by Larissa Smith, Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Manager
In June of 2011 two chicks (male & female) from the Merrill Creek Reservoir eagle nest in Warren County were fitted with solar-powered transmitters that are monitored via satellites. The males movements have been tracked for over a year starting when he left the nest in June. You can see the eagles movements by going to: http://www.merrillcreek.com/eagletracking.html In September the male flew as far West as Harrisburg, PA and in January spent a few days at the upper Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. He has spent the majority of his time in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. It is very interesting to see where the eagle is spending his time and the type of habitat he is using. When you go to the map you can zoom in to get a close up look at his locations.
Unfortunately the female chick died in October due to starvation. She tested positive for West Nile Virus which could have contributed to her death. The transmitter was recovered from the female and in May of this year the transmitter was placed on the largest of three chicks, a female, in the Merrill Creek nest. She just recently left the nest and is still in the area of the nest taking short flights. To follow her movements go to http://www.merrillcreek.com/eagletracking.html
for his contributions to the NJ Bald Eagle Project
by: Larissa Smith, Biologist/Volunteer Manager
Landowner Robert Johnson with Eagle Project volunteers Earl and Mary Ellen Holton.
Landowners are an important component of the NJ Bald Eagle Project since fifty-six percent of eagle nests are found on private property in NJ. This year we recognized a landowner for his contributions to the project over the years. Mr. Robert Johnson has had a pair of eagles nesting on his property in Cumberland County since 2003. He has always been very protective of the pair and makes sure that they aren’t disturbed during the nesting season as well as keeping the nest observers updated on any activity that he has seen or any problems. He helps the volunteers by cutting the grass in his field so that they can drive in and park when monitoring the nest. This year when the volunteers truck got stuck in the mud at another close by nest Mr. Johnson came with his backhoe and pulled them out.
Mr. Johnson received a certificate of appreciation and an eagle frame handmade by CWF biologist Ben Wurst www.reclaimednj.com. The photo in the frame was of Mr. Johnson holding an eagle chick during a eagle banding on his property.
On behalf of the NJ Bald Eagle Project we thank Mr. Johnson for his dedication to NJ eagles.
…and learn about threatened and endangered species.
by Larissa Smith; Biologist/Volunteer Manager
For the second year in a row 5th graders at the Ocean City Intermediate school adopted a species from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ. The 40 students are in two of science teacher Mrs. Rosander’s classes. They earned the money through chores and donations to adopt the Bald Eagle. This year they chose to adopt a bald eagle which is one of the species that I work with so I was glad for the opportunity to talk about NJ eagles.
Students learned about threatened and endangered species as well as the NJ bald eagle project. The students asked a lot of great questions and I’m pretty sure they’ll now be on the look out for eagles!
Thank you to the students for their donation to CWF!
Hi Everyone! My name is Jorge H. Ruiz, I am a New Jersey City University student working with Conserve Wildlife Foundation as part of the USDA Internship Program for summer 2012. A little background on myself, I am a full-time student majoring in Biology and Political Science, President of the Biology Club, owner of small pet-care business, and I educate people about the benefits of renewable energy with support from Viridian Energy. Now, I am more than happy and honored to be able to finally put my experience to support my involvement with Conserve Wildlife Foundation.
Peregrine falcon chicks May 24, 2012
Right from the start of my internship with CWF I was introduced to the mission and wildlife encounters that rarely I have ever seen. On May, 24, 2012 I had the joy to be able to witness banding of three peregrine chicks by wildlife Biologist Kathy Clark. The day was filled with heavy rain and thunderstorms; however, it did not deter the group of people that all gathered at101 Hudson Street, the tallest building in Jersey City, New Jersey to be able to observe up close a rare experience with peregrine falcon chicks. Executive Director, Margaret Gorman, Supervising Zoologist, Kathy Clark, Department Chair of Geology, Dr. Montgomery of NJCU as well as myself and others ascended over 40 floors to reach the habitat/nesting grounds of the mating pair of peregrine falcons. Once we reached the last floor, we all eagerly waited as Kathy Clark went out to the roof where the nest of the peregrine chicks was located and brought them back in a box for banding. I was astounded to learn how large the chicks were! The purpose of the visit was to count the number of young, determine age and sex, and check for any other issues that may troubling the chicks. There was one female and two males and all were in great health. I also learned from Margaret that peregrine falcons hunt pigeons and the chicks are totally dependent upon their parents until they are ready to fledge or leave the nest
I personally did not even know that Hudson County had peregrine falcons until that day. The whole experience made me aware of how the efforts of non-profits like CWF are really making a difference in keeping rare wildlife as part of our state. Peregrine falcons are an endangered species in New Jersey, and I learned that the population is steadily increasing all over NJ since efforts to stabilize the population began in 1993. The experience was amazing and I hope other young people get the opportunity to experience wildlife because people might think no wildlife exists in Jersey City, but now I can educate them and prove them wrong.
The recovery of New Jersey’s bald eagle population is a great success story for the state and for the many biologists, conservationists and volunteers involved in the effort. This recovery has been over 20 years in the making with over 100 pairs now breeding in New Jersey, a huge increase from the late eighties when one pair remained in our state.
While we celebrate the success of our eagle population, we must now begin to deal with the fact that eagle nests are increasingly located in places where more people can view them and get close to these magnificent birds and who wouldn’t want to observe these iconic species?
But close observation can be dangerous to these birds and damaging to the continued recovery of the population. Bald eagles do not react well when people or pets get too close to their nests. They can be easily disturbed by humans in close proximity and this disturbance can cause them to expend valuable energy when flushed or, at the extreme, to abandon their nests leaving eggs to fail or newly hatched chicks to die. Continue reading “Keep Your Distance”
Program from 1970’s restores osprey population to historic numbers
by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
A helicopter hovers over an active osprey nest to count the number of eggs. Image courtesy NJFW.
The New Jersey Osprey Project began after the osprey was listed as an endangered species in 1973. In April 1974 an aerial survey was conducted to count the number of active osprey nests. The survey was conducted from Toms River to Atlantic City. The results were grim. Only five active nests were found. 10 years earlier there were over 50 in that same area. On all of Barnegat Bay in 1974 there was only one active osprey nest.
The heavy use of DDT in the 1950’s and 60’s was the main culprit in the decline of ospreys by affecting their ability to reproduce. When used in marine environments it was quickly absorbed by organisms and soils. It accumulated in the food web and because it was fat soluble it bioacummulated in predators, especially birds of prey. In short, it caused the thinning of eggshells which often broke under the weight of the incubating female. This threat, along with habitat loss and persecution caused the population to become almost extirpated from the state.
In January 43 states participated in the Midwinter Bald Eagle Count including New Jersey which has participated since 1979. This year in NJ ~70 volunteers surveyed for eagles the weekend of January 14th & 15th. The purpose of the survey is to monitor bald eagle populations. Since the survey takes place at the start of the NJ eagle nesting season possible new pairs and nests are often found. New Jersey volunteers also map eagle activity and these data are used to delineate critical eagle wintering habitat.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
273 eagles in Southern NJ
44 eagles in Northern NJ
317 eagles total
This is a great time of year to get out and see some eagles. Not only are the resident nesting eagle pairs around but also wintering eagles.
Bald eagles are beautiful birds so it only makes sense that people want to get a closer look at them. But often people don’t realize that by innocently stopping to look at an eagle nest they are putting the eggs or young in jeopardy. As the New Jersey eagle population increases eagles are starting to nest in closer proximity to humans and human activity. Any activity that causes the eagles to change their normal behavior is “disturbance.” People walking too close to the nest to get a closer look or take photos will cause the birds to get off the eggs or leave the young unattended. This leaves the eggs or young exposed to the elements and predators. The safe distance for viewing is at least 1,000’ from the nest site. If the birds are looking at you then you are too close.
The best way to see what goes on at an eagle’s nest without the chance of disturbing the birds is to watch them online. The Duke Farms eagle nest site has had a camera streaming the picture since 2008. This provides an up close and personal view that you cannot see from the ground. The Duke Farms eagle cam should be streaming live in the next few weeks. To view the eagle cam go to www.conservewildlifenj.org
If you have any questions about eagles or their nests or would like to report a nesting pair, please contact Larissa Smith.
2011 was a great year for bald eagles in NJ. This season a record high of 118 chicks fledged from nests throughout New Jersey. A total of 111 eagle pairs were monitored of these 95 were active which means that they laid eggs. Seventy-one of these were successful in producing the 118 fledges. This is especially good news after 2010’s less than stellar nesting season where only 69 young chicks fledged.
The success of the NJ Bald Eagle Project is directly due to the dedicated volunteers. Every eagle nest that can be viewed is monitored by a volunteer/s. Volunteers report on important dates such as incubation, hatching and fledging. They also help to protect the nest by reporting disturbance and educating the public about eagles. We can’t thank our eagle project volunteers enough for all the time and energy which they put into this project.
More details on the the 2011 nesting season will be available later this year in the 2011 NJ Bald Eagle Project report.
