues or harms an osprey or its young is in direct violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. We ask that all UAV pilots use caution to protect the safety of our ospreys and other birds.
Nesting ospreys fared well from June 23rd storms on B. Bay
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
We had some pretty insane weather blow through on Tuesday evening. I saw it first hand while driving to Long Beach Island to visit some relatives in town. The storm front brought high winds and driving rain to the area. The National Weather Service has even declared that there was even a water spout in Brant Beach (which was right where I was driving on the LBI Blvd. southward). Winds gusted to 70-80mph blowing all sorts of debris (and lawn furniture) across the road. I immediately pulled over to where I was protected from the wind. While I sat there I thought of all the osprey nests out on the bay with young in them…
One is better than none! Photo by Ben Wurst
At this time of year almost all nests have young. They range in age from only hatchlings to 4 week old nestlings. Some can be easily blown from shallow or weakly built nests and can be easily blown from the top of nesting platforms. This has happened in the past (in 2012 when we had a “derecho” blow through the area in late June) and almost half the young present were blown from their nests (in Absecon).
To get a better idea of what we experienced, I asked Jonathan Carr, with Weather NJ, what we saw. This would also give me a better idea of what to expect when conducted post-storm surveys. “What we saw in SNJ on Tuesday was a bow echo as evident by radar signature. A macroburst hit SWNJ which generated substantial straight line winds that fueled the system all the way to the coast. In addition, multiple rotation signatures were picked up via velocity analysis which sparked the tornado warnings in perfect alignment from PA through SWNJ and ultimately the Jersey Shore. The NWS officially ruled the incident near Brant Beach a waterspout but little damage was done from such. All damage across SNJ was again, from straight line wind gusts which reached 80mph in several locations. Harvey Cedars actually clocked a 92mph wind gust. I wasn’t surprised given that instability and wind parameters were screaming for this to happen in the prior 24 hours, especially with the cold front trigger moving through. These type of winds are disastrous for any coastal wildlife or nesting grounds with open exposures.”
With that news on the weather front, I knew we’d have young ospreys on the ground. On Wednesday I got my first report from Osprey watchers Ray and Leslee on Cedar Run Dock Rd. They noticed the adults acting funny, who were now on the ground and not on the nest (where they were before the storm). I gave Leslee permission to walk out to the nest. She found two 3 week old young on the ground. I had plans that day so I couldn’t make it there until 9pm. But when I met Leslee and Ray the nestlings were still on the ground. We picked them up and put them back into the nest (and we also fed a good amount of mosquitoes!!)
Four stripes!! Photo by Ben Wurst
The following day we rallied to get out on our boat to conduct some more “post-storm surveys,” the first of the season. We checked nests from Bonnet Island to Loveladies and Barnegat. A total of 18 active nests were surveyed. At the first nest we checked we found four young (this nest has failed to produce young for the past two years, amazing!)!! The second had two nestlings in the nest and none were found on the ground. GREAT! But, as the clouds moved in the survey took a darker turn… The next nest we checked was empty but had the remains of a very young osprey. Then the next one had two alive in the nest and one dead on the ground (a 14 day old). The next two nests had 2 and 3 young in them and they all looked very healthy. Then at the next nest we saw the whole nest down on the marsh. When we dug through it we found the bodies of two young. They were instantly crushed under the weight of the nest. So sad. The adult female was still sitting on the nest, surely hoping they were found alive. 🙁 It is now too late to get out to other areas to rescue young. I have learned that young are NOT fed when they are grounded. So there is little chance that any young would still be alive if found on the ground. Future surveys will determine how many other areas were affected by the strong storms.
Despite the gloomy outcome, nests in this severely impacted area had overall good results. We counted a total of 27 young from 18 active nests which gives us an average productivity rate of 1.5 young (per active-known-outcome nest). This is almost twice the level needed to sustain the population. Most young were around 17 days old. Only five were banded for future tracking.
It’s too early to tell how the entire population will fare this year. It could be a down year, with reports of no large schools of menhaden that are close to shore. Menhaden (bunker) are one of the most crucial food sources for many coastal species, including osprey.
Photos from the Survey:
Remains of a young osprey. Photo by Ben WurstOne. Two. Three. All in the nest! Photo by Ben WurstFemale on her nest. Photo by Ben WurstThe oldest in this historic nest got a little feisty. Photo by Ben WurstFemale hovers over her nest to check on her young (3) after we surveyed her nest. This is one of the oldest nests in NJ. Photo by Ben Wurst.Young that were found on the ground were decomposing very quickly. We moved them out of sight from the adults. Photo by Ben WurstAn empty nest off Loveladies. Last year this nest was productive. Photo by Ben WurstA week old chick and an egg on a channel marker nest of LBI. Photo by Ben WurstA four week old nestling that was banded with a red auxiliary band for future tracking. Photo by Ben Wurst
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!
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!
Single use plastic bag wrapped around ospreys neck…
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
We had quite a scare last week, on April 30th around 12:30pm, after getting a report from an observer of our Osprey Cam on our Facebook page. A single use plastic shopping bag had gotten wrapped around the neck of the incubating female. After getting the report we started to monitor the situation to see how it would unfold. The bag was loosely wrapped, so we hoped she would be able to free herself…which she did after an hour.
Here you can see the single use plastic bag around her neck.
A lot of viewers and FB fans were asking why we weren’t going out to remove the bag from her neck. We answered each and every question to help make sure people knew that we were doing everything we could to protect her safety. First, we couldn’t just walk out to the nest (which is out in the middle of the salt marsh) without the female reacting to us and flying off the nest (with the plastic bag around her neck). Her flying off the nest with the bag around her neck would have only caused even more harm to her. She could have gotten snagged on a piece of nesting material and in the struggle could have choked to death or she could have fractured one of her eggs… Second, if she would have been tied down to the nest, then we would have enacted a plan to go out to the nest (after a certain amount of time) and released her. Our policy is that we will only intervene if it is a life or death situation. When we enter their nest sites we introduce stress to the birds which can ultimately do more harm than good. Finally, at least we have a camera to monitor the nest! Think of all the other 500+ nests in New Jersey where we only go out to monitor them once or twice during the nesting season. So much plastic winds up in osprey nests that it is a serious concern. People need to be more aware of their surroundings and do their best to make sure waste is properly disposed of.
There are ways you can help make a difference:
Reduce the amount of stuff you buy and the amount of trash you produce
Reuse what you can, recycle what you can’t
Pick up litter when you see it. There is a great movement in Australia called “Take 3” and their message is simple: “Take three pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or… anywhere and you have made a difference.”
Stop or reduce your dependence on single use plastics
Use reusable shopping bags
Don’t release balloons!
The female struggles to get free of the bag.
Statistics for plastic recycling are dismal… According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “In 2010, the category of plastics which includes bags, sacks, and wraps was recycled at almost 12 percent.” We’re lucky that she was able to free herself. This just proves that ospreys do not have an easy life. There are many threats to ospreys and they have very high mortality rates, which are around 80%.
On the positive side, the female and male continue to incubate three eggs at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR. We should start to watch for hatching around May 19-20th. We have been writing nest news with other life history information on a weekly basis on our Osprey Cam page.
Last week we successfully installed an osprey nesting platform on the Manasquan Reservoir. The reservoir supplies water to residents of Monmouth County and can supply up to 30 million gallons of water a day. It’s also home to a variety of wildlife, such as bald eagles, osprey, waterfowl, freshwater mussels, and many other species. Since it’s creation in the early 1990s the many snags offered potential nest sites for ospreys; however, today many of the snags are falling down. The last nest site for ospreys broke in the winter of 2010-11. It was near the environmental center at the reservoir and offered visitors a close view of their nest and reproductive cycle. Since the nest tree broke no pairs have nested on the reservoir. Continue reading “Photo from the Field”
Bald eagles are beautiful birds so it only makes sense that people want to get a closer look at them. But often people don’t realize that by innocently stopping to look at an eagle nest they are putting the eggs or young in jeopardy. As the New Jersey eagle population increases eagles are starting to nest in closer proximity to humans and human activity. Any activity that causes the eagles to change their normal behavior is “disturbance.” People walking too close to the nest to get a closer look or take photos will cause the birds to get off the eggs or leave the young unattended. This leaves the eggs or young exposed to the elements and predators. The safe distance for viewing is at least 1,000’ from the nest site. If the birds are looking at you then you are too close.
The best way to see what goes on at an eagle’s nest without the chance of disturbing the birds is to watch them online. The Duke Farms eagle nest site has had a camera streaming the picture since 2008. This provides an up close and personal view that you cannot see from the ground. The Duke Farms eagle cam should be streaming live in the next few weeks. To view the eagle cam go to www.conservewildlifenj.org
If you have any questions about eagles or their nests or would like to report a nesting pair, please contact Larissa Smith.
