Post-storm surveys and reports from public equal a sigh of relief!
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
No doubt the effects of superstorm Sandy will be felt for a long time, especially to residents of coastal areas who experienced flooding with the associated storm surge. During the past two hurricanes, Irene last August and now Sandy, I was really worried that a lot of osprey nesting platforms would get damaged or lost during the storms. Luckily my worries didn’t become reality! So far most nesting platforms are still standing strong despite a 15′ storm surge with sustained winds of at least 70-80mph. I’ve heard of a few structures that have fallen down. Most were probably ones that were older structures that were constructed poorly or installed too close to the edge on the saltmarsh. Over the next couple weeks we’re planning on getting out to other colonies to survey for damage caused by Sandy.
It’s been several years since the old Ponderlodge Golf Course was purchased by the Green Acres Program. After being slated for use as a satellite campus for Stockton College the old lodge and other buildings are long gone from the site. Today, the site is managed for wildlife and outdoor recreation. The old paved cart paths make it a magnet for local residents to easily explore it’s features. We’re delighted to be working with NJ Fish & Wildlife to enhance the habitat on site. This past week we planted over 2,700 native species in an area we call the “Backyard Habitat Demonstration Site.” It’s in an area where the old lodge used to be located. The purpose of the site is for visitors to learn about features they themselves can install in their own backyards to benefit wildlife. We have 6 main features: Forested habitat, Scrub-shrub, Wildflower meadow, Pond (not yet installed), Nectar producing plants, and a brush pile. The features will be highlighted by interpretive signs and we hope to get volunteers to help maintain the site in the future.
In 2012 a new record high of 135 eagle pairs were monitored during the nesting season. One hundred and nineteen of those were active which means they laid eggs. A total of 165 young were produced this year and fledged (left the nest). That is 46 more than 2011’s 119 young produced. Twenty-seven new eagle pairs were found this season, 15 in the south, 2 in central and 10 in northern NJ. While all of these numbers are good news for NJ eagles they still need protection. The two major threats that bald eagles in NJ face today are disturbance and habitat loss.
The NJ Bald Eagle Project has a dedicated group of volunteers who monitor nests throughout New Jersey. They help to prevent disturbance at nest sites by educating the public about eagles. The success of the eagle project is directly related to these wonderful volunteers.
Since 2009, we’ve been active in helping to restore wildlife habitat to a former golf course in lower Cape May County. In place of the large lodge on the site we are building a “Backyard Habitat Demonstration Site.” It will feature several different habitat treatments that homeowners can use to provide habitat for wildlife in their own backyards. It includes the creation of scrub-shrub habitat, forested habitat, nectar producing plants, wildflower meadows, a pond, and a brush pile.
The site was designed by landscape designer Jeanne Marcucci with greenjean gardens LLC. Last week the site was prepped by NJ Fish & Wildlife. After the site was plowed we laid out paths that run throughout the site. Next compost will be spread to some areas (wildflower beds) and plants will be delivered on October 9th. The team at Planet Earth Landscaping will be assisting us the the compost spreading and planting.
Volunteers are needed to help plant the many native plants that were ordered on October 10-11th from 10-2pm each day. For more information or to volunteer contact Ben Wurst.
The site where 2,700 native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses will be planted for wildlife near Villas, NJ.
LOOKING FOR HELP FROM BIRDWATCHERS TO FILL-IN DATA GAPS
By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
Young barn owls. Photo by MacKenzie Hall.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation 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 35,000 animal and plant records within New Jersey. ENSP and CWF currently collect and enter data for the state’s 173 endangered, threatened, and special concern species.
There are several species of birds for which more observation data would be useful; and it’s likely that birdwatchers or other nature watchers may have the data needed. Most good birdwatchers keep logs of what they’ve observed, when, and where. It would be helpful if anyone with detailed observation data for the species listed at the end of this blog could submit their data for potential inclusion in the Biotics database.
To submit your observation data, please complete a Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form. The form is available on ENSP’s website for download as well as instructions for completing the form (a map must be attached when submitted). In addition to the species listed below, please feel free to submit one or more forms for any of the state’s endangered, threatened, or special concern species. A complete list of all of the species tracked by the state can be downloaded here.
If you have a large amount of data to submit, please contact Mike Davenport of Conserve Wildlife Foundation at (609) 292-3795 – alternative data submission options may be available (such as submitting Excel spreadsheets or GIS files).
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”
Kristin prepares to release the injured terrapin her Dad found on Rt. 72. Photo courtesy Kristin Ryerson
“What did you do this summer?” was a question I was frequently asked by family, friends and classmates when I recently returned to college this fall. Well, where to begin! Ben Wurst, CWF’s Habitat Program Manager, set a goal this summer to lower the number of road killed Northern Diamondback Terrapins on Great Bay Boulevard in Tuckerton, NJ. In previous studies, 50 terrapins could be killed in one nesting season—the main cause? People. Careless drivers who are either speeding or simply oblivious to the many yellow signs warning them of crossing nesting terrapins and the fact that they are in the middle of an extremely vital wildlife refuge. So, this summer, I had the privilege of being the Great Bay Terrapin Project’s Intern, and my job was to help save nesting terrapins crossing the road and to take valuable data on those I saw. Ben gave me some equipment and the knowledge I would need when working on the road. Through road patrols, educating the public, maintaining the previously installed barrier fencing, painting road signs and data collection, I learned more than I had imagined and had an amazing experience.
Marine debris (specifically plastics) have become a serious problem in coastal areas throughout the world, especially in the Pacific Ocean where gyres create large floating “garbage patches.” I work out on the back bays and salt marshes throughout the coastal region of New Jersey as I help to monitor and manage ospreys and their nesting platforms. Every time I’m out I encounter trash. Most of it accumulates along the wrack line on the higher portions of the marsh where storm surges, high winds, and during spring tides (during full and new moon phases) push it onto the marsh. This debris then makes its way into the nests of ospreys because this is where they collect most of their nesting material.
A glimpse into the life of one adult female terrapin
By Stephanie Egger, Wildlife Biologist
Stephanie Egger prepares to insert a PIT tag into a terrapin in 2004.
Over the summers of 2004 and 2005, as part of my graduate research for Saint Joseph’s University and in partnership with Rutgers University Marine Field Station, I tagged 300 adult female northern diamondback terrapins to gain a better understanding of their nesting movements, nesting events, and road mortality on Great Bay Boulevard in Tuckerton, New Jersey. These terrapins were tagged with PIT tags (Passive Integrated Transponder tags) which are the size of a grain of rice and inserted directly under the skin. The PIT tags are individually numbered and can be read with a hand-held scanner in the field for essentially the life of the terrapin. Some terrapins were nesting more than once per season and generally within 50 meters from their original tagged location, but a few were found great distances (1000 meters) from their initial location (See Szerlag-Egger and McRobert 2007).
Ben Wurst, our Habitat Program Manager, and Kristin Ryerson, a CWFNJ intern, were able to scan some terrapins this summer as part of the Great Bay Terrapin Project and came across one of the terrapins I tagged in 2005! She has survived 7 years (and counting) on Great Bay Boulevard from becoming road kill on a road where 50 terrapins can be killed in a nesting season (See Szerlag and McRobert 2006). The distance between her location in 2005 and 2012 was 826 meters! It appears that she may have emerged from the creek and decided to travel north to nest instead of south (see Google Earth image below). I am hopeful we can continue to monitor the terrapins on Great Bay Boulevard and collect further information on tagged terrapins as it may have management implications for the future.
An adult female terrapin who was PIT tagged in 2005 on Great Bay Boulevard and later recaptured in 2012.
We recently decided to have a photo contest to choose a new cover photo for our Facebook page. We wanted to do this as a way to engage people with our work and generate some conversations around the wildlife photographs we received.
Black Skimmer by Zachary Kirby.
We were thrilled to receive an amazing response to the contest and today we opened voting on 89 photos submitted from across New Jersey. Yes, we received a lot of photos of ospreys which speaks to their photogenic quality and the fact that many photographers are down the shore this season. We also received photographs of a wide range of species – mostly birds but also reptiles, amphibians, insects and a mammal.
The album of 89 photos represents New Jersey’s biodiversity in all its glory. The album also represents New Jersey’s geography and clearly illustrates how habitats occur across the state from the busiest beaches to urban parks and from National Wildlife Refuges to suburban backyards.
Check out our Facebook page and the cover photo contest album. Be sure to LIKE our page and cast your vote for a new cover photo (just “like” the photos you want to vote for). You can vote for as many photos as you want.
The photo with the most likes becomes our cover photo. Voting closes on Friday at 12:00 pm.
