Peregrine nestlings as viewed from the nest cam at 101 Hudson St.
We hope you’re enjoying the “Month of the Falcon” series! The summary below was created to tell the story of a peregrine nest (also referred to as an eyrie) at 101 Hudson St. in Jersey City where a live webcam broadcast the live view of the nest during the nesting season. It’s important to remember that we would not know any of this without the use of the camera to monitor the nest. The summary was written using posts to Nestbox News and from banding and re-sighting data from Kathy Clark, Supervisory Zoologist with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program.
1999
A pair of peregrines were first spotted by observant building managers at 101 Hudson St. more than 10 years ago. They often caught glimpses of peregrines streaking through the sky, in pursuit of prey, with the NYC skyline in the background. They knew what they were witnessing was rare and wanted to help. They contacted biologists with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program and a plan was made to help establish a nesting pair there. In 1999 there were only 15 known pairs of peregrine falcons in the state. Continue reading “Month of the Falcon – Part III”
Bonus shots from wildlife photographer, Herb Houghton
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
Peregrines are by far one of the most majestic birds of prey to observe in their natural habitat. Since 2003 they’ve been streaking through the skies of the New Jersey Palisades along the Hudson River. Thanks to Herb Houghton, we’re able to witness their majesty and their tenacitythrough his photography.
Herb first began photographing wildlife in his own backyard after some debilitating back surgeries put him out of work and made him pay more attention to the wildlife that was in his own backyard. He started out using simple point and shoot cameras using the “digiscoping” technique but finally he decides to get serious and he upgraded to some professional camera gear, including several super telephoto lenses. Herb’s work has been published in many publications, including The Peregrine Observer by New Jersey Audubon Society. He has photographed a wide variety of wildlife throughout New Jersey and especially near his home in Sussex County. Herb also volunteers at WallKill River NWR.
Herb first started photographing peregrines at the Palisades after looking up at the sky and noticing them flying overhead. He explored and found a rock outcrop and set out to find the falcons that he saw overhead. Since 2008 he’s documented each year’s triumphs and failures at the Palisades, and has witnessed the ferocity of these awesome predators. His photos have also helped zoologist Kathy Clark with ENSP to ID the nesting pairs and document nest success.
“What I love the most about these birds is that they are fearless predators which take their habitat very seriously. I’ve heard them scream like crazy, then each of the pair launches off of the cliffs and flies over the river all the way to the other side and then start dive bombing a red-tailed hawk or an eagle in Yonkers.” Herb said.
Herb has learned a lot about peregrines over the years. All from going out into the field to observe them in their natural habitat. Truly, it’s the best way to learn natural bird behavior. As Herb points out, it’s not just about taking photos. “To witness interesting behavior or a new behavior is exhilarating for me, even if it’s too far for a picture.” This past year Herb thinks he even witnessed a rare occurrence, where young of the year were feeding on some of the periodic cicadas that emerged in 2013.
Herb’s most memorable experience while watching the peregrines at the Palisades was when a peregrine bombed him while he was eating a snack while near the cliffs. He watched the bird fly way up until it was a speck in the sky and heard a “whoosh” as it dove within 10 feet of him. It “turned its head to look at me and started screaming her head off. The hairs on the back of my neck stood out as I proceeded to pack up and leave the lookout heading for the woods very quickly.” Thanks so much to Herb for allowing CWF to use his wonderful photos on our website and for sharing his stories of photographing the peregrines at the Palisades.
Peregrines are now common residents of NJ’s coast. Photo by Northside Jim.
It’s hard to believe now, but peregrine falcons were once extirpated from their nesting grounds in the Eastern United States. They were federally listed as endangered in 1969 (prior to the passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973) under the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969.
Shortly thereafter a reintroduction project began. New Jersey was one of the first places were wild nesting occurred.
Today more than 25 pairs of peregrines nest in New Jersey and their reproduction here remains strong. However, biologists remain concerned of their long term recovery since they have some of the highest loads of DDE and mercury (Clark et al. 2009). Continue reading “Month of the Falcon – Part II”
Even military aircraft, like the “F-22 Raptor,” were engineered to be more like a peregrine falcon!
Peregrine falcons are top tier, aerial predators that are capable of reaching speeds faster than any other animal in the world. In a stoop (a rapid dive) to catch prey, they can reach speeds over 200 mph (top recorded speed of 242 mph)! Even military aircraft, like the F-22 Raptor and SR-71 Blackbird, have been designed to mimic the special traits that falcons have to fly faster and be more maneuverable at top speeds.
Both falcons and F-22s are light weight, have extreme maneuverability, fly at high speeds, and have stealth-like flight to avoid detection from prey (or enemies).
Peregrines are also unique because they are only one of two species of birds (do you know the other one?) that are found worldwide and nest on every continent (besides Antarctica).
They mate for life and (Jersey birds) do not make long distance migrations.
Lastly, peregrine falcons are top tier predators and are an indicator species. The health of their population can tell us a lot about the health of our environment, which is one of the most important reasons for protecting them.
They have made a remarkable recovery in New Jersey. Forty years ago these aerial predators were missing from our skies… they were extirpated from all native nesting territories that were east of the Mississippi River by 1964.
After the NJ Endangered Species Conservation Act was passed in 1973, a plan to re-establish them was made. Young birds were “hacked” at artificial nest sites throughout the state from 1975 to 1980.
The innovative program was a success! Wild nesting of peregrines first occurred in 1980 at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Since that time the population has steadily increased and in 2003, peregrines nested on the natural cliffs of the New Jersey Palisades.
New Jersey is the most densely populated state, but peregrines don’t mind. Cities and urban areas actually provide suitable habitat for peregrines. Since they’re top tier predators and nest near areas with large numbers of prey, like pigeons, they provide a service by controlling their population.
Urban areas have two components necessary for peregrines: abundance of prey and ledges to nest on. One city is Jersey City. Since 2000 peregrines have nested on the roof of 101 Hudson St. The Jersey City nesting pair has been very productive over the years.
Their annual life cycle has been streamed online for the public to view and learn about their natural history. With your support we can keep the Falcon Cam streaming in homes, offices and classrooms to educate viewers about endangered species conservation in New Jersey. Donate to the project and be entered into a drawing to attend the banding of young falcons in 2014!
Since 2000, a pair of state endangered peregrine falcons have nested on a building in Jersey City, New Jersey. Peregrine falcons are drawn to urban areas since there are high levels of prey (pigeons) and suitable areas to nest (building ledges and outcrops). To follow along with their daily life cycle a webcam was first installed in 2001. Since then it has broadcast their success and struggles over the years to reproduce and help bolster the population in the state.
Peregrines have made a remarkable recovery in New Jersey since their reintroduction in the 1970s, and the Falcon Cam has allowed us to help raise awareness for their conservation. This past year we learned that the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, who hosted the camera since it’s installation, no longer has funding to maintain the webcam. Over the next month we’ll be fundraising to help keep the webcam online! At the same time we’ll also be featuring a weekly series “The Month of the Falcon” with insight from biologists and awesome photos of peregrines from New Jersey.
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!
100% of proceeds support our conservation efforts!!
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
Each item from our auction was donated by wildlife enthusiasts and CWF supporters in New Jersey. Their donation of an item, trip, or service will directly support our mission to “Protect New Jersey’s Wildlife.” This is our largest fundraising effort of the year and will help us to make sure salamanders will cross safely on a rainy night. It will also help make sure piping plovers can successfully nest on our beaches without getting trampled by tourists. It will give a pair of ospreys a safe place to nest on our coastal saltmarshes. Lastly, it will make sure that our future generations learn why it’s important to protect wildlife and the habitat that they depend on to survive.
Win a trip to band peregrines, ospreys or bald eagles! All support our mission!!
Please check out our online silent auction to get some awesome gifts for wildlife lovers in your family this holiday season. There are plenty of items for everyone, especially for outdoor enthusiasts! We have several outdoor “excursions” which put you in touch with some of species we work so hard to protect.
Through our annual Women & Wildlife Awards we recognize women who represent a broad range of wildlife protectors in our state:
Tracy Leaver, who rehabilitates orphaned and injured animals, including bobcats and bears;
Linda J. Mead, who has a distinguished record in permanently preserving over 15,000 acres of natural habitats, farms, and open space for New Jersey’s wildlife;
Jo Ann Frier-Murza, who played an important role in protecting our most charismatic wildlife as part of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife;
Pat Sutton, who has educated about the natural world in New Jersey, especially in Cape May, for over 30 years; and
Dr. Edith Wallace, who has devoted more than half a century to inspiring people, young and old, to make the wild places of New Jersey part of their everyday experiences.
At the event we will also commemorate the 40th Anniversary of New Jersey’s Endangered Species Conservation Act. This landmark legislation directed the Department of Environmental Protection to protect, manage and restore the State’s endangered and nongame wildlife species and allowed state biologists to bring key species back from the brink of extinction – species such as the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and osprey.
When: Wednesday, December 4th, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Trenton Country Club, 201 Sullivan Way, Ewing, New Jersey
Tickets: $75 individual ticket
$250, $500 and $1,000 sponsorships will be listed in the event program
Peregrine falcons are the largest falcon in New Jersey. They are found world-wide and are the fastest bird. They were once extirpated from the state (and all areas east of the Mississippi River) by 1964, after DDT decimated their population. A recovery program spearheaded by The Peregrine Fund helped to re-establish the eastern population by releasing captive bred birds. The birds were “hacked” on towers on the coastal saltmarsh where prey was readily available and predators (great horned owls) were minimal. The program was successful and by 1980 the first wild nesting of peregrines occurred at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville. Since then the population has steadily increased because of the dedicated biologists and volunteers who help to monitor and manage them. Continue reading “Jersey City’s Peregrine Falcons”
