Tag: 2016

2016: Off to a good start

Posted on by Ben Wurst
Jersey City Falcons vocalizing on building ledge

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

We’re really excited for the beginning of the peregrine falcon nesting season this year, especially for the pair that calls Jersey City home! We got this great video from Falcon Cam viewer Eric Chandler which shows the pair vocalizing to each other. Peregrine falcons mate for life and this will be the pair’s second nesting season. The first was not productive since they had just paired up and were too busy courting each other to raise any young.

Soon, over the skies of downtown Jersey City, the male will perform bold aerobatic flights over his eyrie (nest site) include loops, tight turns, and swooping dives. He also will provide the female with gifts to show his commitment to her – in the form of food, not a diamond ring. To help strengthen their pair bond (relationship) the male and female perform what is referred to as a “bowing” when they vocalize with a “ee-chupping” call which is seen in this short video.

We are in the process of activating the camera. We will let you know when it begins streaming on our website.

Walking the Land

Posted on by CWF
CWF Biologists’ Winter Field Work

by Kelly Triece, Private Lands Biologist

Walking the Land. Photo by Kelly Triece
Walking the Land. Photo by Kelly Triece

Even during these cold winter months Conserve Wildlife Foundation biologists are out in the field! The winter is often the best time of year to fully see the land and make accurate assessments on potential management. My role as a Private Lands Biologist along with our partner the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), is to work with private landowners and help them manage their property for the benefit of wildlife and to conserve other natural resources.

 

Often times this means walking the property with landowners who are interested in enhancing or providing habitat for wildlife. On our walk, we look for invasive species, erosion concerns, existing hydrology, native vegetation and the potential to enhance the property for wildlife. We make recommendations on how to best manage the land for wildlife, but ultimately it is up to the owner.

 

Winter Field Work
Potential enhanced waterfowl and amphibian habitat.

This winter, I have met with several landowners whose goal is to provide waterfowl and amphibian habitat on their land. We have also visited forested lands to determine their suitability to create Golden-winged Warbler habitat, an endangered songbird.

 

Not every day is a close encounter with wildlife! But helping private landowners learn about sustainable land management and implement conservation goals on their property may help provide food, water and breeding grounds for many of New Jersey’s native wildlife species.

 

 

Learn More:

 

Kelly Triece is the Private Lands Biologist for Conserve Wildlife Foundation.