Showing posts with label new yersey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new yersey. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Thursday, July 10, 2008
New Yersy update
The one fledgling that is left at the New Yersy Nestsite is doing great! She fledged on June 12 and 3 weeks later she has been watched by falcon watcher Kay Gunn.
She reports:
We watched during that horrible early May weekend when first one eyases was temporarily removed from the nestbox, and then 2 of the 3 remaining died. But life must go on, and it did for the remaining 2 young girls. It was delightful watching them grow. When they discovered the ramp and started to leave the nestbox, it was a little hard for we webcam watchers because they were out of our view, but we knew it meant they were growing up.
It's been 3 weeks now since the 2 girls took their first flight. I did not see them fledge, but was there watching that morning. One young girl was clearly visible on a rooftop, and both parents were nearby watching. I've visited her almost every day since then, always hoping by some miracle I would see her sister.
Unfortunately, we know her sister did not make it, but the remaining fledgling has thrived. I’ve watched as the dedicated parents have diligently been guiding her in flight and teaching her hunting skills. Just a few days ago, I saw the fledgling and male having a meal as the mom looked on (see links below). The fledgling is beautiful and strong. So strong, in fact, that I don’t think we will see her much longer around 101 Hudson. That is a sign of success for this girl. Let’s all hope that we hear of her raising her own chicks in a few years.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
New Yersey: sad news
Again we have lost a youngster at fledging. After the youngster was brought back yesterday she was founf dead on the street below last night. The New Yersey nestsite which has a very bad season has lost it's 3th hatchling at fledging.
What happened during this season.
The female laid 4 eggs, which all hatched.
May 10, 2008
We have had a difficult few days at the nest in Jersey City.
Friday’s easterly winds with cold rain made for harsh weather conditions at a time when the nestlings were just 10 days old, a time when they don’t yet have a thick downy plumage. It was somewhat coincidental that we had scheduled a nest visit for Friday, with the purpose of administering medicine to ward off trichomoniasis, a pigeon-borne disease that can infect and kill young chicks.
Biologists removed the four nestlings from the box and took them inside to check them over. While all were damp and somewhat subdued, one of the four seemed near-death, very cool to the touch and mostly unresponsive. We administered medication, along with small chicken pieces, to three of the nestlings, and they seemed okay. We decided to take the fourth nestling to The Raptor Trust, and we hoped he would live that long.
A couple of surprises: the youngster we took away with us began feeling better once he was warmed up in the truck. The transformation was amazing, from cold and listless to head-up and looking for food. This was an unexpected but welcome development, and, assuming he continues to thrive, we hope to return him to the nestbox in about a week.
The really sad news is that, with the continuing cold and driven rain, the female was not able to keep all three remaining nestlings warm, and one of them died by Friday evening. The female was trying valiantly to keep all of them under her wings, but even she seemed soaked by the rains. To make matters worse, viewers tuning in Saturday morning saw two dead nestlings, a second one succumbing during the night. The sun came out and the remaining chick was moving about, and the adults were feeding and brooding it, but they were also trying to brood the two dead chicks. A decision was made to remove them so that the adults would focus their efforts on the remaining live one, and to try to identify the cause of death.
May 15, 2008
The nestling that biologists removed from the nest (she was near-death due to exposure) spent the last 6 days at The Raptor Trust, and was returned to the 101 Hudson nest today. She joined her nest-mate, the only other nestling to survive last Friday’s nor’easter.
June 13, 2008 The report from The Raptor Trust on the fledgling found on Montgomery St. is that there is no apparent injury or health problem at this time. The bird will be moved into a flight cage and observed, and if all is well will be returned to Jersey City on Monday.
June 26, 2008 The fledgling is be returned to Jersey City today. More information will be posted when available.
June 27, 2008 (by Principal Biologist Mick Valent)
Regretful news...the fledgling that was released from atop 101 Hudson St. yesterday afternoon was found dead on the street below. One of the engineers found the bird as he left the building last evening. The bird has not yet been recovered from the site by Division staff so no cause of death has been determined.
Yesterday’s release seemed to go off without a hitch. Just moments prior to the release, both adult birds had appeared on the rooftop near the nest box. A good sign, I thought, to have the adults nearby as the fledgling was being released.
As the side of the transport box slid open the fledgling cautiously hopped out onto the roof and stood momentarily before taking flight. She flew upwards above the building and for several moments hung stationary in the wind currents. Then in an instant she banked left and disappeared around the west end of the building and out of sight. Seconds later she appeared on the east side as she circled the building. Her flight appeared strong, another good sign, I thought. Within seconds one of the adults appeared - then the other. Then all three disappeared from view but the calls of the fledgling and adults remained loud suggesting they had landed on the east end of the roof and out of sight. Within seconds the adult female appeared and demonstrated her displeasure with my presence - as she always does. Once back inside I felt optimistic about the bird’s chances for survival.
One of the unique problems of urban nests is that when fledglings end up on the ground, as they do at non-urban sites as well, the adults are reluctant to approach them on the busy city streets. When this occurs there is always a decision to be made. Should the bird be immediately placed back near the nest or taken to a rehabilitation facility to determine if the bird has been injured?
These decisions always result in tradeoffs. On the one hand, if the bird is injured and nursed back to health it has a much better chance of surviving. On the other hand, any time a young bird is removed from the parents they miss out on invaluable learning experiences that can only be gained from being with the adults. Was this bird away from the adults too long? Would it have learned, at a slower pace, about flying amid the buildings with their expanses of glass? Did this inexperience contribute to its demise? We’ll never know for certain. If we are able to determine the cause of death through a post-mortem examination we will post it here.
It's so sad that after so much trouble to keep an eyas alive it will in the end die anyway.
So little sweet falcon......soar free.....soar high
What happened during this season.
The female laid 4 eggs, which all hatched.
May 10, 2008
We have had a difficult few days at the nest in Jersey City.
Friday’s easterly winds with cold rain made for harsh weather conditions at a time when the nestlings were just 10 days old, a time when they don’t yet have a thick downy plumage. It was somewhat coincidental that we had scheduled a nest visit for Friday, with the purpose of administering medicine to ward off trichomoniasis, a pigeon-borne disease that can infect and kill young chicks.
Biologists removed the four nestlings from the box and took them inside to check them over. While all were damp and somewhat subdued, one of the four seemed near-death, very cool to the touch and mostly unresponsive. We administered medication, along with small chicken pieces, to three of the nestlings, and they seemed okay. We decided to take the fourth nestling to The Raptor Trust, and we hoped he would live that long.
A couple of surprises: the youngster we took away with us began feeling better once he was warmed up in the truck. The transformation was amazing, from cold and listless to head-up and looking for food. This was an unexpected but welcome development, and, assuming he continues to thrive, we hope to return him to the nestbox in about a week.
The really sad news is that, with the continuing cold and driven rain, the female was not able to keep all three remaining nestlings warm, and one of them died by Friday evening. The female was trying valiantly to keep all of them under her wings, but even she seemed soaked by the rains. To make matters worse, viewers tuning in Saturday morning saw two dead nestlings, a second one succumbing during the night. The sun came out and the remaining chick was moving about, and the adults were feeding and brooding it, but they were also trying to brood the two dead chicks. A decision was made to remove them so that the adults would focus their efforts on the remaining live one, and to try to identify the cause of death.
May 15, 2008
The nestling that biologists removed from the nest (she was near-death due to exposure) spent the last 6 days at The Raptor Trust, and was returned to the 101 Hudson nest today. She joined her nest-mate, the only other nestling to survive last Friday’s nor’easter.
June 13, 2008 The report from The Raptor Trust on the fledgling found on Montgomery St. is that there is no apparent injury or health problem at this time. The bird will be moved into a flight cage and observed, and if all is well will be returned to Jersey City on Monday.
June 26, 2008 The fledgling is be returned to Jersey City today. More information will be posted when available.
June 27, 2008 (by Principal Biologist Mick Valent)
Regretful news...the fledgling that was released from atop 101 Hudson St. yesterday afternoon was found dead on the street below. One of the engineers found the bird as he left the building last evening. The bird has not yet been recovered from the site by Division staff so no cause of death has been determined.
Yesterday’s release seemed to go off without a hitch. Just moments prior to the release, both adult birds had appeared on the rooftop near the nest box. A good sign, I thought, to have the adults nearby as the fledgling was being released.
As the side of the transport box slid open the fledgling cautiously hopped out onto the roof and stood momentarily before taking flight. She flew upwards above the building and for several moments hung stationary in the wind currents. Then in an instant she banked left and disappeared around the west end of the building and out of sight. Seconds later she appeared on the east side as she circled the building. Her flight appeared strong, another good sign, I thought. Within seconds one of the adults appeared - then the other. Then all three disappeared from view but the calls of the fledgling and adults remained loud suggesting they had landed on the east end of the roof and out of sight. Within seconds the adult female appeared and demonstrated her displeasure with my presence - as she always does. Once back inside I felt optimistic about the bird’s chances for survival.
One of the unique problems of urban nests is that when fledglings end up on the ground, as they do at non-urban sites as well, the adults are reluctant to approach them on the busy city streets. When this occurs there is always a decision to be made. Should the bird be immediately placed back near the nest or taken to a rehabilitation facility to determine if the bird has been injured?
These decisions always result in tradeoffs. On the one hand, if the bird is injured and nursed back to health it has a much better chance of surviving. On the other hand, any time a young bird is removed from the parents they miss out on invaluable learning experiences that can only be gained from being with the adults. Was this bird away from the adults too long? Would it have learned, at a slower pace, about flying amid the buildings with their expanses of glass? Did this inexperience contribute to its demise? We’ll never know for certain. If we are able to determine the cause of death through a post-mortem examination we will post it here.
It's so sad that after so much trouble to keep an eyas alive it will in the end die anyway.
So little sweet falcon......soar free.....soar high
Saturday, June 14, 2008
New Yersey
Update on the two New Yersey fledglings.
After a very difficult start in which 2 of the 4 hatchlings died, one was brought to the Raptor Trust. http://www.theraptortrust.org/
This one did survive and was brought back to teh nestsite to join his sibling. Both grew up without any problems, where banded and fledged on June 12.
But not without any problems. By mid-afternoon it was determined why only one bird was observed - a Jersey City Animal Control officer retrieved one of the fledglings at the Montgomery St. parking garage and it was transported again to The Raptor Trust. Whereas a difficult early flight resulting in a stunned bird on the ground could be fatal for a truly wild bird, these urban birds have many people looking out for them. The report from The Raptor Trust on the fledgling found on Montgomery St. is that there is no apparent injury or health problem at this time. The bird will be moved into a flight cage and observed, and if all is well will be returned to Jersey City on Monday.
It ain't easy being an urban peregrine juvie.
After a very difficult start in which 2 of the 4 hatchlings died, one was brought to the Raptor Trust. http://www.theraptortrust.org/
This one did survive and was brought back to teh nestsite to join his sibling. Both grew up without any problems, where banded and fledged on June 12.
But not without any problems. By mid-afternoon it was determined why only one bird was observed - a Jersey City Animal Control officer retrieved one of the fledglings at the Montgomery St. parking garage and it was transported again to The Raptor Trust. Whereas a difficult early flight resulting in a stunned bird on the ground could be fatal for a truly wild bird, these urban birds have many people looking out for them. The report from The Raptor Trust on the fledgling found on Montgomery St. is that there is no apparent injury or health problem at this time. The bird will be moved into a flight cage and observed, and if all is well will be returned to Jersey City on Monday.
It ain't easy being an urban peregrine juvie.
Friday, May 30, 2008
New Yersey: 31 days old
Happy sightings at the New Yersey nestsite. Both eyases are very healthy and growing fast into juveniles. They do move around a lot and have even left the rampage.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
New Yersey: looking great!
After all the troubles and the death of 2 eyases things are looking very good now. The one eyas who was very sick, near death and was taken into hospital is alive and kicking again. Both have been banded this week and are very healty. The rampage is moved in front of the nestbox so when the eyases want to explore the world outside the nestbox, they will be able to come back.
Friday, May 23, 2008
New Yersey Banding
Endangered & Nongame Species Program biologists were at 101 Hudson yesterday to band the two nestlings and give them a health check. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the two are close in size; one of the birds had grown faster after its short stay at The Raptor Trust, May 9-15. We determined that both nestlings are females, and they look the same developmentally.
The nestlings were banded with a standard U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band, and, on the left legs, with a bi-color black/green band that can be read from a distance. The bicolor bands have enabled biologists to identify adult peregrines at nests in many eastern states, a development that has greatly improved our knowledge of peregrine population dynamics: where birds return to nest, at what age, and how long they remain at a particular nest site. Fascinating information that also can help identify problems, such as discovering a high turnover rate in the adult population, which would suggest an above-average mortality rate.
The camera view was also changed today so that viewers can see the front of the box as the chicks become more mobile. We left the concrete paver up at the front, to act as a ramp, for the inevitable time when the nestlings jump out but are too small to get back in: the ramp helps them return to the safety of the box.
We hope they are content to remain there for a little longer. They will quickly become darker-looking as their body and flight feathers continue to come in through their white down. At 22 days of age, it will only be another two weeks or so before they will be flapping and trying out their wings. Time flies quickly for us and these fast-developing nestlings!
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/peregrinecam/jcp-2008nestnews.htm
The nestlings were banded with a standard U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band, and, on the left legs, with a bi-color black/green band that can be read from a distance. The bicolor bands have enabled biologists to identify adult peregrines at nests in many eastern states, a development that has greatly improved our knowledge of peregrine population dynamics: where birds return to nest, at what age, and how long they remain at a particular nest site. Fascinating information that also can help identify problems, such as discovering a high turnover rate in the adult population, which would suggest an above-average mortality rate.
The camera view was also changed today so that viewers can see the front of the box as the chicks become more mobile. We left the concrete paver up at the front, to act as a ramp, for the inevitable time when the nestlings jump out but are too small to get back in: the ramp helps them return to the safety of the box.
We hope they are content to remain there for a little longer. They will quickly become darker-looking as their body and flight feathers continue to come in through their white down. At 22 days of age, it will only be another two weeks or so before they will be flapping and trying out their wings. Time flies quickly for us and these fast-developing nestlings!
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/peregrinecam/jcp-2008nestnews.htm
Saturday, May 17, 2008
New Yersey: great news!
May 15, 2008 The nestling that biologists removed from the nest (he was near-death due to exposure) spent the last 6 days at The Raptor Trust, and was returned to the 101 Hudson nest today. He joined his nest-mate, the only other nestling to survive last Friday’s nor’easter. The chick is actually a little larger than the one that remained in the nest, possibly due to the human attention and extra feedings. So when we are able to see both in the camera view, and they look different, figure that the larger one is the rehabilitated one.
We are not concerned about the size difference; both will be normal size as they mature and approach fledging age. The adults can easily feed two chicks, since a normal brood is 3 or 4. The loss of the other two nestlings was related to the extremely bad weather conditions at a time when the nestlings were too large for the adult to shield all of them, and before their heavy down plumage had come in. Now that the chicks are two weeks old, they have a heavier down that helps them deal with the changing weather.
Today the nestlings have been largely out of view, as they are both mobile and are choosing to stay near the back of the box, just out of camera view. However, they will move around, and when food arrives, we have the chance to see the feeding action.
Thanks to everyone for their concern over the health and well being of the nestlings. As biologists, we try to strike a balance between intervention, when essential, and knowing that nature should and will take its course. The storms this month have taken their toll on wildlife all over, and nests with young may have been the hardest-hit. Jersey City may have fared better than most. In cases of failure (because of weather, predators, disturbance, etc.) for the adults, they have to try again next year.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/peregrinecam/index.html
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
New Yersey: doing fine
Thigs are looking real good overhere. After all the drama of the past days, this eyas is brooded very well. And his sibling is doing fine as well. So maybe after all we will have here 2 healthy fledgelings in a few weeks time.
Monday, May 12, 2008
New Yersey
Fortunately things are going a lot better mow. The one chick left is doing fine.
NESTBOXNEWS
Nestbox News is an account of activity at a nestbox placed atop Mack-Cali Realty Corporation's 101 Hudson St., Jersey City, by biologists in the Endangered and Nongame Species Program.
We have had a difficult few days at the nest in Jersey City. Friday’s easterly winds with cold rain made for harsh weather conditions at a time when the nestlings were just 10 days old, a time when they don’t yet have a thick downy plumage. It was somewhat coincidental that we had scheduled a nest visit for Friday, with the purpose of administering medicine to ward off trichomoniasis, a pigeon-borne disease that can infect and kill young chicks. Biologists removed the four nestlings from the box and took them inside to check them over. While all were damp and somewhat subdued, one of the four seemed near-death, very cool to the touch and mostly unresponsive. We administered medication, along with small chicken pieces, to three of the nestlings, and they seemed okay. We decided to take the fourth nestling to The Raptor Trust, and we hoped he would live that long.
A couple of surprises: the youngster we took away with us began feeling better once he was warmed up in the truck. The transformation was amazing, from cold and listless to head-up and looking for food. This was an unexpected but welcome development, and, assuming he continues to thrive, we hope to return him to the nestbox in about a week.
The really sad news is that, with the continuing cold and driven rain, the female was not able to keep all three remaining nestlings warm, and one of them died by Friday evening. The female was trying valiantly to keep all of them under her wings, but even she seemed soaked by the rains. To make matters worse, viewers tuning in Saturday morning saw two dead nestlings, a second one succumbing during the night. The sun came out and the remaining chick was moving about, and the adults were feeding and brooding it, but they were also trying to brood the two dead chicks.
A decision was made to remove them so that the adults would focus their efforts on the remaining live one, and to try to identify the cause of death. Mack-Cali engineers removed the bodies for future examination, and we greatly appreciate their timely assistance and their courage in facing the defensive adults. On Sunday, the sun came out for a while in the morning, and the nestling alternated between resting, feeding, sunning and getting brooded by the adult. All seemed well.
The weather forecast for Monday seems a repeat of Friday’s harsh weather, but the adults should be able to cope with the conditions with only one young to protect. While we were there Friday, both adults were very aggressively defending the nest, and we kept our time on the roof as short as possible. We were able to see that the male is the same as previous years, with “*2/*6” on the bicolor leg band (originally banded in 2003 at the Riverside Church in Manhattan). Behaviors suggest the female is the same as well, thought we’ve never been able to read her band.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
New Yersey update
Yesterday I had to tell you the disturbing news that 2 of the New Yersey eyases have died of Trichomoniasis. A third one is admitted in the Raptor Health Center to receive threatment. The fourth however seems to be doing very fine. It is being taken care off by it's parents who brood it and feed it. So no problems with this one,
All 4 did receive threatment a few days ago but it was to late for 2. But this one is a winner obviously. And that makes us all very happy indeed, We do hope the one in care will be returned to the nestsite very soon.
I will keep you updated.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
New Yersey drama: 2 death eyases
Again a drama at the New Yersey scrape. Two of the 4 eyases have died from Trichomoniasis. This is one of the most dangerous diseases an eyas can get, and in most cases the little thing will die. Many peregrine eyases do die from this infection.
Yesterday May 9, biologists visited the nestbox to administer medication helpful in preventing this disease. Upon examining the chicks in the warm and dry rooftop engineering room it was found that one chick was not doing very well and the decision was made to transport it to The Raptor Trust for evaluation and appropriate treatment.
In the meantime 2 chicks have died and where removed from the nestbox. The parents look after the remaining chick and we hope and pray this one will stay healthry. When the chick in healthcare has recovered it will probably be returned to teh scrape.
Trichomoniasis.
The parasite Trichomonas gallinae causes avian trichomoniasis. When present, it is usually found in the upper digestive tract of many species of doves and gallinaceous birds. Some strains may also produce liver and lung lesions. The parasite is transferred to young from the mother during feeding. Transmission between birds may also occur from contaminated feed and water. Infection by this trichomonad can be fatal. The presence of this organism in doves is a common source of infection of falcons and hawks feeding on them.
It is characterized by raised lesions in the mouth, esophagus, and crop. Infected birds may appear to have trouble closing their mouth. The disease caused by this protozoan is often present in the mouth secretions of birds that appear to be healthy but are carriers of the disease, such as pigeons.
Infected birds can contaminate water containers (bird baths) with their oral secretions, which can, in turn, expose many other birds to the disease. Mortality from this disease varies, but it can be quite high.
Yesterday May 9, biologists visited the nestbox to administer medication helpful in preventing this disease. Upon examining the chicks in the warm and dry rooftop engineering room it was found that one chick was not doing very well and the decision was made to transport it to The Raptor Trust for evaluation and appropriate treatment.
In the meantime 2 chicks have died and where removed from the nestbox. The parents look after the remaining chick and we hope and pray this one will stay healthry. When the chick in healthcare has recovered it will probably be returned to teh scrape.
Trichomoniasis.
The parasite Trichomonas gallinae causes avian trichomoniasis. When present, it is usually found in the upper digestive tract of many species of doves and gallinaceous birds. Some strains may also produce liver and lung lesions. The parasite is transferred to young from the mother during feeding. Transmission between birds may also occur from contaminated feed and water. Infection by this trichomonad can be fatal. The presence of this organism in doves is a common source of infection of falcons and hawks feeding on them.
It is characterized by raised lesions in the mouth, esophagus, and crop. Infected birds may appear to have trouble closing their mouth. The disease caused by this protozoan is often present in the mouth secretions of birds that appear to be healthy but are carriers of the disease, such as pigeons.
Infected birds can contaminate water containers (bird baths) with their oral secretions, which can, in turn, expose many other birds to the disease. Mortality from this disease varies, but it can be quite high.
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