“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.
Emmy grew up on the Jersey Shore, where she developed a strong passion for coastal wildlife conservation. In 2020 she joined CWF as a beach-nesting bird technician and spent three seasons monitoring populations of piping plovers, American oystercatchers, and colonial bird species at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. During her third season, she served as the crew leader and helped lead the first official season of bird monitoring on Horseshoe Island. Since joining the full-time staff in 2022, Emmy has traded the Atlantic Coast for the Delaware Bayshore, where she manages CWF’s new American oystercatcher and salt marsh restoration projects. She holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Biology from Fordham University, where she conducted her thesis on the molecular analysis of shorebird diet during spring migration in Jamaica Bay.
What’s your favorite species and why?
It’s almost impossible to choose, but piping plovers are so special to me. They jump-started my career in conservation, and their resilience in the face of many challenges inspires me to persevere in my own life.
What’s the most surprising or unusual thing that has happened to you while doing field work?
I was pretty flabbergasted when a piping plover pair laid a seven-egg nest during my first field season at Holgate. The pair’s original four-egg nest had been flooded, so we re-assembled it with the hope that the birds would resume incubating the eggs. Instead, the pair decided to lay three new eggs in the same nest! Unfortunately, the eggs were depredated before they could hatch, but I think a brood with 7+ chicks would have been a sight to behold.
In 2022, Conserve Wildlife Foundation was awarded a grant by the Monmouth County Audubon Society to establish artificial nesting areas for barn owls in field and salt marsh habitats within the county. Most of the barn owl activity recorded in New Jersey occurs in Salem and Cumberland counties, where population density and development are comparatively low. Though barn owls are sighted in Monmouth, there is no evidence of nesting activities at present. By providing boxes for owls in appropriate habitat types, we hope to encourage this to change. Our project proposal had 4 objectives:
Select 3 locations suitable for nesting barn owls within Monmouth County.
Construct owl boxes.
Install boxes within chosen parks.
Monitor for occupancy during the nesting season.
Former CWF biologist, Meghan Kolk, worked with the Monmouth County Parks System (MCPS) and the state to isolate promising locations with adequate features (open space for hunting rodents, distance from roads, etc.) to support nesting owls. In 2023, CWF biologist Christine and senior biologists Larissa and Ben took over the management of program deliverables.
Barn owls are the most widespread species of owl; they occur on all continents except Antarctica and span a multitude of habitat types including open fields, shrublands, savannas, and coastal marshes, among others. Given this vast geography, it may be unsurprising that approaches to their conservation, particularly where nest boxes are concerned, are as varied as their landscape. Sorting through design plans or available products can be overwhelming, though most organizations will agree on a few major elements that will increase usage and success.
First, barn owls, at ~16” tall, are relatively large birds. Females lay clutches of 4-6 eggs and the chicks remain in the nest box for ~55 days after hatching. According to the Barn Owl Trust, a satiated owlet’s weight can exceed that of its parents by 100 g by 6 weeks of age. All this to say, barn owl boxes are no small thing… For perspective, transporting three in a Subaru Forester with the seats down was a challenge. The owl’s size also influences the point of entry. A well-constructed box should have an opening that mimics a natural nesting cavity- providing a comfortably tight squeeze for the owl while excluding larger predators. The opening should be positioned high on the box to prevent the owlets from falling out. Painting the exterior white can help ensure appropriate thermal conditions and allows researchers to determine occupancy. Finally, barn owl feathers are adapted to enable near-silent flight which makes them less tolerant of the rain than other birds. The roofs of barn owl boxes should be reinforced with caulk (or hot glue) to provide some level of waterproofing.
One of our owl boxes, awaiting installation at Big Brook Park.
Christine and her dad, Jim, assembled three boxes this past fall, as reported in a previous story. They utilized specs provided by the Barn Owl Research Institute, which have been used to good effect in New Jersey for over 40 years and utilize all the features listed above.
On December 7th, CWF installed the first box in Big Brook Park in Marlboro. As a veteran when it comes to this type of work, Ben instructed the team on the fundamentals of constructing a cantilevered base and ensured the box was nice and stable for future occupants as well as volunteers who will be responsible for replacing the pine mulch substrate each year. Prior to its purchase by the Monmouth County Parks System, Big Brook was a dairy farm and piggery. The back half of the park contains several large tree-lined fields which makes it a great candidate for rodent-loving barn owls.
Ben, MCPS Park Naturalist Paul Mandala, Christine, and Larissa following the box installation at Big Brook Park.
We returned to Monmouth County on December 20th to install our remaining two boxes, this time in salt marsh environments. Bayshore Waterfront Park, part of the County Parks system was chosen as the first site. Located in Port Monmouth on Sandy Hook Bay, this spot was the most residential area chosen for this project. The most promising habitat occurred on associated land outside the main park so, in the event the box becomes occupied, the owls should remain undisturbed. Access required bushwhacking through tall phragmites and crossing multiple tidal ditches, which should help further discourage visitation. The final box was placed at Conaskonk Point in Union Beach- an area of state land managed by the Cheesequake Park rangers. Each installation took about 3 hours, so we were fighting for daylight during this last effort. The consistency of the sediment made it difficult to reach the recommended depth for the support beams but with a little ingenuity and upcycling of marsh debris, we got the job done before we lost the sun.
Ben, Emmy, Larissa, and Cheesequake Superintendent, Jon Luk, hauling the Conaskonk Point post out to our installation site.
To reduce the amount of materials we needed to lug through the marshes, we chose to complete much of the post assembly near the truck, which attracted the attention of several landowners with properties bordering the habitat. We were very pleased that they all expressed excitement at the prospect of new avian neighbors!
Barn owl courtship and egg laying typically begins in March. During this time, they are very sensitive to disturbance and the risk of nest abandonment is high. We will keep our distance from the boxes until mid-May, at which point we would not expect the parents to leave their owlets. We can easily check for signs of occupancy by looking for scratches in the paint surrounding the entry hole. If the boxes are occupied, we will investigate the interior using a camera on a telescoping rod to minimize stress. We will return once more to band the chicks prior to fledging. If the boxes are unoccupied, we will visit again in the fall to ensure we are aware of any late-season activity. Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting project!
We are very grateful to the Monmouth County Parks staff, particularly park naturalist, Paul Mandala and environmental specialist, Rob Fanning for their assistance with site selection, permitting, and the installations at Big Brook and Bayshore Waterfront parks. We were also fortunate to have the help of Cheesequake superintendent, Jon Luk, during our efforts at Conaskonk Point, who also facilitated permissions with the state.
Special thanks to the Monmouth County Audubon Society for funding this project and to CWF biologist, Emmy Casper, who also helped with the marsh installs.
The NJDEP Fish & Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program and Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey have published the New Jersey Bald Eagle Project, 2023. The NJ eagle population continues to thrive. During the 2023 nesting season, 286 nest sites were monitored of these 255 pairs were active (laid eggs). This is a slight increase of 5 active nests from 2022. This season 309 young eagles were documented to have fledged, this number is a down from 2022’s high of 335 young fledged. The productivity rate of 1.28 young per active nest is above the 1.0 young per nest needed for population maintenance.
Fifty-four nest failed to fledge young this season, this means that the pair laid eggs, but the eggs failed to hatch or the chicks did not make it to fledging. There could be many reasons for nest failure including weather events, nest/tree collapse, disturbance by humans or intruder eagles. The NJ eagle population is doing well but they still need monitoring and protection. There is constant pressure for development in NJ and if we don’t know about a nest we can’t help to protect it. Eagles are nesting in all 21 NJ counties, from remote marshes in southern New Jersey to suburban neighborhoods. How the ENSP and CWF protects these nests is on a nest by nest basis. We couldn’t do this without the dedicated group of 150 NJ Eagle Project volunteers who not only monitor the eagle nests, but help minimize disturbance to nests by educating the public about NJ’s eagle population.
Forsythe NWR, eagles fight over prey, 12/16/23 photo by Rich Nicol
The 2024 NJ Bald Eagle season is underway with eight pairs currently incubating. A great way to see what goes on in an eagles nest is to watch the Duke Farms eagle cam. The female should be laying the first egg any day now.
We’d like to thank all the volunteers, sponsors, donors and friends of the NJ Eagle Project
Two peregrine falcon eyases after being banded at a nest in southern New Jersey.
It’s no surprise to hear that peregrine falcons have made a remarkable recovery since being extirpated from New Jersey in the mid-1960s. From the cliffs of the Palisades to bridges and buildings in our urban areas and along our entire coast, peregrines can be seen at many locations throughout the state. Today the population has been holding steady with 40 (known) pairs and at least 35 active nests over the last couple years. This is due to protection through the Endangered Species Conservation Act, where biologists worked tirelessly to jumpstart their recovery efforts by “hacking” young falcons and the banning of harmful pollutants, like DDT.
