CWF, Author at Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ

The Mysterious Oystercatchers of the Delaware Bay: Results of the 2021 Bay-Wide Survey

Posted on October 1, 2021April 1, 2022 by CWF

By: Meghan Kolk, CWF Wildlife Biologist

*American oystercatcher foraging for oysters along the Delaware Bay. Photo credit: Meghan Kolk.*

The Delaware Bay is well known for the spectacular phenomenon of spawning horseshoe crabs and migrating red knots every May, but in recent years the American oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) have also discovered the allure of the Bayshore and made it their home. American oystercatchers, a State Species of Special Concern, have been monitored and managed by CWF and the NJDFW’s Endangered and Non-game Species Program along the Atlantic coast beaches for nearly two decades, resulting in a steady population increase. However, the population that breeds along the Bayshore, first documented in 2016, has not received the same attention and had never been fully surveyed until this year.

CWF’s interest in this newly discovered population led to a small pilot study of a few known breeding pairs in 2018. Then this past May, we launched a bay-wide survey of the sandy beaches of the New Jersey side of the Bay from Cape May Point up to Seabreeze, the northernmost beach in Cumberland County. The purpose of the bay-wide survey is to determine a baseline of the number and distribution of breeding pairs along the Bayshore. The data gathered from this survey will add to the Statewide population estimate and help determine the amount of time and funding needed to fully monitor and manage the Bay’s population. More monitoring will be necessary to assess risk factors and reproductive success. Reproductive success can then be maximized by managing for risk factors such human disturbance, predation and tidal flooding.

This survey was made possible due to the efforts of dedicated volunteers and could not have been completed without their help. Unlike the Atlantic coast, the Bayshore beaches are often difficult to access, and many can only be reached by boat, making this survey more challenging. In fact, two sites that we planned to survey proved to be too difficult to reach and were skipped for this year. Each of the 33 remaining sites were surveyed just once within a specific timeframe, giving only a snapshot of the breeding season. We hope to be able to collect much more information in the future when more funding for this project is available. Based on the survey that was conducted, 13 pairs were documented at 8 different sites and 8 nests were documented at 5 different sites.

In addition to the formal survey, I was able to collect some observations as I spent every day in May on the Bay working with red knots. I took notice of the prey items that the oystercatchers were choosing. I often observed them feasting on oysters, which were plucked off exposed rubble at low tide. They also spent time at the man-made oyster reefs that were constructed at several beaches to act as breakwaters to slow the erosion of beaches. They also favored ribbed mussel beds, which become exposed as the tide recedes. The most interesting foraging behavior I witnessed was an oystercatcher plucking a fresh slipper shell off a horseshoe crab as it came to shore to spawn. It seems the Bay offers a variety of good food sources for a bird that mainly preys on bivalve mollusks.

I also noticed that flocks of up to 11 oystercatchers were traveling together up and down the Bayshore. This is a peculiar behavior since oystercatchers are highly territorial during the breeding season and are typically only seen in flocks once the breeding season is over. Could it be that the Bayshore is a popular spot for non-breeding young adults to hang out?

So much more research is needed to answer the many questions we have about the mysterious Bayshore oystercatchers.

Species on the Edge Art & Essay Winners Join CWF and NJDFW staff for Sedge Island Eco-tours

Posted on September 10, 2021April 1, 2022 by CWF

by Ethan Gilardi, Wildlife Biologist

*A view of Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center.*

This past August, Species on the Edge Art & Essay winners and their parents joined Conserve Wildlife Foundation and New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife biologists at Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center for a day exploring New Jersey’s only marine conservation zone.

A Summer at the Beach: Protecting Seabeach Amaranth

Posted on September 8, 2021April 1, 2022 by CWF

by Sherry Tirgrath, Assistant Biologist

*Seabeach Amaranth, a state endangered/federally threatened beach plant.*

Most people would enjoy their summer days being spent on the beach. Long, sunny days listening to crashing waves and shorebird calls with a salty breeze blowing gently across your face – sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be awesome to experience that nearly every day of the summer? Well, that’s been my life since early June of 2021. I am a new recruit of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, and when I was offered to take on the role of rare plant technician, surveying Seabeach Amaranth and other protected shore plants along the Jersey coast, I jumped on the opportunity.

Now to give everyone a little background on Seabeach Amaranth before I continue – this federally threatened and state endangered beach plant is an annual bloomer, growing low and branching out along the ground, sometimes reaching up to a meter in diameter or more. However, many plants remain relatively small and some may never grow more than a few centimeters across. Larger plants produce more seeds, and therefore are more successful at propagating the species. It has red stems and thick, waxy, greenish-red leaves that are somewhat reminiscent of spinach. In mid to late summer, these plants produce tiny pale-yellow flowers in the center of leaf clusters at the tip of each stem. These flowers contain the seeds that will hopefully go on to produce next year’s amaranth. The seeds are dispersed in a variety of ways. They may drop near the “parent” and remain relatively close to where plants have germinated in previous years. Some may be carried by wind as sand is blown along the beach. Rising tides may wash out seeds, as well, sometimes redistributing them on the shore in what are known as “wrack lines.” Wrack lines contain the debris left behind by the high tides, typically consisting of sea grass, shells and human litter. Amaranth is often found growing in them.

Barnegat Light Habitat Restoration: Measuring Success by More Than Just the Numbers

Posted on September 8, 2021April 1, 2022 by CWF

By Todd Pover, Senior Wildlife Biologist

*Pi Patel, one of the eight piping plovers chicks that fledged from the Barnegat Inlet Restoration site in 2021. Photo courtesy of Matt Reitinger.*

The success of a habitat restoration project is typically measured in numbers, number of acres restored, the abundance of target species, breeding success of the wildlife using it, that sort of thing. And we certainly have good numbers for the Barnegat Light Habitat Restoration Project… 40 acres restored, including two foraging pond, five pairs of piping plovers using the site this year, a substantial increase from one pair just two years ago, and breeding success above the federal recovery goal and well above the state average for two years running since the project was fully completed.

But there’s more to the success than numbers, it can also be told through names. So first a disclaimer; we name our banded piping plovers in New Jersey. This practice is sometimes frowned upon by other researchers who fear anthropomorphism undermines their scientific credibility or leads to misunderstanding about biological processes. Point taken, but in the case of piping plovers, we believe naming can potentially lead to better engagement in their conservation through dynamic outreach, much the way Monty and Rose, Chicago’s famous plovers have garnered huge public support. Also, in New Jersey our banded plovers typically have four bands, so it is much easier for our monitoring staff to identify and communicate about a bird named “Major Tom” than orange over light blue (left), orange over black (right). Finally, some people are just plain curmudgeons about this issue, but endangered species recovery work is hard, so having a little fun with it isn’t such an awful thing! So, let’s get to the names and the “stories” they tell.

CWF In The News: Bats and summer nights – perfect together!

Posted on August 28, 2021April 1, 2022 by CWF

by, Ethan Gilardi, Wildlife Biologist

Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus). Photo by Ethan Gilardi.

I recently had the chance to speak with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation about CWF’s work with bats.

We discussed how bat populations are recovering from White-Nose Syndrome, the difficulties of studying such an elusive species, the projects currently being undertaken by CWF to help our bats, and what makes our bats a special and irreplaceable part of New Jersey’s wildlife community.

We’d like to thank Sandy Perry for conducting this wonderful interview and Michele S. Byers for including us as a part of New Jersey Conservation Foundations’ The State We’re In.

Check out the excerpt below and continue reading this and many other great articles on njconservation.org.

Sit outside on a summer evening around sunset and look up. If you’re in an open area with nearby woods, you may be treated to a dazzling aerial display of bats hunting for flying insects.

“They’re endlessly fascinating,” said Ethan Gilardi, a bat biologist with the nonprofit Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. “They’re fun fliers, with all their diving and weaving and hairpin turns.”

Besides being interesting to watch, bats provide priceless insect control services in a state that jokingly refers to the mosquito as its state bird. “A single little brown bat can eat 3,000 insects a night,” noted Ethan. “They eat every kind of insect pest you can think of.”

But many of New Jersey’s bats are struggling to survive. Fifteen years ago, a fungus attacked hibernating bats, leading to a disease known as white-nose syndrome. The disease disrupts hibernation, causing bats to use up their vital energy needed to survive the winter. White-nose wiped out most of the bats in the Myotis genus: little brown bats – once our most widespread species – and northern long-eared bats.

Click Here To Continue Reading.

Asbury Park Students learn firsthand from CWF Biologists

Posted on August 10, 2021April 1, 2022 by CWF

by Ethan Gilardi, Wildlife Biologist

CWF biologists Todd Pover, Meghan Kolk, Ben Wurst, and Erin Foley have delivered a series of hands-on lessons – on the beach and in the classroom – in Asbury Park this summer. So far, students have learned about owls, beach nesting birds, and ospreys.

Conserve Wildlife Foundation is proud to partner with Asbury Park School District and New Jersey Natural Gas to teach students about Asbury Park’s rare wildlife, and how to protect and preserve the environment the kids – and the wildlife – call home.

Check out photos of this summer’s fun!

Students took to the beach to learn about beach nesting birds with Todd Pover and Erin Foley:

Meghan Kolk dissected barn owl pellets with students to learn more about their diet:

And Ben Wurst met students at the local football field to view an active osprey nest atop a light pole:

Northern Long-Eared Bats found in the Pinelands

Posted on August 8, 2021April 1, 2022 by CWF

by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist

A Northern Long-Eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis) rests in hand before being released.

During the past two months, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey biologists have spent many late nights surveying for bats in the Pinelands! A typical survey night starts just before sundown with setting up expansive nets across corridors in the woods. In the dark, these fine threaded nets are nearly invisible to bats and the occasional flying squirrel or Whippoorwill. As the sun sets, the bats emerge, rushing through the sky to their foraging grounds. Every ten minutes, from sunset till 2am, the nets are checked and any captured bats are safely extracted from the nets to then be identified, weighed, and measured.

Over the course of 10 survey nights, 49 bats were captured in the nets! The Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) was the most common bat identified with a total of 28 individuals. The Big Brown Bat is the most common species of insectivorous bat in North America, relatively large with long, silky fur, dark skin, and a wide nose. The second most common bat captured was the Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis). Like the Big Brown Bat, the Eastern Red Bat is widespread across eastern North America. It’s distinguished by the orange fur and a furred tail membrane. While surveying in the Pinelands, wildlife biologists captured 17 Eastern Red Bats!

Our goal for this surveys was not to capture a lot of bats, but to capture rare bats in the Myotis genus. On the last few survey nights, we finally achieved our goal, capturing two Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) and two Northern Long-Eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis). The Little Brown Bat is a tiny bat weighing less than 10 grams that has glossy brown fur and long hairs on its toes. Likewise, the Northern long-eared bats are very tiny, with brown fur, and large ears.

The Little Brown Bat is a Species of Concern and the Northern Long-Eared Bat is a Federally Threatened species due to their susceptibility to White Nose Syndrome (WNS). WNS is a fungal disease that has heavily impacted bats of the Myotis family. White nose fungus grows in cold, moist environments like caves and mines – perfect habitat for many bats. This devastating disease has killed more than 6 million bats nationwide since it was first discovered in 2006.

When a Myotis bat, like the Northern Long-Eared or Little Brown, is captured, things get exciting! To learn more about where these bats roost during the day, we attach a temporary radio transmitter, smaller than the size of a fingernail, to the bat’s back and then spend the next several days tracking the radio signal in a process called radio telemetry. The transmitter on the bat’s back sends out a signal that sounds like a consistent “beep” and then the biologist holds an antenna and a receiver that is able to receive the signal. The closer you get to the bat, the louder and clearer the signal or “beeps” are! The bats are tracked through this process of radio telemetry until the roost is found.

The tagged Northern Long-Eared Bat was able to be tracked to a roost tree in a nearby swamp, roughly a mile away from the capture site. There is still lots to learn about this dwindling species and identifying roost trees is an important way to help protect this species habitat and to get a better understanding of the existing population. We also fitted one of the Little Brown Bats with a radio transmitter to track it to the roost. The roost for this bat was located approximately 2 miles away from the capture site in a residential building! Roosting in buildings is common for Little Brown Bats as it mimics the microenvironment of a cave.

Although previous years surveys resulted in higher overall numbers of bats, this was the first year for the Northern Long-Eared Bat and Little Brown Bat to be captured at this site in the Pinelands. Acoustic surveys from 2017 indicated these species were present but confirming these threatened bats are still active in the area several years later is an exciting feat!

This project was done in partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, New Jersey Field Office.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSSYN_Kn8eu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Meeting Monty and Rose, Piping Plover Ambassadors

Posted on August 4, 2021April 1, 2022 by CWF

By Todd Pover, Senior Wildlife Biologist

*Rose at Chicago’s Montrose Beach, July 2021. Courtesy of Tamima Itani.*

Monty and Rose were hardly strangers when I finally met them “in-person”. I had been admiring Chicago’s famous pair of piping plovers for nearly two years. I had read the adoring newspaper headlines about them and followed them closely on social media. I had seen, even hosted a screening for the short film made about their story. I proudly wore a hat emblazoned with their colorful logo.

From a strictly biological perspective, Monty and Rose aren’t much different than any other piping plovers; they have the same distinct markings, exhibit the same behaviors, and face the same threats that have landed plovers on the endangered species list. But there is nothing ordinary about this pair when it comes to the attention afforded them and the excitement they’ve created.

So early this summer I found myself on a plane headed to Chicago to experience the Monty and Rose phenomenon firsthand. Along for the pilgrimage were Kashi Davis and Emily Heiser, who head up New Jersey’s beach nesting bird program, and with whom I’ve share nearly my entire career. With nearly 60 years of “plovering” between us, you wouldn’t think we’d have much to learn from yet another pair of plovers. To be honest, the trip was as much about being inspired by Monty and Rose and the people involved in their story, as it was about anything else. But on the practical side, I was especially interested in how they managed to pull off a dawn to dusk volunteer monitoring program from incubation to hatch to fledge. And I really wanted to know how they generated all that excitement.

The novelty factor accounts for some of the appeal, the first plovers nesting in Chicago in many decades. But interest in Monty and Rose has continued to rage on several year running now, and a second film is scheduled for release in September, so it isn’t just that. Improbability also plays a part, a small pair of shorebirds and their even tinier chicks nesting on a busy city beach in the shadow of skyscrapers. The naming of the birds, a reference to Montrose Beach, where they nest, also seems to play an important role in the connection people feel for them. There is a great sense of pride – they are their plovers. And with just one pair at this site (and in the entire region), all the attention is funneled to them.

You feel the excitement the moment you walk on “their” beach. People constantly pop by to ask how Monty and Rose are doing. The volunteer monitors happily trade personal stories about them or offer a look in their scope to get a closer peak. Strangers wander over to ask what everyone is looking at. We met Bob Dolgan, the creator of the Monty and Rose film (and its upcoming sequel), and Tamia Itani, the pair’s “plover mother”, organizer of the volunteer effort, and now author of a Monty and Rose children’s book. Both had their own take on why the Monty and Rose story has gone viral, although I’m not sure I’ll ever know exactly what that “secret sauce” is. No matter, I left Chicago completely inspired by Monty and Rose and their protectors, recharged and ready to carry on with my own plover projects back home.

A few days after returning from Chicago, I took a day trip up to Gloucester, Massachusetts to meet some members of another piping plover volunteer group. Like the Monty and Rose crew, they annually help shepherd one pair of plovers (actually, they have two pairs this year) through the perils of nesting on a city beach, although Good Harbor Beach is decidedly quieter than Montrose Beach in Chicago, at least on the mid-week morning I visited. This group also manages to staff the beach with monitors from dawn to dusk on most days and has its own Facebook page that it maintains to educate the public and generate enthusiasm for their community’s plovers. They have been doing this longer than the Monty and Rose effort, but quietly out of the spotlight. They proudly wear their Piping Plover Ambassador badges.

Seeing those badges made me realize that although the Monty and Rose story has been invaluable for creating interest in plover conservation – piping plovers are definitely having a “moment” thanks to their story – it’s the hundreds of monitors who are the real piping plover ambassadors. I started my own “plover career” 28 years ago as a volunteer. I was immediately and inexplicably smitten by piping plovers, although I didn’t realize it would completely change my life. I’m just as captivated by piping plovers today and I remain equally inspired by my fellow protectors, paid and volunteer, who steadfastly fight to help maintain a place for piping plovers in our world. And provide them a voice.

Rallying the Troops for North America’s Tiniest Turtle

Posted on July 22, 2021April 1, 2022 by CWF

by Christine Healy, Wildlife Biologist

*Female bog turtle basking. Photo Credit: Eric Sambol*

I recently found myself walking along a set of railroad tracks in Union County, returning to my car after assessing habitat for an upcoming coverboard study. I stepped off the tracks at the sound of an approaching cargo train and prepared to wait it out in silence, when a gentleman appeared from the underside of a bridge a little way up the tracks. He looked like he had been swimming or fishing, though where- I had no idea. Probably in some secret location known only to lifelong residents, keenly aware of what the landscape has to offer, and the many ways in which its changed. When he learned I was a biologist, he proceeded to tell me about all the wildlife that he sees during his various excursions; coyotes, foxes, eagles—but when he got to turtles, his smile faltered, and he lamented the fact that “the Muhlenberg’s have gotten hard to find”. He certainly wasn’t wrong about that.

*Plastron length taken using calipers. Photo Credit: Lynn Sambol*

Despite early recognition as an endangered species in New Jersey, population estimates for Glyptemys muhlenbergii, more commonly known as the bog turtle, are less than half what they were in 1974 when they were first listed. This is certainly not for lack of trying; conservation-minded groups and individuals have been working hard to reverse this trend for decades. The bog turtle may be North America’s smallest turtle, but ensuring that they stick around to retain the distinction is no small feat. It takes an army, which is why CWF is so excited to be joining forces with New Jersey Audubon, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and US Fish and Wildlife Service in a 5-year Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Through this agreement, funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), part of the USDA, we aim to restore crucial wetlands within the Upper Salem River Watershed, an important stronghold of the species.

CWF biologist Christine Healy (left) and US Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Beth Freiday (right) assess the restoration potential for historic bog turtle habitat through the FWS Partners Program. Photo Credit: Matthew Davis

CWF’s primary role in this collaboration will be landowner outreach. This is critical work because much of the remaining habitat for bog turtles occurs within the boundaries of private property, so landowner participation is vital to the conservation and management of the species. NRCS and FWS offer several programs to make initial restoration work and land preservation in perpetuity both feasible and economical for landowners, however, they aren’t always widely known options. Using satellite imagery and historic records, CWF helps locate parcels with potentially promising habitat and educates interested landowners on the possibilities. We’ve had much success with this method, particularly in northern New Jersey, and look forward to expanding our reach. With the public on board, we are optimistic about the future of our state reptile.

Sipping for Salamanders

Posted on July 7, 2021April 2, 2022 by CWF

by Christine Healy, Wildlife Biologist

*Trivia winners “Team Bobcat” pose with their handmade wooden salamander medallions.*
_{(Left to right: Diane Reid, Amy Greene, Brian Haggerty, Janice Haggerty, and MacKenzie Hall)}

The words referring to

1. The most elusive groups of amphibians

AND

2. Residents of Italy’s largest island

are actually homophones…

What are they called?

If you guessed caecilians, you’d have done well at CWF’s recent trivia night- an event celebrating and supporting the Amphibian Crossing Project, held in partnership with Jersey Girl Brewing Company in Hackettstown.

We were overwhelmed by the support that we received from volunteers, board members, friends of the organization- both old and new, and of course the Jersey Girl team. Participants answered questions from a broad range of categories while enjoying homemade cookies shaped like salamanders, tortoises, and New Jersey, with a few Loch Ness Monsters thrown in for luck (she’s possibly a long-necked newt, after all) and sandwiches provided by Jersey Mike’s in Hackettstown. All contestants put up an impressive showing, but with a perfect score it was Team Bobcat that took home the amphibian medallions.

The Amphibian Crossing Project reached an important milestone in 2021, as this spring marked ten years of organized rescue nights on Waterloo Road, in Byram Township. Each season, participants brave cold and rainy conditions to help an average of 1,860 animals complete their annual migration from the upland forest in Allamuchy Mountain State Park to their breeding grounds in New Jersey’s largest vernal pool. While staff and volunteers took care to maintain social distancing as a COVID-19 precaution, the frogs, toads, and salamanders certainly did not; at 4,046 successful crossings, numbers more than doubled this year.

Waterloo will experience another milestone in 2022, as the installation of a specially designed amphibian passage system will provide migrators with a safe subterranean route, negating the need for human interference after next season. While spring will feel rather different without a patrol of Waterloo involved, it is very exciting to watch this project become even more of a conservation success story and we can’t wait to see where the crossing goes from here.

Please consider making a contribution to support our work by clicking the button below and noting the “Amphibian Crossing Project.”

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