In 2012 a new record high of 135 eagle pairs were monitored during the nesting season. One hundred and nineteen of those were active which means they laid eggs. A total of 165 young were produced this year and fledged (left the nest). That is 46 more than 2011’s 119 young produced. Twenty-seven new eagle pairs were found this season, 15 in the south, 2 in central and 10 in northern NJ. While all of these numbers are good news for NJ eagles they still need protection. The two major threats that bald eagles in NJ face today are disturbance and habitat loss.
The NJ Bald Eagle Project has a dedicated group of volunteers who monitor nests throughout New Jersey. They help to prevent disturbance at nest sites by educating the public about eagles. The success of the eagle project is directly related to these wonderful volunteers.
Since 2009, we’ve been active in helping to restore wildlife habitat to a former golf course in lower Cape May County. In place of the large lodge on the site we are building a “Backyard Habitat Demonstration Site.” It will feature several different habitat treatments that homeowners can use to provide habitat for wildlife in their own backyards. It includes the creation of scrub-shrub habitat, forested habitat, nectar producing plants, wildflower meadows, a pond, and a brush pile.
The site was designed by landscape designer Jeanne Marcucci with greenjean gardens LLC. Last week the site was prepped by NJ Fish & Wildlife. After the site was plowed we laid out paths that run throughout the site. Next compost will be spread to some areas (wildflower beds) and plants will be delivered on October 9th. The team at Planet Earth Landscaping will be assisting us the the compost spreading and planting.
Volunteers are needed to help plant the many native plants that were ordered on October 10-11th from 10-2pm each day. For more information or to volunteer contact Ben Wurst.
The site where 2,700 native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses will be planted for wildlife near Villas, NJ.
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.
Last Thursday there was a flurry of activity throughout coastal New Jersey. It was one of the peak days of the beginning of the northern diamondback terrapin nesting season. I had scheduled myself to be off to work on projects around my house but ended up working for half the day on our Great Bay Terrapin Conservation Project. Female terrapins were everywhere! They were crossing all over Great Bay Blvd., a 5 mile long road that bisects pristine terrapin habitat. The shoulders of the road are suitable nesting habitat as well, so at times as many as 10-15 terrapins could be seen in one small section of the road. There were so many that one terrapin bumped right into another one on the shoulder of the road!! They were digging nests and laying eggs all over the place. It was certainly a rare sight. Luckily traffic was mild and the weather was clear so there were little road kills. One female fell victim to a Little Egg Harbor Twp. mower who was mowing the edges of the road. This certainly wasn’t the best day to mow the shoulders! Before more terrapins could be killed we contacted LEHT public works and they called off their mower until further notice. On a side note, we have asked the township and the environmental commission to adopt a delayed mowed regime in the past and unfortunately one terrapin died because of this. I even emailed the public works director early last week about nesting activity picking up and I asked for him to please let me know when they were planning to mow so we could have someone walk in front of the mower to be sure no terrapins were hit. On the positive side, we were able to salvage 7 eggs from the terrapin, and they were successfully placed in a hatchery in Loveladies on LBI. We have our fingers crossed that they’ll hatch later this summer!
Finally, we have had more of a presence on Great Bay Blvd this year with the assistance of our new intern, Kristin Ryerson. She is collecting data (size, age, weight, and other data) on terrapins that she encounters while conducting road patrols on Great Bay Blvd. We’ll be using this data to compare it to some collected in Barnegat Bay and past studies that were conducted on the road. Her position is a volunteer position so I really appreciate all of her help so far! We also have volunteers who are acting as “Terrapin Stewards” where they also conduct road patrols to collect sightings of terrapins, educate visitors to the road about terrapins, and they also make sure terrapins safely cross the road. Without their help this project would not be successful!
Piping plovers and American oystercatchers have already begun to return to New Jersey to breed. Least terns and black skimmers will follow in another couple of weeks. This is a busy time for the Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s (CWF) Beach Nesting Bird Project – our program to protect these birds, some of the state’s most at-risk species, kicks into high gear as the birds arrive.
Employees from the Edison, NJ and Philadelphia, PA offices of CDM Smith who helped put up fence and signs at the Belmar Shark River Inlet nesting area.
The first major task at hand is to protect the habitat where the birds nest from human disturbance associated with intensive recreational use of our beaches. Working closely with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, CWF typically helps fence off and post 20-25 beach sites annually.
And we couldn’t complete this massive job without the assistance of volunteers. This year we have gotten volunteer help from a diverse group of organizations, ranging from the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association to Wetland Institute to Manasquan High School Environmental Club. A huge THANKS to all those groups and individuals that pitched in to help!
Click here to learn more information about our Beach Nesting Bird Program.
A Jefferson salamander gets an early start on spring (Feb 24). Photo by Bob Hamilton
After the wimpy winter (which I quite enjoyed), we knew the amphibian migration could start a little earlier than normal this season. The ground has been thawed since mid-February across most of NJ, leaving only a reasonably warm nighttime rain to propel frogs and salamanders into their annual breeding frenzy.
And in an oddly symbiotic way, their frenzy becomes ours as well. This year, the Amphibian Crossing Project covers 6 road rescue sites in Warren, Sussex, and Passaic Counties – more than we’ve ever done before – and includes monitoring at a number of amphibian road-crossings in the Sourland Mountains region. More than 130 trained volunteers are part of the migration survey, which aims to 1) help amphibians survive the dangerous cross-road journey to their breeding pools, and 2) collect data to find out which sites are most important and which populations are most threatened by traffic. With all the new sites, new helpers, and big plans for the data we collect this year (stay tuned…), a lot is riding on the weather. We and our scouts have been out in every little nighttime rainfall over the past month that’s been anywhere near 40 degrees.
New volunteers Gene & Ginger Martel show that they're ready for migration! Photo by Ginger Martel
My first salamander of the season came out of the woods at 2:00 am on February 24th at a crossing in southern Sussex County, as light rain turned to snow in 37 degree air. Aside from the three bulky humans watching him labor across the road, this Jefferson salamander had a quiet and uneventful trip. No cars passed through; the only thing coming down on his cool skin was the occasional snowflake. If you’re a slow, small amphibian, a middle-of-the-night migration is the way to go. Your chance of survival is slim in the earlier evening’s traffic.
The nights of February 24th, 29th, and March 2nd were also rainy and just warm enough to draw some eager amphibians to the surface. Jefferson salamanders are famously cold-hardy and have made a big push to their pools. Spotted salamanders, wood frogs, and even a few spring peepers have taken advantage of the early thaw as well. Peak migration is still ahead of us in northern NJ, though, so we’ll continue watching the weather and waiting for our next night out in the rain.
A large female spotted salamander, heavy with eggs, gets help crossing a Hunterdon County road (Feb 29). Photo by MacKenzie Hall
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.
Interested in the environment? Want to learn from local and regional environmental experts? Then become a Rutgers Environmental Steward! There is still room (& time!) to register to become part of the Class of 2012 for the Rutgers Environmental Stewards Program!
The Rutgers Environmental Steward program provides training and experience which equips participants to contribute effectively to the process of finding solutions for environmental problems in the communities of New Jersey.
Graduates become knowledgeable about the basic processes of earth, air, water and biological systems. They increase awareness of the techniques and tools used to monitor and assess the health of the environment. They gain an understanding of the research and regulatory infrastructure of state and federal agencies operating in New Jersey that relate to environmental issues. They are given an introduction to group dynamics and community leadership.
They learn to recognize the elements of sound science and public policy based on that science. They acquire some sense of the limits of current understanding of the environment.
Training takes place regionally – in the northat the Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Warren County in South Belvidere; in the center at Duke Farms, Hillsborough; and in the south at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) in Egg Harbor Township.
Beech tree seeds for the Allegheny Woodrats collected by Doane Academy Pre-K, Kindergarten, First, and Second Grades.
After reading our September 1st blog post about the endangered Allegheny woodrat and the supplemental feeding program, Bonnie Smith, a teacher at Doane Academy in Burlington, NJ called her students into action. The lower grades (Pre-K, Kindergarten, First, and Second Grades) began collecting beech seeds on the school grounds during their regularly scheduled nature discovery class. Over the course of several weeks, Bonnie and her students were able to collect hundreds, if not thousands, of seeds that will be used to supplemental feed the Allegheny woodrats this winter. Yesterday, here in Trenton, we received that package of beech seed nuts. It warms my heart knowing that the actions of these kids will go a long way in helping the woodrats survive in New Jersey this winter. Stay tuned into the blog as we follow these beech seeds as they make their way from Trenton to the Palisades and hopefully into the bellies of the woodrats this winter.
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.
