Time flies!

So hard for me to believe that we're already into the second week of July! Every one of my posts here mention how I neglect this blog... :( But I know it gets traffic, so I hate to take it down. I post more to my New Jersey Osprey Project Facebook page then I do here. I find it to be an easier way to engage fellow osprey fans. I hope you'll check it out if you're on there!

If not, I'll be working on something new soon... Possibly a new website that will be setup to track young ospreys that I'm banding with a red alpha-numeric auxiliary band. The band will be used so the individual young birds can be identified during migration, on their wintering areas, and on their home Jersey turf! There I also plan to have a blog to share news about the tagging program, which is only occurring on Barnegat Bay. A total of 100 bands will be deployed. More news to come on this front later this year. For now I'm busy surveying nests along the coast of Jersey. So far things are looking pretty good. I still need to survey many of my colonies over the next 10 days, and look at data from the many volunteer osprey banders who survey all other colonies to get a better idea of how well they're doing.

The first alpha-numeric red auxiliary band (00/C) to be placed on a young osprey in NJ. July 7, 2014

Photo from the Field

An aerial view of an osprey nest at Fort Monmouth. I visited the base on Tuesday, June 29th to survey several platforms there. We found that 5 platforms were occupied. Four nests produced a total of 8 young. Great results! One nest was "house-keeping."

Osprey Surveys Begin!

On June 21st the first of many osprey surveys began. The surveys are performed every year to help determine the overall health of the population. Most surveyors are volunteers who commit many hours of their personal time to helping us monitor the population. USGS leg bands are placed on the young that are produced. The bands gather valuable data. They help us understand where ospreys migrate and winter, their survival rates, and how behave.

An adult leaves a nest as I approach by boat in Absecon.

By this time, many osprey young are 3-4 weeks old. This is when they can be banded. Not all ospreys begin nesting at the same time, so some adults are still incubating or have young that are only hatchings to two week old young. Generally, the more experienced adults start earlier and are more successful at raising those young. Younger adults start later and have a far less chance of successfully raising young. 

Volunteer surveyors cover all major nesting colonies, from Sandy Hook south to Alloway's Creek along the Delaware Bay. The major nesting colonies are Sandy Hook, Barnegat Bay, Sedge Island, Great Bay, Margate/Ventnor/OC, Great Egg Harbor River, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Wildwood, and the Maurice River. They collect data (whether or not a nest is active & # young produced) which we use to calculate the productivity rate. Ospreys need a productivity rate of at least .8 young/nest to sustain the population. In the past 5+ years they have had more than double this rate. The population has grown by 21% in the past 3 years. Last year there were 485 nesting pairs in New Jersey. This year we expect there to be even more.

 An osprey nestlings lies low in the nest. Young ospreys rely on their plumage for protection from avian predators like great horned owls.

I hope to post more photos as I survey more areas throughout New Jersey to share my experiences while working to monitor and protect ospreys. Stay tuned for more photos and posts!

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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.

Photos from the Field

 

  

 Charles Hofer, a seasonal with the Endangered Species

Program bands some osprey young

 A adult male flies by with a fish

 An osprey nestling stares me down

 

Charles Hofer checks a nest up at Sedge Islands WMA
 

A large ground nest at Sedge Islands

2008 - The Year in Photos

Click on the video for HD version.

Osprey Banding update

Hey all, So far I've gotten more than enough responses from people who would like to help out the project by volunteering to band osprey young. From the responses, I think that we will be able to fill all the areas in need with dedicated individuals.

For now I am no longer looking for people to help with banding, but there will be opportunities to help construct and install platforms, so stay tuned....

-Ben

1. Sedge Islands WMA (inside Island Beach State Park)
   
2. N. Barnegat Bay (Forked River, Ocean Gate, Cattus Island Park, Lavallette)
   
3. Barnegat and Manahwkin Bays (LBI area) - position filled
   
4. Absecon WMA and Atlantic City - position filled
   
5. Great Egg Harbor (Ventnor, Margate, Somers Point, Ocean City) - position filled
   
6. Tuckahoe, Middle River, and Great Egg Harbor River - position filled
   
7. Avalon - position filled

Raptor bander wanted!!

**PLEASE SEE POST ON NOV. 24th**

• Do you support wildlife conservation?
• Enjoy being outdoors?
  
• Do you have any experience handling birds?
• Do you have a small boat?
• Do you live in along the Atlantic coastal region of NJ?
• Are you available to volunteer several days during weekdays/ends during late June/early July?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then we could use your help!

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ and the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife's Endangered and Nongame Species Program seek to find a dedicated and responsible individual to survey osprey nesting platforms and band their young. We currently have several different areas along the Atlantic coast that need a volunteer to survey. Those areas are:

1. Sedge Islands WMA (inside Island Beach State Park)
   
2. N. Barnegat Bay (Forked River, Ocean Gate, Cattus Island Park, Lavallette)
   
3. Barnegat and Manahwkin Bays (LBI area) - position filled
   
4. Absecon WMA and Atlantic City - position filled
   
5. Great Egg Harbor (Ventnor, Margate, Somers Point, Ocean City) - position filled
   
6. Tuckahoe, Middle River, and Great Egg Harbor River - position filled
   
7. Avalon - position filled
   

The volunteer(s) will be trained by NJ Fish and Wildlife and CWF biologists to properly survey, handle, and band osprey young. He/she will be responsible for submitting survey results at end of season. We would also like for you to become involved with the maintenance, construction, and placement of osprey platforms.

**Note - Interested individuals should be comfortable being outdoors for long periods of time in direct sunlight. You will be working in muddy, buggy conditions. Only a few volunteers will be selected for the next season, so I am not guaranteeing that all will be chosen. If you have a resume, please include it in the email. Good luck!

If you are interested or would like more information, please contact me: ben.wurst@conservewildlifenj.org