Counting Down...

Ospreys headed North!

In the next week some of the first adult ospreys will be arriving at nest sites throughout New Jersey. Usually, we get the first reports from nest sites along the Maurice River, where Jane Galetto and her group of dedicated volunteers with Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and its Tributaries monitor over 50 nesting platforms. Let me know when you first see or hear an osprey calling to announce their presence. 

Repairs to the nest were performed while young were in the nest. I was there to ensure that the young were healthy and banded them at the same time. © Ben Wurst

Some recent news, we're working with Ocean City and partnering with the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association to get a grant from NJ American Water to help connect a camera that has been on a nest platform that is just north of the 9th Street Bridge (Rt. 52) into Ocean City. The camera has been up for two nesting seasons. This will be it's third. The ability to share the daily behavior and nesting activities of ospreys in New Jersey has long been an interest of mine. This will allow us to bring ospreys into homes, offices, and classrooms and will help spread awareness for this threatened species that is vulnerable to human disturbance, environmental contaminants, and lack of suitable nest sites.

A new year, more project areas

From Oceanport to Linwood, I'll be there

I already have several new platforms that are being set for construction and installation. I've spoken with several individuals who are interested in having nesting platforms placed to help the population reach historic numbers and in areas where they can be easily observed. In Oceanport we are working with Fort Monmouth and the Army Corps of Engineers to install several more platforms there. I'll be installing some more on Barnegat Bay, an area of interest of mine. When I started working with ospreys in 2004 there were only a couple platforms there, many of which were on channel markers. I've installed over 30 from Forked River to Tuckerton in the past 4 years. Then I'll be installing another in Ventnor on municipal open space near no other platforms. Finally, my last (for now) installation will occur in Linwood out on salt marsh owned by the city. 

Ice blankets a shallow creek along the D. Bay in December.

This is a good amount of platforms to install before April. With cold weather settling in and ice on the bays, I'll be stuck on land for a bit. In the meantime, I'm working on getting salvaged wood from the Atlantic City boardwalk. I'll be using this wood to construct these platforms. 

Happy New Year!!

The Results Are In!!

Mild weather helps boost Osprey population

This year was the most productive year for ospreys in the projects history. The reproductive rate was about 2 young per active nest (an all time high for the project). No doubt the calm weather played an important role this year. Calm weather makes prey easier for ospreys to find, especially fluke and flounder, one of their main prey sources. More food means larger broods. Nests with three, even four young were quite common this year.

An adult osprey calls to defend its offspring at a nest in Mantoloking, NJ. © Eric Sambol

Of the 308 active nests (where the outcome was known) 36% of nests had 3 young, 33% had 2 young, and 14% had one young. Only 11% observed had failed to produce young. For comparison, in 2006, 14% failed and in 2003, 46% failed. 2003 was the worst year for ospreys in recent history (to read the 2003 newsletter, click here). Weather played a large factor that year. Check out one of my previous posts for more on weather and production. To read the full results from the 2010 survey, click here.


Thank you to all our volunteers who braved the scorching heat this summer to collect data to help us manage and monitor the population! And thank you to all donors and supporters of the project! With out your support and contributions our work would not be possible!

Mid-Winter Thaw!!

Well, I thought that after a very cold December that we were doomed for our winter platform installations. It seems that's not the case anymore. After some seasonably average high temperatures the ice has subsided. This opens up the chance to possibly install some platforms in the next month.

Map of the proposed platform location inside Fort Monmouth.

Last week, I met with Joe Fallon, Chief of Environment Division with the Army Corp. of Engineers at Fort Monmouth. I toured the site with Joe to survey for suitable locations for additional nest structures. Currently, there are three nest sites on the base. Two nests on platforms and one on a baseball field light (orange points on the map). Last year before the second platform was built that third pair of ospreys nested on a power pole and laid two eggs. In short, this nesting attempt cost the government facility a $50,000 transformer! Luckily, the nest survived and was moved, thanks to the hard work of Joe and other Fort Monmouth staff. The nest was slid onto a sheet of plywood and then transferred to a new nest structure that was placed 30 ft. away on a 40ft. telephone pole. The eggs survived and the adult ospreys were determined. They successfully raised two young.

An osprey nest on a boat lift near Blackberry Bay. Photo by Peggy Davis.

The Shrewsbury River area and almost all of Monmouth County has been a recent area of interest for me. Why are there so few ospreys that nest up there? The fact is, there is not enough suitable nest sites for ospreys. Habitat loss from the boom in construction in the early 1950's led to massive projects that filled wetlands and what surrounded them, osprey nesting habitat. Today, only a handful of suitable nest structures exist in Monmouth County. Most are located inside Gateway National Recreation Area on Sandy Hook. Now ospreys utilize everything that they can. Many nest on cell towers, duck blinds, channel markers and in 2009 two pairs nested on boat lifts on people's docks! Since 2009, I pledged that I would work to raise funding to place more platforms in N. Monmouth County and with the funding from Fort Monmouth we will be able to place more platforms to help the osprey colony in this area. To read more about the project, click here.

In the next few weeks I'll be constructing 6 platform tops that will be placed on 40 ft. poles throughout the base. We will be installing six additional nest platforms with a grant from the U.S. Government. Installation is expected before the end of February. Stay tuned for photos and updates on this project!

New Year's Resolution

 

Although my New Year's resolution may not have been related to my work with ospreys, my concentration on working to restore the state's population to historic numbers still remains the same. In 2010, I am sure we will see an increase in the state's population. Since 2003, the productivity rate (or reproductive rate) has been high (twice the average known to only sustain the population) and there are plenty of new suitable nesting structures around the Atlantic coastal areas of the state. Over the next three months, despite the freezing weather I will be constructing nest platforms, repairing old ones, and installing several new structures.

My friends Greg and Joe help load and transport platforms 

onto the marsh in March '09.

Happy New Year and stay tuned for updates on our winter work to provide more suitable nesting structures for ospreys in 2010!!!