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CAPE MAY HAWKWATCH UPDATE – September 24
An explosion of migration occurred throughout week 3 of the Cape May Hawkwatch sponsored by Swarovski Optik. Conditions were conducive to migration nearly every day this week with the culmination…
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MORNING FLIGHT UPDATE – September 27
It was a surprisingly productive week given the number of days with south and southwesterly winds. Flights were consistent with excellent diversity throughout. Tuesday and Wednesday had nice northwesterly winds…
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CAPE MAY HAWKWATCH UPDATE – September 17
Week 2 of the Cape May Hawkwatch, sponsored by Swarovski Optik, is in the books and was headlined by a massive American Kestrel flight on September 14th. A light northerly…
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MORNING FLIGHT UPDATE – September 13 (Pileated Woodpecker!)
A relatively slow week compared to the last. However, we did have a couple productive days and some notable highlights. The week started with east winds, high humidity and high…
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Cape May Hawkwatch Update – September 10
Greetings! Jesse Amesbury here, back for my second stint as the Cape May Hawk Counter. I am really looking forward to getting back up on the platform again and soaking…
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What Makes New Jersey a Better Place for People and Wildlife? Our Volunteers!
New Jersey Audubon owes so much to the great group of volunteers that donate their most valuable resource to help make New Jersey a better place for people and wildlife.…
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Where the Wild Things Are: Seed Collections Jumpstart Reforestation at Cape May Point State Park
By Brittany Dobrzynski, Stewardship Project Coordinator – South Conservation work continues along Seagrove Avenue at Cape May Point State Park, where New Jersey Audubon has been removing non-native invasive…
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Plans for 2020 Monarch Migration Season
Sorry we haven’t published anything in a long time, it’s taken us a while to figure out how we will run our project this year in the midst of the…
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A “Blueprint” for Recovery – Nest Boxes and the Eastern Bluebird
The brilliant blue of an Eastern Bluebird is a common sight in New Jersey, but that was not always the case. From the mid-1930s to the 1970s, Eastern Bluebird populations…
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ENDANGERED GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER FOUND IN A MANAGED SITE ON SPARTA MOUNTAIN!
On May 20, 2020 a rare Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) was found using a patch of young forest on Sparta Mountain where the mature trees had previously been harvested to…
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Restoration Efforts Continue at Cape May Point State Park
By Steven Garcia, Stewardship Technician New Jersey Audubon continues to restore and create habitat throughout New Jersey. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have adapted new approaches and strict…
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NJA Helps Farmer to Become First Cranberry Producer to be Approved for USDA Funded Bobwhite Quail Habitat Restoration Program
Joseph J. White, Inc (which markets through Pine Barrens Native Fruits, LLC), a 390-acre cranberry farm at Whitesbog, NJ that is owned and operated by fifth-generation cranberry growers Joe Darlington…
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Conservation Work Continues Even in Uncertain Times
Although the world is a lot different now, what has not changed is the need to conserve and protect our natural resources for a healthier planet. Donned in facemasks and…
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Restoring Lake Lily at Cape May Point
Amid the Covid-19 crisis, New Jersey Audubon continues its commitment to conserve wildlife and habitat through the active management, restoration and enhancement of public and private lands throughout the state.…
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Avalon Seawatch – Season Wrap-up
A snowy morning on December 11th. And that’s a wrap on another good season! I’ll briefly go over the last few weeks of the season and then present you with…
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NJ Audubon Wattles Stewardship Center Recognized as a NJ Sustainable Business
New Jersey has its share of environmental issues, however, more and more businesses across New Jersey are implementing sustainable environmentally friendly business practices in an effort to reduce or mitigate these…
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Birding Cape May Point – Saturday, December 7, 2019
Winter is the time for ducks in Cape May since our only locally breeding ducks are mallards, black ducks, wood ducks and, recently, gadwall. We had 13 duck species on…
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Cape May Hawkwatch End of Season Update – November 30th
Where did the season go? Hard to believe that the 2019 fall season is already over. Those three months flew by! Stay tuned to the end of this post for…
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update- November 21st
This past week started out on a high note, with 12 migrating Black Vultures passing overhead on the 15th. Although local individuals of both vulture species still appear frequently around…
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Avalon Seawatch Update – November 17th
As usual, Tom started the week off with excellent numbers and diversity in light to moderate southwest winds. Monday had brought an excellent flight of Red-throated Loons (2120) and Northern…
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No Till November
New Jersey Audubon and our partners are asking farmers throughout New Jersey to “keep the stubble” on their land following the harvest of commodity crops (i.e. corn, soybeans, etc). It’s…
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SECOND ANNUAL NORTHWOOD CENTER BIOBLITZ
By Adehl Schwaderer George Myers Naturalist All of us have the ability to make our outdoor spaces more suitable for wildlife in many different ways. Hanging bird feeders, providing…
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Avalon Seawatch Update – November 10
This week got off to an exceptional start, with a whopping 38,000 birds on Monday thanks to northeast winds shifting to southeast over the course of the day. Easterly or…
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update- November 14th
This week at the hawkwatch was notable in regard to non-raptor species. On the 8th, following the previous week’s trend, large numbers of Brants migrated overhead, with the day’s count…
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Cape May Hawkwatch – November 12th
The standout day this week was without a doubt Friday November 8th. It was a classic fall day in Cape May; brisk northerly winds and cool temperatures. The kind of…
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update- November 7th
Strong North winds arrived on the first day of November, clearing away evidence of the fog and drizzle that had persisted the previous week. With these winds came a strong…
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Avalon Seawatch Update – November 2nd
This update covers October 14th through November 2nd and is to catch us up to the current week! The last three weeks have been quite excellent in diversity, but…
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Cape May Hawkwatch – November 7th
Hard to believe two-thirds of the season is in the books! Unfortunately, October ended on a slow note. We were plagued with less than ideal weather conditions; many days of…
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update- October 31st
The weather on the majority of the days this week has not been conducive to raptor migration observation. From Tuesday the 29th through Thursday the 31st, slow winds from the…
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update- October 24th
This week, Turkey Vultures continued to be the most numerous raptor migrant. Notable days for this species were the 21st and 23rd, during which 73 and 43 individuals passed over,…
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Avalon Seawatch Update – October 13th
The week of October 7th through the 13th was dominated by a nor’easter, with four days of strong generally northeastern winds with some flooding around Avalon. Despite this seemingly good…
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Cape May Hawkwatch Update – October 23rd
This week produced a dramatic mix of flights depending on the weather. Friday October 18th saw our biggest flight of the week. After tropical storm strength wind gusts on Thursday…
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update- October 17th
As the season continues to progress with changing weather and shorter days at the Montclair Hawkwatch, the assemblage of migrants and local birds has also shifted. Temperature has stayed consistently…
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Avalon Seawatch Update – October 6th
The week of September 30th through October 6th got off to a great start, with Tom Reed having an excellent flight of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (19), Parasitic Jaegers (43), and…
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Cape May Hawkwatch Update – October 16
Another week in the books for this fall season. The standout flight this week was Thursday October 10th. Although the forecast of seasonably warm temperatures coupled with a light northerly…
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Avalon Seawatch Update – September 29th
Sorry for the delay in posting Seawatch updates! I’ll be posting each week separately until we catch up to the current week! The Avalon Seawatch is off to another season! …
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update- October 10th
The past week at Montclair Hawkwatch has been cool and breezy overall, bringing the season’s first consistent fall weather. On Friday, October 4th, steady northwestern winds and regular gusts helped…
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Cape May Hawkwatch Update – October 8th
Another exciting week at the Cape May Hawkwatch. Every hawkwatcher in the northeast region was salivating at the forecast for Friday October 4th. It was the perfect set up for…
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Morning Flight Update – October 7, 2019
This week on the Dike was fairly quiet in terms of large movements, but the slower days allowed us to really appreciate the newer arrivals! Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers, those…
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update- October 3rd
Weather at the Montclair Hawkwatch has been somewhat erratic lately, with some days bringing chilly breezes and others summertime heat. There has been a bit of precipitation as well, which…
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Cape May Hawkwatch Update – October 3rd
We are now entering the prime window for raptor migration. Unfortunately, the weather has been unseasonably warm with less than ideal wind directions. Despite that, some decent flights have occurred…
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update- September 26th
This past week at Montclair Hawkwatch has been great for seeing raptors, as well as a variety of other migrants. On the 22nd and 23rd, warm weather with limited winds…
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Morning Flight Update – September 27, 2019
This week featured some notable influxes of a few later Warblers, as well as a distinct departure of some of our early season migrants. While we only had one major…
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Montclair Hawkwatch Update – September 19th
Fall migration data collection at the Montclair Hawkwatch began on September 1st, and over the course of the past two weeks, raptor migration activity has steadily been ramping up. On…
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Cape May Hawkwatch Update – September 19th
Greetings! Jesse Amesbury here, the 2019 Cape May Hawk Counter. You may remember me from 2016 when I was an interpretive naturalist at the hawk watch. Since then I have…
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A Rough Time for Ruffed Grouse
Recently the NJ Fish and Game Council unanimously voted to close the Ruffed Grouse hunting season, citing extremely low numbers of the bird across the state. While Grouse have been…
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Morning Flight update – September 16, 2019
Hi all! My name is Jerald Reb and I’m super excited to be the Morning Flight Counter this fall! Some of you may remember me as one of the Interpretive…
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CMBO FALL 2019 NATURALISTS AND COUNTERS
Here at New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory, we strive to keep our finger on the pulse of migration. It is through the efforts of our dedicated seasonal counters…
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Martins. Here, Now.
Any evening in August I look into the evening skies over Mauricetown and see sheets of Purple Martins heading to roost in the Phragmites stands along the Maurice River. Nearly…
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Morning Flight – Saturday, August 24, 2019
Riding off the excitement of yesterday’s flight, I was hoping for another big flight this morning. While overall numbers were down from yesterday, diversity was fantastic! Once again the flight…
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Fire in Eastern Oak Forests
The message was clear, after spending three days at the recent “Fire in Eastern Oak Forests Conference”, we need more fire in oak forests! Although possibly a jarring statement to…
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Professional Birds
It was noon. I was standing on the elevated platform at Thompson’s Beach, above the greenhead fly belt, It was over 90 F, so I was astonished to see one…
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South Jersey Eco-Schools Awards
Vineland High School and Bridgeton Public Charter School both earned bronze Eco-Schools USA awards last month. With guidance and support provided by New Jersey Audubon, they are two of the…
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National Moth Week
July 20-28, 2019 is National Moth Week While gardening for butterflies is popular, don’t forget about gardening for their nocturnal counterparts – moths. Caterpillars and adult moths eat differently so…
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Shorebirds South
The Solstice is behind us. The earth has started the annual tilt on its axis that will end six months from now in winter. As you read these words, the…
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Petty’s Bald Eagle
Most of us in New Jersey are familiar with the story of the infamous bounce-back of the Bald Eagle: There was only one known Bald Eagle nest in New Jersey…
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Summer Solstice
The Summer Solstice will soon be upon us but there are two more reasons to celebrate the month of June. Across our nation, June is National Pollinator Month and in…
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Do You Femelschlag?
The NJA Stewardship Department World Series of Birding team, The Fight’n Femelschlagers, had a great day out in North Jersey racking up 96 different species of birds during the event! …
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36th World Series of Birding
This weekend marks the 36th World Series of Birding–a 24 hour Easter Egg Hunt for mature eggs of a feathered kind. Hosted by New Jersey Audubon, played out in New…
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Cape May Springwatch
This exciting new migration monitoring project is underway at legendary birding hotspot Cape May, New Jersey. The Cape May Springwatch, a research initiative of New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird…
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Young Birders Explore Petty’s Island
A little drizzle did not deter our spirited group of young birders as we hiked around Petty’s Island on April 28th, 2019. This was the first Young Birders Club trip…
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Black Duck Project Gives Ecological Uplift in Delaware River Watershed Region
New Jersey Audubon is pleased to announce it has received one of the first Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Specifically, these matching grants…
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Pete Bacinski-in Memoriam
A few days after Pete’s passing, I spent the day by myself birding Sandy Hook, a place where the two of us spent countless hours and shared many memories. A…
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Eco-Schools Award
Eco-Schools Award Recipient: West Cape May Elementary School West Cape May Elementary School is one of the most recent recipients of an Eco-Schools USA award in the state of New…
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Remembering the Great Bacinski – by Pete Dunne
Having just learned about the passing of my long time friend and birding companion, Pete Bacinski. I feel compelled to express my thoughts regarding the passing of this natural history…
New Jersey Audubon fosters environmental awareness and a conservation ethic among New Jersey’s citizens; protects New Jersey’s birds, mammals, other animals, and plants, especially endangered and threatened species; and promotes preservation of New Jersey’s valuable natural habitats.