northeast-flora-and-fauna

Bald Eagle sightings are certainly getting more common as nesting pairs have risen in New Jersey , and have been for decades: Between 1990-1993 NJ averaged 5 nesting pairs that produced on average 5.5 eaglets.  Between 2000-2003 it was 28 nesting pairs producing ~35 eaglets. Between 2010-2013 it was up to ~104 nesting pairs producing  ~62 eaglets. I don't have 2023 data, but between 2020-2022 they averaged ~231 nesting pairs raising ~313 eaglets. Obviously this will eventually level off, but this suggests it's probably twice as easy to encounter a Bald Eagle today than it was even 10 years ago. The story of the Bald Eagle recovery has been told many times, and is mostly due to the things we've stopped doing (at least legally): Hunting them. Encroaching on their last habitats. And maybe most importantly, using the DDT insecticide. While some reintroductions and breeding programs have no doubt helped speed things along, I can't believe they would have worked without the...

I met another Bald Eagle last spring along the Raritan River. Was this fella the reason the Osprey I saw the same day was in flight, possibly looking for another place to fish? It's impossible to say; though both birds were in the same general area, I saw them over an hour apart, and it's possible they weren't even aware of 1 another. I've seen Bald Eagles there before , sometimes with company . It's more than possible that the same adult eagle was in more than 1 of these pictures [1], and the Duke Farms Bald Eagles probably nest a short distance from these trees "as the crow flies" [2], so this might be their territory. But there are also a lot more eagle out and about than there used to be, and without much closer looks I doubt anyone could conclusively identify individuals. Though most North America [3] is home to Golden Eagles , Bald Eagles are not considered close relatives of the Goldens. They are considered very close relatives of the White-taile...

Last spring I had an Osprey flying over me last spring. These birds are relatively large by raptor standards, only a little smaller than our vultures and bigger than any hawk in my area; eagles are the only eastern raptors that really dwarf them. My Hawk Watch book says that from below they look like a cross between a hawk and a gull; their wings can be as crooked as a gull's but wider and non-pointed like a hawk's. Note though that you don't get a sense of how crooked their wings can get in my pictures. Ospreys can be bullied into dropping a caught fish by an eagle (usually a Bald Eagle ), but my guess is that their size and feeding habits don't lend themselves to conflict with other raptors: They like eating fresh fish, which means our vultures probably ignore them. Hawks and falcons probably recognize that Ospreys are kind of big to be confronting. Ospreys and owls work different hours. May 5, 2023 at Duke Island Park Photo 282300736, (c) jpviolette, some rights r...

I know many people are bothered by their weight, but there are benefits to bringing binoculars when you're out in nature. Without binoculars, I could only have suspected that the top of a tree looked unusually lumpy. With binoculars, I could actually identify that a Bald Eagle was perched at the top [1]. (My recollection is that there was a family there who just had to take my word for it that there was an eagle up there.) This was taken at the end of a Great Swamp trail that overlooked part of the swamp. I've seen eagles there before, though they've been across the water and pretty distant. I think I heard the eagle nest that used to be there was blown down, though I wouldn't be surprised if eagles nested in this vicinity this year. (I'm not sure how many fish are in Great Swamp, but Bald Eagles will also eat turtles and snakes, both of which are pretty abundant there.) April 13, 2023 at Great Swamp Photo 272120475, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)...

Last April at Duke Island Park I got scrutinized by a Bald Eagle . I'm assuming the eagle was staring intensely at me because it was doing a careful threat assessment since: This is central New Jersey, so seeing humans shouldn't be an interesting novelty for an eagle. The eagle could presumably tell at a glance that, being at least 10 times its weight, I wasn't a good candidate for a meal. Besides being in a tree, the eagle was also across the Raritan River from me, and it decided I wasn't threatening enough to leave a fine perch like this 1. It remained up there as I wandered off. April 3, 2023 at Duke Island Park Photo 270607396, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Human kids have a different fashion sense than adults, and juvenile Bald Eagles "dress" quite a bit differently than adults. When I saw this bird soaring overhead, my 1st thought was that it was big and dark and thus probably a vulture ( Turkey Vulture or Black Vulture ). But the plumage was wrong for both; from below both vultures have dark bodies with (different) lighter areas on their wings. This bird was mostly dark with some scattered speckling. This is also different from an adult Bald Eagle , which would have a white head and tail with a rich brown color elsewhere. The previous time I got a picture of a juvenile Bald Eagle, it was in a tree next to an adult Bald Eagle. In that instance I had no trouble IDing the juvenile because no other bird the size of a Bald Eagle is (routinely) found in my area [1]. In today's picture of a soaring raptor, judging size isn't as easy. March 29, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 270605877, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY...

Who's the most beautiful scavenging raptor in New Jersey? It's hard to say, but Black Vultures are certainly in the top 2 [1] [2], up there with our Turkey Vultures . Other than a little obstruction from branches, this fella took a pretty nice-looking picture. As related species with similar appetites, it's expected that Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures will show up at the same carcass. I've heard somewhat different things about the carcass pecking order: Black Vultures are more aggressive and will dominate the carcass. Turkey Vultures, who are slightly larger, will dominate the carcass unless the Black Vultures outnumber them. Unfortunately I haven't seen enough carcasses to give you a personal opinion on carcass pecking order (though I suspect if a Bald Eagle flew in, it would get more than its fair share [3] [4]). February 8, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 263480504, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] New Jersey has only 2 vulture species, the Blac...

After some heavy January rain, the usually damp Riparian Wetland Conservation Area at Duke Farms was flooded [1], turning it into an impromptu swamp (at least for a day or 2), and this Bald Eagle was surveying the area. I suppose it's possible that after a flood recedes there could be dead animals like drowned rodents or stranded fish, so perhaps this is a promising place for foraging. Or maybe the eagle was just resting or curious; though acquiring food is a big part of the life of an eagle, they do have other aspects of their lives too. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've definitely gotten more Bald Eagle pictures over the last couple years. I suspect that this is partly because I know some of the areas they like to frequent, but Bald Eagle populations in NJ are also on the rise . As their population goes up we can probably expect to see them more. January 26, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 263365001, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] This area is in...

Here's someone I met last October that ought to be familiar to almost everyone, a Bald Eagle . This is also perhaps the closest I've been to a wild Bald Eagle [1] (though this pair was also fairly close). While I didn't consider myself especially close, the eagle did fly off after a few minutes; it's possible my presence instigated the departure [2]. This eagle was near water, and thus near fish. Behind the eagle was Duke Farms' Vista Lake, where herons, cormorants, and Ospreys get their fish procurement done. Still, I don't often see Bald Eagles on the property; my guess is they prefer fishing in the Raritan River instead. Duke Farms has Bald Eagles that nest on the property ; I don't know if this was either of them.  November 2, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 250356447, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] You can certainly get closer to them at The Raptor Trust , and the Delaware Valley Raptor Center used to give presentations where eagles woul...

Most of the time I get pictures of turtles who are out basking in the sun, but with a few exceptions (I'm looking at you, Box Turtles ) most of our turtles are more comfortable in the water. This is presumably a safety issue, since they're both more mobile in water and can hide from terrestrial (like these guys ) and aerial (I'm looking at you, Bald Eagles ) threats better. I suppose River Otters are still a threat, though we don't have big populations of them around here. (Given their potential predators, having a shell/carapace is probably a good idea.) Anyway, I got a pretty good look at this Eastern Painted Turtle , mostly submerged but with its head out of the water. The water here wasn't crystal clear, but wasn't inundated with green muck either. September 1, 2022 at Duke Island Park Photo 238907517, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Last week at the Washington Valley Reservoir a largish bird with white-and-dark contrast flew just past me onto a tree branch. My suspicions were quickly confirmed; this was an Osprey . Similar to the nearby Duke Farms where I had also seen 1, I don't believe Ospreys ever nest here, though the reservoir can be a great place to grab a bite to eat before migrating elsewhere. I didn't see it catch a fish, though the abundance of human fishermen there suggests fish are plentiful. As I typically do, I took the 1st relatively clear picture I could get, which in this case was almost directly under the Osprey. I feared that I might be too close for the Osprey's comfort, but the Osprey didn't seem very concerned about me as I moved further away to get a better angle. I have had some success getting Osprey pictures; some individuals seem to accept human activity in their vicinity. (I'm doubtful that a Bald Eagle would have been as accommodating.) Ospreys are among several sp...

Many people would like to think that the birds they see soaring above them are Bald Eagles , though Turkey Vultures , Black Vultures , and Red-tailed Hawks are much more common. And since the birds are frequently pretty high up in the sky, you aren't necessarily going to get a really good look at them. Here's sort of a beginner's guide to IDing these birds, where I'll stay away from the subtle points. First up is a Turkey Vulture. Sometimes like in this picture you'll see a flash of their red heads, but even from much further away you can usually see pale feathers starting from the ends of the wings, going along the backs of the wings, finally ending at the body itself. In this picture the pale feathers contrast quite a bit from the dark feathers to look white; most of the time the difference in feathers is more subtle than this, though the outline is always there, and this unusual amount of contrast demonstrates it well. February 1, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 184269...

Here's someone that was probably migrating through NJ but stopped by the Duke Farms lakes to catch its breath and catch a meal, an Osprey . This fella was obscured by some trees but is still recognizable with that white head with the dark line going through the eyes. In this picture the Osprey was overlooking Otter Lake, though I suspect this is the same Osprey I saw a couple days later at Vista Lake. I suspect this was more of a rest stop for the Osprey since I haven't seen it in over a week now. I'm not sure why an Osprey pair hasn't AFAIK bred on property. It's possible that they'd consider it to be living uncomfortably close to the Duke Farms Bald Eagles . Bald Eagles are known for attacking Ospreys and stealing their fish, and it's possible the eagles would consider Ospreys to be competitors to be run off the property. And it's also possible they'd have run-ins with the Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls on the property, even though Ospreys ...

Here's a pair of Bald Eagles I saw at Duke Island Park last week. Someone said they saw an eagle in a tree along the path I was taking, so I was certainly paying more attention than usual to the trees. I was just about at the point of thinking I had either gone past the eagle without spotting it or the eagle had flown off. That's when I spotted these guys. I'm pretty sure that the guy had said he saw "an eagle", so seeing 2 of them up in a tree was actually better than I expected. I didn't have the best line of sight in the world, but it still provided a pretty good view of them. I don't know whether the guy only saw the adult eagle (perhaps mistaking the immature eagle for a cluster of leaves/branches), or whether a 2nd eagle landed in the tree after the guy left. I wasn't exactly sure what the darker bird was until I got my binoculars on it. I have to wonder exactly what was going on here. The tree was on the opposite shore of the Raritan River, so...

I was at NJ Audubon's Plainsboro Preserve a few weeks ago and saw someone flying overhead. This usually turns out to be a Turkey Vulture or Red-tailed Hawk, but I was surprised to see this was a Bald Eagle . The picture isn't great, but the eagle was quite a bit closer to me than they usually are. I don't know the backstory of this eagle, like whether the eagle is part of a nesting pair or is more of a "lone wolf" eagle. I was on the shore of a lake, so I'm assuming that the eagle had been fishing. The plumage looks like that of an adult; if it was too young to breed this year, it'll almost certainly be ready next year. It is getting a little crowded for eagles in NJ. My impression is that they usually require fairly large territories around here (places with more fish probably allow them to shrink their range), and we have about 200 nesting pairs of eagles in NJ these days. Most of the prime spots are probably occupied, and would require a fight to acquir...

At Great Swamp , there is a bird viewing area that gives you a good view of an area of swampland (which didn't have much going on), and has a Bald Eagle nest in a tree on the opposite side of the shore. It's quite a distance, even with binoculars. (I'm sure a good spotting scope would handle the distance though.) When I went there a couple weeks ago, a couple people were listening to and (to some degree) watching a Bald Eagle confrontation. We could easily hear an eagle vocalizing. The narrative I was told was that the vocalizing was from an eagle on its nest. And there was a juvenile eagle in a nearby tree. It's unclear what the motivation of the juvenile eagle was, but the parent was obviously concerned that the juvenile could be a threat to her eaglets. You probably can't tell that that's a Bald Eagle, though the large nest probably infers one. April 14, 2021: Bald Eagle nest at Great Swamp And here's the juvenile Bald Eagle perched nearby. You can make ...