Gearing Up for Fall Installations

Ben Wurst and Jeff Wettstein take a break from building platforms in 2007.

I've managed to raise some funding to place additional platforms this fall. Personally I think that this is the best time to install them. The water is warm, ospreys are still around, and the weather is quite calm. In the next month I'm going to be installing a few platforms near Little Egg Harbor with help from the Beach Nesting Bird staff to give them a break from their regular duties. Soon after I'll need some help constructing a few more platforms in New Gretna for installation in other areas (one in Lavallette and a few more on Little Egg Bay). Stay tuned for more information....

A Great Outcome on a Dreary Day

This morning I made a return visit to Sedge Islands WMA to check on one nestling that was entangled with ribbon when I did my original survey on June 27th. The nestling was approximately 1 week old when I first visited and it had two other siblings. The ribbon was wrapped around its whole body, under the wings, and then tightly around one leg. Luckily, the ribbon did not look to be impacting the delivery of blood to the foot; however, it had hindered the development of muscle tissue where it was wrapped. When I cut it off, there was a depression left in the leg and I had feared that the leg would not properly develop.

On my way to the nest this morning (with my own personal boat, the "Otter Boat," a boat that will be used more for work with ospreys than fishing...) it started to drizzle (figures) and there was a 1-2 ft. chop. No matter what I was still not going to give up, so I pressed on from Skipper's Cove to Sedge. The boat ran great, but as soon as I got out near Sedge it started to downpour. It was raining so hard I couldn't even see any land around me. So I slowly motored towards Sedge and when I got there I stopped to let whatever hard rain was left, pass. Luckily it passed in less than 10 minutes. Then I headed towards the nest. Both adults were present and I climbed up and saw the three nestlings, now approximately 5 weeks old. I looked at all their legs and could not distinguish which one had the ribbon on its leg (a good sign). I then banded all three with USGS bird bands for future tracking. I am hopeful that this young osprey will survive and return to New Jersey to breed. The odds are stacked against him/her with all the other challenges that it will face over the next two years, but I am hopeful.

Forsythe NWR Banding

I remove one nestling from a nest to band with U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service interns and staff. Photo by Jonathan Carlucci.

On July 8th, I visited Forsythe NWR to survey and band any osprey young that were produced. Of the 6 available platforms (2 are new structures that were installed this spring) 4 were occupied (1 new structure). Those 4 pairs produced 10 young, which are great results! This puts the average productivity rate on the refuge at 2.5 young/active nest. This is above the statewide productivity results from 2008 which was 1.88, but on par for the area (Great Bay to A.C.), which was 2.08 last year. Eight young were banded with USGS bird bands. Two young were approximately 3-5 days old when we were there and were too young to band. We plan on visiting this nest soon to determine if the pair was successful at raising its young.

I'd just like to thank Jonathan Carlucci for joining me and taking such beautiful photos that are featured in this post!

Deanna, an intern at Forsythe NWR

holds a nestling while I place a band on its leg

for future tracking. Photo by Jonathan Carlucci

A candid photo of one of the young.

Photo by Jonathan Carlucci.

I reposition one of the young while I band up at the nest.

Photo by Jonathan Carlucci.

This shows how little the young are affected by the banding process. These nestlings are

approximately 6 weeks old and tend to be more defensive at this age. I constantly try to minimize stress to the young and when I band up at the nest I simply fold back the left leg and then attach the band. The young hardly move unless you "stir them up" by moving them round. Photo by Jonathan Carlucci.

Jersey City Osprey Banding

A large "man-lift" rolls me towards the osprey platform

at PSE&G Hudson Generating Station in Jersey City.

On July 6th, Margaret O'Gorman and I visited the PSE&G Hudson Generating Station in Jersey City to band the osprey young that were produced at an artificial nesting platform. We met with PSE&G staff to gain access to the nest platform where I banded three young that were produced. The young all looked well fed and healthy, which is good. I am surprised to see three young produced near such an urban area. It is a sign that the water quality in the area must have good clarity and quality to support a pair of ospreys. PSE&G staff take much care in protecting the osprey nest from disturbance, which could cause the birds to abandon the site if it would occur on a constant basis. Thanks to PSE&G staff for hosting us and Hackensack Riverkeeper for the news on when the young hatched.

The nest and power plant in the background.

Three young were produced at this nest. Excellent results!

The adult female returns to protect her young.

Banding on Great and Little Egg Harbor Bays

On July 3rd I was out conducting ground surveys on Great Bay and Little Egg Harbor. My friend, Bill Steiner joined me to photograph the event. Below you will see a bunch of Bill's photos of the excursion. Some are excellent, where you can see the molting feathers of an adult in flight and that it is banded.

Here you can see that this female Osprey is banded on its right leg

and it's molting the 7th primary (flight) feather.

You can see the molting and band in this photo as well.

Here I am banding nestlings at a nest near

Osbourne Island in Little Egg Harbor.

This is one of the new nests that we installed in March from a

grant from Exelon. Of the 10 platforms we installed, 4 were occupied.

This has been a problem and will always be one. This chick had both its

legs wrapped in ribbon from a mylar ballon. If would have not visited this

nest within the next week, then this nestlings could have died due to

being entangled by the ribbon.

Me cutting away the ribbon to free the bird.

If you want to support ospreys in NJ, please

DO NOT buy Mylar balloons and release them into

the air for any reason!!!!!! You can see the negative

impacts that it can cause.....

Climbing to a nest in front of the Rutgers Marine Field Station at the end

of Great Bay Blvd.

At some point we were being followed

by an adult osprey. She followed us for approximately

1 mile away from her nest.

Here I'm entering data and you can see two addled eggs that I

collected for contaminant studies (if we get funding).

An adult Osprey dive bombs me as I band its young.

Thanks to Bill for taking all these great photos!

All photos are by Bill Steiner.