This 'fire bird' is back in N.J. for the first time in almost 30 years; here's how it happened

Updated on September 16, 2017 at 9:16 AMPosted on September 16, 2017 at 9:15 AM

By Michael Sol Warren

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

CHATSWORTH -- Before June 6, 2015, bobwhite quail nests had not been spotted in New Jersey since the 1980s. The birds had essentially disappeared from the Pine Barrens, for reasons generally unknown. All signs, however, point to habitat loss.

New Jersey Audubon has been reintroducing bobwhite quail on Bill Haines' Pine Island cranberry farm in Chatsworth since April 2015. Just months after the first release of birds, originally trapped in Georgia, the nests were found.

Bobwhite quail are nicknamed "fire birds" - hence the name of the award Haines received - because they're known to thrive in forests that burn on a regular basis. Forest habitats go through various stages through time, changing as trees mature. Bobwhite quail live in "early successional" forests, which is made up of habitats like grasslands, old fields and young forests. This habitat requires disturbance, often in the form of fire, to keep from changing into more mature forest. For decades, a lack of fire in the Pine Barrens has meant that these early successional have disappeared, according to forester Bob Williams.

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NEW JERSEY’S BALD EAGLES CONTINUE TO GROW

Jan 16 2016, 6:13am CST | by Sumayah Aamir

New Jersey’s many bald eagles continue to proliferate and so this once-endangered species is well on its way to recovery.

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey has released a report recently. According to this report, the nests of bald eagles have been growing back to their original levels.

In the 80s, there was just a single nest in the whole state. But now there are 161 pairs of bald eagles. It is such an inspiration to see this rare bird get back on track. 

According to the executive director of the CWF, “The thrill of seeing a bald eagle fly across the sky is unparalleled. This report captures how these eagles are continuing their All-American return.”

More than a dozen pairs of bald eagles were detected this time around. Most of them were in the southern regions. And the rest were found in Central and Northern New Jersey.

Bald eagles grow up to be large and regal birds. They normally have wing spans of six to seven feet. These giant birds are segregated to US territories and are to be found near water ways. In New Jersey, they commonly make their nests and remain static on an annual basis. 

The mating and nest creation that these birds take part in occurs around December. Some of them build nests that are absolutely huge. These makeshift homes may weigh as much as 2000 pounds.

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Nutley to target bird population with grape-scented aerosol fogger

AUGUST 11, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2014, 9:05 AM

BY HASIME KUKAJ

STAFF WRITER

NUTLEY SUN

Thousands of birds, mainly starlings, roost along Wilson and Milton streets in Nutley.

Nutley will be overnight "fogging" in and around DeMuro Park next week in an effort to control the bird population, the township announced Monday.

The Bird Doctor Nationwide plans to apply the Thermal Dyna Fogger between Monday, Aug. 18, and Saturday, Aug. 23, in an area bordering Bloomfield, Margaret, Van Winkle and Wilson avenues. DeMuro Park will be closed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. those evenings.

The fogger contains a methyl anthranilate aerosol, which the township states is environmentally responsible. The EPA has classified the chemical as a naturally occurring flavorant, and the FDA has labeled it "generally regarded as safe." It is also used in grape gum.

Nutley Parks and Recreation Commissioner Mauro Tucci recently said that the application would not kill the birds but would make them "not like the area anymore."

According to a township announcement:

The method is a pain stimulus in the trigeminal nerves which are found in the throats and mucus membranes of the beak and eyes. Almost all animals have these nerves, yet only birds have a negative response to methyl anthranilate. Birds "feel" it as pain, while mammals, including humans, perceive it as a grape scent.

Birds inhaling the aerosol immediately respond to the discomfort, evacuating the location without delay.

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New Jersey fire siren silenced by osprey nest

By WAYNE PARRYMay 6, 2014 5:10 PM

SPRING LAKE, N.J. (AP) — A pair of ospreys has quieted a fire alarm in one New Jersey shore town.

The raptors have built a nest inside the fire siren at Spring Lake. By law, the nest can't be disturbed. Ospreys are listed as a threatened species in New Jersey during their breeding season.

So the siren has been turned off for the spring and summer, while firefighters and paramedics rely on pagers and cellphones to alert them of emergencies.

Borough Administrator Bryan Dempsey said a police officer notified him in March that an osprey appeared to be building a nest on the siren, which is mounted on a pole about 100 feet off the ground behind the police, fire and first aid squad headquarters.

"We had to shut off the siren for the rest of the season," he said.

First responders in the resort about 60 miles north of Atlantic City say so far things have been working smoothly.

Spring Lake officials say they may need to create an alternate place nearby for the birds to nest next year, as they tend to return to the same spot.

"The issue is, once they pick a spot, they keep coming back to that spot," he said. "Even if we got rid of the nest at the end of the season, we'd have to build a new spot for them to nest next season. So we'll do whatever we have to do to make sure they have a habitat to live in."

The nest cannot be disturbed at least until Sept. 1.

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Snowy Owls Coming South For Food, Say Experts

Arctic owls in New Jersey

Arctic-dwelling snowy owls are turning up in unusually large numbers in the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in Galloway Township, N.J. this year. The large owl species ordinarily do not migrate this far south....

Some people as far south as Tenessee might be surprised to see an unusual bird in their backyards this spring. Great Snowy Owls have been spotted this year in some very extraordinary places, thanks to what experts are saying is a perfectly normal occurrence in nature, according to CBS.

There has been an especially wild influx of the beautiful creatures in New Jersey. They have been attracting large crowds to the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in Galloway Township just outside Atlantic City.

“It’s certainly a special big year for snowy owls,” Donald Freiday with the US Fish and Wildlife Service said of the phenomena. “We think that the reason there are so many snowy owls in New Jersey… is because they had a really good year this year up in the Arctic where they breed. And when that happens, they produce lots of offspring. There’s competition for food among them and they come south as a result.”

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Large section of Sea Bright beach closed to protect birds

SEA BRIGHT – This borough’s beautiful beach is for the birds – parts of it, anyway.

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has cordoned off a large portion of Sea Bright’s public beach as a breeding ground for rare and endangered birds.

A half-mile section of beach surrounding the borough’s southernmost public access point is closed so that the piping plover, least tern and American oystercatcher can nest. The beach was closed before Memorial Day and is expected to be closed through August.

Todd Pover, manager for the state beach nesting bird program, explained that the birds are endangered species.

“Plovers and terns are state-designated endangered species,” Pover said. “That means there’s a risk of them becoming extinct, they’re very rare vulnerable and at risk. This user-endangered species conflict is nothing new for this project.”

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Audobon Society offers 'Adopt a Bird' program in New Jersey

What’s Better Than a Partridge in a Pear Tree?

Adopt a beautiful bird for that special bird-lover in your life this holiday season. Choose from 16 birds that reside in North America to share your love of nature and wildlife with those around you.

Your gift recipient will receive a personalized holiday card with an exclusive 5x7 frameable photograph of the adopted bird you choose – all this plus full membership in the National Audubon Society which includes a one year subscription to our award winning magazine AUDUBON.

Go to gifts.audubon.org to adopt a bird for someone special this holiday season.

Your gift is tax deductible and proceeds go to the National Audubon Society for the protection of birds and wildlife throughout the Western Hemisphere.

The above gifts link will be live by that date.

Birds Available: Northern Cardinal, Common Loon, Atlantic Puffin, Roseate Spoonbill, Baltimore Oriole, Bald Eagle, Snowy Plover, Sandhill Crane, American Goldfinch, Mountain Bluebird, Spectacled Eider, Black Skimmer, Brown Pelican, Burrowing Owl, Rufous Hummingbird, Painted Bunting.

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http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2012/11/audobon_society_offers_adopt_a.html