Conserve Wildlife Blog

Posts Tagged ‘WildlifeNJ’

New Jersey Peregrine Falcons: 50 Years of Recovery

Tuesday, January 16th, 2024

by Ben Wurst / Senior Wildlife Biologist

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.

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Gardening for Terrapins

Monday, October 9th, 2023

by Ben Wurst / Senior Wildlife Biologist

Work on this project is done under NJDEP Fish & Wildlife Scientific Collecting Permit SC2023048

When we founded the Great Bay Terrapin Project, our goal was to reduce roadkills of adult female northern diamondback terrapins. This was largely due to personal observations of multiple roadkills during the summer months along roads in Little Egg Harbor Township and past research which accounted for a large number of adults DOR (dead on road). Since 2010, we’ve been able to cut the historic roadkill rate in half, all thanks to our devoted volunteers who patrol area roads and raise awareness for them! This allows adults to grow larger and live longer lives, which helps to ensure their long term survival.

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Brood Reduction: New Jersey Osprey Cams Shine Light on Prey Availability

Tuesday, July 18th, 2023

by Ben Wurst, Senior Wildlife Biologist

Depending on where you look and who you talk to, the fate of many osprey nests might bring tears to your eyes. Since a nor’easter impacted the coast with strong onshore winds for several days, young ospreys have been dying of starvation in plain sight. Over the past week, several reports of adults who abandoned their nests with young have been received. This year, weather has impacted the availability of fish and outcomes of nests in the Garden State.

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Making Dreams Come True. Summer Wildlife Jobs for College Students!

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023

by Ben Wurst, Senior Wildlife Biologist

I recently attended my first career fair at Stockton University. When asked if I would attend, I felt like I couldn’t say no, as I am currently seeking at least 5-6 student interns or seasonal field technicians to assist with several wildlife conservation projects. At first, I wasn’t sure what I could display to draw attention to our table and prospective summer jobs working with rare wildlife.. Then it hit me. I bring what I use when working with wildlife in the field!

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New Jersey Osprey Population Continues to Grow Despite Low Productivity

Tuesday, February 28th, 2023

by Ben Wurst / Senior Wildlife Biologist

We’re proud to release results of the 2022 New Jersey Osprey Project Survey, which documented the greatest number of nesting ospreys in the history of the project. Overall, surveys by staff and loyal volunteers recorded a total of 733 occupied nests throughout the state. The majority of ospreys (83%) continue to nest along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey with the remainder nesting along the Delaware Bay and inland locations. Surveys recorded the outcome of 73% of the known population, which allows us to present these results with confidence.

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