As the numbers of eagles increase in New Jersey, these type of disputes are becoming more common place. Eagles not only fight over food but territory as well. Several eagles have been found deceased or injured this past year due to conflicts with other eagles.
Juvenile male bald eagle (D/95) with GPS transmiter being attached. Kathy Clark/ENSP
Since 2011, the NJDFW Endangered and Nongame Species Program and Conserve Wildlife Foundation have been following the movements of young eagles outfitted with transmitters that have fledged from the Merrill Creek nest in Northern New Jersey. Currently, two eagles are being tracked from the Merrill Creek nest.
During the summer of 2014, two juvenile bald eagles were fitted with a GPS tracking device (a wearable backpack). Biologists chose one eagle from Atlantic County (a male) and one from Cumberland County (a female) to be tagged in this telemetry study. The male hatched at a nest near Nacote Creek in Port Republic, and wears a green band with code D/95. The female is from a nest on the Maurice River; she wears color band E/05.
The male, named “Nacote” (D/95) had a transmitter attached at 8.5 weeks of age on May 6, 2014 and on May 22, he first moved away from the nest tree. He remained within about 1/4 mile for more than one week as he learned flying and landing skills. He made a bold northern movement in late July, and was in Canada until mid-October when he started heading south.
The female, named “Millville” (E/05) was about 8.3 weeks of age when outfitted with the transmitter. The banding date was May 19, and she remained close to the nest until late July, venturing out to Delaware Bay marshes and back in early August. In mid-September she crossed the Delaware River into Delaware and then spent most of September along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland before crossing over to Virginia.
The last location received for Millville was on November 17, 2014. On the 24th, we received a call that she had been found dead by the side of the road in Delaware. A necropsy was performed and cause of death was determined to be from electrocution due to a collision with electric wires.
We are lucky that a passerby stopped and contacted us, so we know what happened to her and were able to get the transmitter back. There is a high mortality rate for first year eagles as they learn to hunt, fly and survive on their own.
An interactive map showing Nacote’s current location can be viewed on our website. It’ll be interesting to see where he ends up this winter!
CWF provides assistance for recovery of osprey in Illinois
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
Osprey 11D takes flight for the first time at Lake Shelbyville. Illinois Department of Natural Resources photo.
Besides working to protect and manage New Jersey’s osprey, we also consult with organizations throughout the country to assist with other ongoing recovery projects. One particular project is in Ilinois. Here the osprey is listed as endangered and recovery has been slow. Last year a long-term recovery project was started and we provided assistance by mapping suitable nest platform locations along the Kankakee River at the Exelon Generation/Dresdan Station (SW of Chicago). The recovery project has a huge amount of support and partners. This was how our osprey recovery project was so successful in the 1980s, by partnering with many different organizations. We provided technical guidance on platform construction and installation to Michael Campbell (System Engineer at Exelon). Michael led the hack box construction effort and assisted with building/installing nesting platforms at the Dresdan Station. A total of ten young ospreys were successfully hacked this year. The young were collected at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia and driven to IL. Michael was awarded for his efforts to help the osprey recover in Illinois and we are honored that he chose Conserve Widlife Foundation as a receipent for a $3,750 grant! Thank you!
Looking to help make a difference? We provide recources for you to help our ospreys in New Jersey. We offer technical assistance to private consulting firms, individuals, school groups, environmental commissions, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and anyone else who is interested in constructing and installing osprey nesting structures.
In New Jersey, we work with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife to help manage and monitor a very large database of existing nesting structures. We can help you choose the most suitable location to place a platform so it will not negatively impact any other species that live in the coastal area of the state. We can provide maps, platform plans (see link below), and in some cases an actual platform. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information or if you have a question.
The Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) are proud to announce the arrival of their free downloadable e-book, “Bald Eagles in the Meadowlands & Beyond” with a book launch event on Wednesday, September 10, at 8 p.m. in the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park, the home of the NJMC.
Biologist Kathy Clark of the State’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program will discuss her experience with bald eagles across New Jersey, with a special focus on the Meadowlands Region. The NJMC’s Jim Wright, who edited the book, and CWF Executive Director David Wheeler, who wrote the foreword, will also speak at the event. Several photographers will also talk about their photos showcased in the book.
The talk is sponsored by the Bergen County Audubon Society (BCAS) and will begin at the conclusion of the BCAS’ monthly business meeting. Light refreshments will follow.
A lot has changed throughout the 40 project history of the New Jersey Osprey Project. From a low of only 53 osprey pairs (statewide) in 1973, today there are more than 540 pairs that return here each year to feed, nest, and raise young. In the beginning work to re-establish their population was a trementous undertaking. Ospreys, a were loaded with environmental contaminents (DDT, which caused the thinning of egg shells), their habitat was bulldozed, and early on birds were shot for their feathers and eggs. Once the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1973 ospreys were afforded protection they deserved, and work by biologists like Pete McLain were underway to restore the population in New Jersey. Continue reading “Project RedBand is a go!”
by Larissa Smith, Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Manager
Duke Farms eagle chicks in nest after banding on May 14, 2014
On July 27th the juvenile male, D-98, was found dead by residents of Little Sebago Lake in Maine. He was banded at six weeks of age along with his two siblings one male and one female at the Duke Farms eagle nest which was broadcast live online.
His body was found floating in the lake by residents who reported the band numbers to the National Bird Banding Lab. We then received the report that he was found dead and were able to contact the finders for more information. Residents of the lake which is NW of Portland, reported seeing him near an active eagle nest located on the lake. The nest had chicks which had fledged in early July. On July 25th residents reported seeing a juvenile with a green band sitting in a tree near a boat house;
“The youngster had been in a small tree next to our boat house for quite a long time when an adult, carrying a fish, swooped in over the folks sunning on the beach and attacked the young bird. It dropped the fish in the process. The adult flew off leaving the fish and the juvenile behind. Thanks to a cell phone photo, we know that the youngster had the band colors of the later retrieved juvenile”.
While we don’t know for certain we can assume that the juvenile’s death was in some part due to injuries that occurred when it was attacked by the adult. It is always sad to report on the death of an eagle especially one that hundred’s of Duke Farms eagle cam viewers watched “grow-up”, but it is the reality of life in the wild. The mortality rate for first year eagles is fairly high as they are still learning to hunt and survive on their own. It is very unusual to receive this much information on the details surrounding an eagles death. D-98 made an approximately 390 mile trip up to Maine. He probably found plenty of food at the lake which is why he was hanging around, but ended up in another eagles territory. Hopefully the remaining two juveniles from the Duke Farms nest have better luck and survive their first year.
Jersey City Magazine and the Hudson Reporter spotlight CWF’s beloved Falcon Cam in this month’s issue. The webcam, on the roof of 101 Hudson Street in downtown Jersey City, boasts countless dedicated viewers who just can’t stop watching!
To read the full article in the Jersey City Magazine, click here and visit page 15
Ben Wurst prepares to band two osprey nestlings for future tracking. Photo courtesy Eric Sambol
By now many young ospreys have taken to the wing. While they still rely on their nests to perch at night and their parents for food, these juveniles take to the skies to learn the skills needed to survive to adulthood. Our nesting surveys have been completed, birds banded, and our sunburn and green bites are healing! Over the next week I will start to enter and summarize data that I’ve collected and data from our volunteer “banders” who help cover the most densely populated colonies. From my surveys, which range from Mantoloking to Atlantic City, I’d say that productivity is down in some areas and up in others, as compared to last year. But, ospreys still had a decent year. I would NOT call it a BAD year!
By far my own survey effort was not as great as last year, when we conducted a census of all nesting ospreys in NJ, by publishing our nest locations on our partners website, called Osprey Watch. This year I battled broken boats, a severe cold (still didn’t slow me down), harsh south winds, and thunderstorms to get to as many nests as I could, especially on Barnegat Bay. Why Barnegat Bay? We all have heard that Barnegat Bay is dying. Overloaded with excess nutrients from stormwater runoff, which is killing off the eelgrass beds that provide shelter for many juvenile fish, aka future osprey prey. This project will help us learn about osprey foraging habitat on N. Barnegat Bay. Are more birds foraging in the ocean in those areas, as opposed to birds that nest closer to LBI and LEHT? Hopefully our ospreys will help shed some light on the health of the bay. Lastly, the project would not be possible without the generous support of Northside Jim, chief blogger/extraordinary photographer at “Readings from the Northside” and his many followers. With their support we were able to purchase (100) and deploy (60) a red auxiliary band on young birds. These bands are engraved with an alpha-numeric code which will make identifying birds much easier than only the aluminum USGS band. In the coming weeks Jim will be giving us some assistance with setting up a nice little website where people can learn all about the bands, the birds, and most importantly: report re-sightings of these awesome new bands!
Ospreys are a common sight along the New Jersey shore during summer months.Each year myself and other dedicated volunteers conduct surveys of osprey nests by boat. Photo by Northside Jim.We use ladders to access nests. Photo by Northside Jim.We count the number of young produced.While checking nests the adults circle nests and often dive bomb banders, like myself.Dive bombed like this. Photo by Northside Jim.And this… Photo by Jim Northside Jim.Young are banded for future tracking.This year a color auxiliary band is being deployed on young that are produced on Barnegat Bay.The bands will allow us and “Osprey Watchers” to ID individuals birds and we will learn a great deal about their dispersion, site fidelity, life span, etc…While checking nests, with or without young, we clean out any trash that we find. Photo by Northside Jim.After surveying a nest the adults return to care for their young.
Each year biologists with the NJ ENSP & CWF band chicks at eagle nests though out NJ. Each chick gets a green (NJ) band on one leg and a silver federal band on the other. The Green band indicates that the bird was banded in NJ and the letter over the number combination is recorded so we know where and when. There are at least 20 pairs of eagles nesting in NJ where at least one of the adults is a NJ banded bird. Over the past few years we’ve gotten reports of NJ birds seen in other states and if we’re lucky (and someone has a really good camera) the green band can be read.
We recently heard from Linda Oughton who lives in PA. She has a pair of eagles nesting near her home and was able to get a photo of the perched female with green band B/64. She was able to tell us that this pair has been nesting for the past three years near her development in Montgomery County and raised and fledged four young for two of those years. They were active this season and had two chicks, which unfortunately didn’t survive due to the severe winter weather. Before nesting in this tree they nested for three years at another location where they raised seven young. The banded eagle is a female which is known because she is larger than her mate (female eagles are larger than the males).
B-64 with two chicks raised and fledged in 2013 @ L. Oughton
B/64 was one of three chicks banded in 2004 at the Hopewell West nest which is located in Cumberland County along the Cohansey River. Linda has named B/64 “Jersey Girl” and she keeps everyone in the development where she lives informed about the nest. No doubt that this former NJ bird is well loved and protected.
The Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) are proud to announce the arrival of their free downloadable e-book,
