Conserve Wildlife Blog

February 29th, 2024

Encouraging Development for Tiger Salamanders

By Christine Healy, Wildlife Biologist

Close up of an adult tiger salamander.

In today’s world, it’s pretty difficult to think of a species that scientists are not concerned about in the face of climate change. The reasons are many and diverse, but in a state where 42% of municipalities are considered “coastal”, it comes as no surprise that sea level rise (SLR) is a big threat here- both to people and wildlife. When the average person imagines which species are most likely to be impacted by SLR, it’s likely that beach nesters, including piping plovers, immediately come to mind. Afterall, they occupy the same environments that recreationalists are worried about losing. Valid point- but they are not the only ones. Eastern tiger salamanders, one of New Jersey’s rarest amphibians, also make the list. 

Like our other mole salamanders (spotted, blue-spotted, marbled, and Jefferson), Eastern tiger salamanders require access to temporary wetlands, called vernal pools, to successfully breed. The ephemeral nature of these water bodies is critical because it eliminates fish as potential egg predators and thus increases larval survival. While these salamanders spend much of the year in forested landscapes, adults return annually to their natal pools (in most cases) to reproduce. High fidelity to these sites can put these amphibians in danger if development occurs within their migration corridors or changes transpire within the pools themselves. 

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February 23rd, 2024

A Return to Barnegat Light to Get the Beach Ready for Plovers

by Todd Pover, Senior Wildlife Biologist

Winter maintenance of the Barnegat Light habitat restoration site is a key element in the project’s success to benefit New Jersey’s piping plovers and other beach-nesting birds. The original project – clearing about 40 acres of dense beach vegetation and dunes to create an early-successional habitat favored by plovers and adding “ponds” to create foraging opportunities – was completed over two winters in 2019 and 2020. Each winter since, we have returned to the site for a short period, typically a week or so, to thin vegetation and reestablish foraging habitat along the pond edges in advance of nesting birds returning for the season.

This year was no exception, I was on-site in late January and early February to guide a bulldozer operator to prepare the site for plovers. Although the maintenance work we do each year is similar, the details and nuances of it vary quite a bit. Last winter, for example, one of the foraging ponds was completely sanded over from fall and early winter storms, so we spent most of the time re-digging that. This year, the ponds were in much better shape, so we had more time to focus on clearing out thick vegetation that had crept back into the site to improve the nesting substrate.

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February 22nd, 2024

Highlights of a Recent Mammal Inventory

by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist

In the spring and summer of 2023, CWF set up over 100 field cameras in a variety of habitats along mammal travel paths at the Joint Base in Lakehurst. The study captured a glimpse of what wildlife does when they think no one is watching.

To start, here is an abbreviated species list of most of the wildlife captured on camera. We were not surprised to find that nearly 80% of our captures were of white-tailed deer! Unfortunately, no captures of black bears have been reported in the area in previous years. Check out some of the captures below!

  • White-tailed deer
  • Red fox
  • Grey fox
  • Coyote
  • Striped skunk
  • Opossum
  • Beaver
  • Groundhog
  • Eastern grey squirrel
  • American red squirrel
  • Southern flying squirrel
  • Raccoon
  • Eastern cottontail rabbit
  • Mice species
  • Domestic cat
  • Great blue heron
  • Wild Turkey
  • Owl species
  • Songbird species
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February 16th, 2024

Nor’easter and Prey Shortage Impacts Nesting Ospreys in 2023

by Ben Wurst / Senior Wildlife Biologist

A surfer and osprey at the beach on Long Beach Island. July 2023.

In coastal New Jersey, during spring and summer the recovery of ospreys is apparent. They grace the skies of most ocean front beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May in search of prey. Their nests line our shorelines and can be found in a variety of nest structures. Today there are over 800 pairs of ospreys who nest all across New Jersey. Results from the 2023 nesting season illustrate how the osprey population continues to grow but with reduced reproductive success due to extremes in weather and reduced prey availability.

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February 5th, 2024

“Jersey Girl”: 20 Years and Going Strong

by: Larissa Smith, Senior Biologist

“Jersey Girl” (in rear) and mate 2024 photo by: Linda Oughton

One of my favorite things about working with the NJ Eagle Project is when we receive resighting’s of New Jersey banded eagles. Especially when that eagle is in a pair and nesting. One eagle that we’ve been following over the years, is fondly named “Jersey Girl” due to her NJ origins. She was reported to us in 2014 by Linda Oughton, who has been keeping track of her and her mate since 2010.

“Jersey Girl” showing bands; photo by Linda Oughton

Jersey Girl and her mate nest in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She was one of three chicks banded May 10th 2004 at the Hopewell West, nest which is located in Cumberland County along the Cohansey River. She was banded with green band B-64. That means that this May “Jersey Girl” will be twenty years old!

Since 2010 the pair has successfully raised and fledged a total of 20 young eagles. The pair is not yet incubating this season and Linda reports that they usually start on Valentine’s Day. The pair is well loved by neighbors and people who walk along the Perkiomen Creek, where the pair often fishes.

It’s so wonderful to know that an eagle I helped band almost 20 years ago has survived and raised 20 chicks of her own.

“Jersey Girl’s” nest; photo taken from road by Linda Oughton.

Thank you to Linda Oughton for keeping us updated on Jersey Girl