DUKE: He’s Back!
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
Tag: Osprey cam
They’re Back: Barnegat Light Ospreys!!
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
By now, most people who live along the coast of New Jersey have seen an osprey. They have returned to claim their waterfront homes and spruce them up. April is the season of upside-down osprey (more on this in a few), and for those who haven’t seen an osprey, then you should tune in to the drama unfolding at the Barnegat Light Osprey Cam! Both a male and female have returned to the BL Osprey Cam nest, but only the female (Daisy) is the same as last year. There have actually been several males seen on the nest so far and just this morning, two confronted each other above the nest!
Continue reading “They’re Back: Barnegat Light Ospreys!!”Two are sometimes better than three
A season of change and hope at the Barnegat Light Osprey Cam.
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
By far, this was the most viewed season of the Barnegat Light Osprey Cam, with over 360,000 views and 111,000 hours watched! It was a season of change. Viewers throughout the world watched as the mated pair successfully fledged two healthy young. We witnessed the trials and tribulations of a new pair, especially the female, who we believe attempted reproduction for the first time in her life. We saw that life as a young osprey was not always guaranteed, which is something we rarely get to witness but know is quite common at many nests throughout the world; however, with an experienced male and plentiful prey, the surviving young thrived. As we work on a season long highlight video, here is a brief summary of their nesting season.
Continue reading “Two are sometimes better than three”A Tribute to Bobby “Twist” Jetton: 2020 Barnegat Light Osprey Cam
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
During the peak of my field season last year I exchanged emails with a kind man who reported terrapins nesting in his yard. He wanted to do everything he could to ensure their success. A couple weeks later Bobby reached out to say how much him and mom loved the Barnegat Light Osprey Cam and how “the birds generally wake her up before her alarm.” He also mentioned how she delayed gardening because “dad is due with a fish any minute now. I’m just waiting to note the time then I’ll go play.” She was contributing observations of prey deliveries for research we conducted at the BL Osprey Cam last summer.
Continue reading “A Tribute to Bobby “Twist” Jetton: 2020 Barnegat Light Osprey Cam”Now Streaming — Barnegat Light Osprey Cam!
By Ben Wurst
This is a project that we’ve dreamed about for some time. As you may know, much of our work with ospreys has been centered around Barnegat Bay, where the population has grown from around 60 pairs to over 140 nesting pairs over the past decade. This new camera will help us raise awareness for protecting this important indicator species in the Barnegat Bay watershed, who have direct implications for the health of our coastal environment.
Continue reading “Now Streaming — Barnegat Light Osprey Cam!”NorthJersey.com: NJ’s nest cams deliver action with eagles, falcons, and more
Nest cams offer you a peek into the natural world from the comfort of your own phone or computer screen. Jim Wright interviews CWF Executive Director David Wheeler about the cams and why they are such an effective way to connect people to wildlife.
“Viewers feel the drama, the danger, the sibling squabbles, the results of chases for prey, the perils of wind and rain and snow and windblown trees, and of course the joys of a new egg hatching or a bird taking flight for the first time,” Wheeler explains.
CWF has long led the efforts to offer free wildlife webcams, made possible by generous sponsors and partners such as Phillips 66 and Union County Parks, whom CWF partners with on the Union County peregrine falcon cam in Elizabeth.
Twins! Two osprey eggs hatch overnight!
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
Overnight two osprey eggs hatched at the Osprey Cam nest inside Edwin B. Forsythe NWR in Oceanville on day 40 of incubation. Ospreys exhibit asynchronous hatching or they hatch in the order they are laid. This ensures that the oldest and strongest young survive if there would ever be a shortage of prey. The third egg should hatch within the next 2 days.
You can tell when osprey eggs hatch by the behavior of the sitting adult. They sit higher, with their wings down and they are a bit more concerned with the young that sit beneath them. Young are born semi-altricial which means that they are downy and can open their eyes, but they require very close parental care.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey “2014 Annual Report” Released
CWF Releases its First Annual Report Ever Using a Story Map Format: “2014 Annual Report“
By David Wheeler, Executive Director
Technology has proven to be vital to Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s work protecting rare wildlife species over the years. Our biologists depend greatly on modern technologies to band, track, and share online the journeys of wildlife. Our webcams broadcast the most intimate behaviors of nesting birds and bats across the web. And we seek out ever-evolving communications technologies to spread the word about the inspiring stories of wildlife, from social media and infographs to e-books and Story Maps. These technologies offer newfound abilities to share complex data on multiple levels, while still incorporating the awe-inspiring photography and videos that bring wildlife’s stories to life.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is excited to offer our 2014 Annual Report in a unique format that utilizes one of those technologies – Story Maps. In the past year, we have explored the wonders of American oystercatchers with our first Story Map – and now the annual report allows all of our projects to be highlighted in this interactive format.
Visit the multiple pages within this Story Map to learn about Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s many projects and partnerships in 2014, and the imperiled wildlife species in need of our help. Find examples of the innovative and dedicated leadership of our biologists and volunteers. And take an online journey across the state to learn how our projects made a difference in all corners of New Jersey in 2014 – a great year for wildlife in the Garden State!
Donations needed to see Osprey Cam nest at night!
Help us raise $350 to purchase a new infrared light in the next 7 days. UPDATE – after only 2 hours we’ve raised enough to purchase the new IR!!
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
UPDATE: I couldn’t be happier right now! We raised more then twice that we needed to replace the IR light at the osprey cam nest! Thank you so much to all of the generous donors who gave to support this amazing project!! Any additional funds that we get will be restricted for future Osprey Cam repairs. We’ll be sure to post an update when we go out to install the new light. –Ben
This might be the new night time view of the Osprey Cam nest at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. The infrared light is currently not working and we need a replacement. If we do not get a new light installed in the next two weeks then we will not be able to view the osprey nest at night this season. 🙁
You would think it would be easy to replace the unit… Not so much. The Raytek i2 infrared illuminator is currently on back-order from our supplier (we have already had one on order for our new Hawk Cam) and we cannot get an advanced replacement from the manufacturer. Now we need to purchase one from another distributor as soon as possible.
With your support we will be able to purchase and install the new illuminator before the osprey pair starts nesting in mid-April. We need to raise a total of $350 to purchase the light. Big or small, your donation will help make sure that the osprey cam streams into the many homes and classrooms 24/7 during the nesting season! Thank you!!
Osprey Cam = Fixed!
Osprey Cam at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR is back online!
The Osprey Cam inside Edwin B. Forsythe NWR is back online! Yay!! The source of the problem with the camera dying right when the young were ready to fledge, is with the network switch. Apparently it can’t handle the high heat inside the equipment box. Either way it turned off at the worst possible time! This fall/winter we’ll be working on a fix for the problem. We’ll also be looking to enhance the camera experience. Now that the birds are somewhat used to the camera setup, we’re thinking of installing the PTZ camera right off the nest. It’ll give us great close ups of the adults and nestlings! More news to come. For now you can keep an eye our for wintering peregrine falcons, bald eagles and any other birds that might perch on the platform!