Jamaica Bay: Wilderness on the Edge

A story printed in the Sunday, July 31, 2011 edition of the New York Times
By ALAN FEUER
Published: July 29, 2011

GUARDIAN Don Riepe, near an osprey nest, has lived on Jamaica Bay since 1981. He is among the advocates who work to protect the bay from human intrusion.

Of all the ways to describe Jamaica Bay — it is the city’s largest open space, it is a perch of choice for more than 300 species of birds, it is that wetland thing you fly above while landing at (or leaving) Kennedy Airport — the most suggestive of its singularity is that it sits within the only national park in the United States you can reach by subway.    

A giant salt water puddle, pooled over 20,000 acres beneath the leaky eaves of southern Queens and Brooklyn, the bay lies at the far end of the Rockaways A line. And to ride that line from Times Square to Canal Street to Broadway Junction, and then through Ozone Park to Howard Beach and Broad Channel, where suddenly there are marshes offshore and ibises and egrets in the sky, is to understand that with a simple 90-minute trip one can find a wilderness within the city limits.
       
The bay is “the one place in New York where nature is so dominant that it makes the city a backdrop,” Brad Sewell, an environmental lawyer and blogger, recently wrote.
Of course, that backdrop has caused the bay considerable trouble over the years. Since the industrial revolution, it has served as a dumping ground for items that the city does not wish to see: its garbage fills, sewage treatment plants and occasional dead bodies.

But in the past 10 years or so, as the greening of New York has taken hold, an alliance of officials, environmentalists and local advocates has emerged to save the bay from what makes it so distinctive — which is to say, from its condition as a wild place in the country’s biggest city.
Today, Jamaica Bay has reached a kind of inflection point, poised between what it is and what it could become.

The lush, green cord-grass marshes are still eroding rapidly, but terrapin turtles have returned in such force that just last month, a stubborn bunch blocked a busy runway at Kennedy. Seals have been spotted sunning themselves on shore rocks. Fleets of kayaks are available for day trips. Even Brooklyn hipsters — those self-conscious harbinger birds, arriving early at what’s soon to be in vogue — have been flocking to the summer cabanas that rest along its shores.

All this energy reflects a central fact: Jamaica Bay sits at the literal and figurative edge where the natural and the manmade worlds collide. “It’s just a beautiful, natural ecosystem in the middle of this huge metropolitan area,” said Don Riepe, a suntanned 71-year-old who has lived on the bay since 1981 and has held the title of Jamaica Bay guardian for six years, since retiring from the National Parks Service. “I love the smell and the sound of the bay, the calmness of the water, the marine life, the bird life, the seasons.”

To read the full article, please go to the New York Times webpage devoted to this story at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/nyregion/jamaica-bay-a-wild-place-on-the-edge-of-change.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Lookdown in Lower New York Bay

One of the phenomena that marks the pinnacle of summer surprises for naturalists in Lower New York Bay is the arrival of tropical fish to local waters. With water temperatures between the highs 70s to mid-80s, the estuary has become much more abiding to travelling tropical fish.

A tropical juvenile Lookdown fish recently found in Lower New York Bay

Recently, during a  day of seining in Sandy Hook Bay, near Port Monmouth and located downstream from New York City, we caught a juvenile Lookdown.  It is a beautiful fish, but marked with a big question - how did it get here so close to the skyline of Manhattan?

Every summer the Gulf Stream carries young fish, like juvenile Lookdowns, from tropical waters near the Florida Keys and the western Bahamas to sheltered coves and beds of seaweed off the Northeast coast, including Lower New York Bay and the coastline of Long Island.

As the Gulf Stream moves northward through the Atlantic Ocean, eddies of warm water spin off from the current’s main current and sweeps toward the Jersey Shore and Long Island, taking tropical fish with them.

The Gulf Stream is a quick moving current of water that can travel up to three and a half miles per hour. Young fish and fish eggs sometimes get caught up in the Gulf Stream and cannot escape. Lower New York Bay with its mouth near the Gulf Stream catches the fish from these whirling eddies of warm water.

As a kid, I don't remember catching many Lookdowns in a seine net. Maybe a small number every several years. They were always considered to be more common in Chesapeake Bay or farther south.

Today, Lookdowns seem abundant. It is not uncommon to catch a Lookdown every year, sometimes multiple times. Perhaps these tropical fish are moving further north because local water temperatures are warmer.

This is what an adult Lookdown looks like.

Whatever the case may be, catching a Lookdown fish is awesome. Lookdowns are members of the jack family. When it reaches adulthood, the fish can reach a weight of about 2 pounds! Until then, it will try to hide from predators and feed on small warms, fishes and crabs.

Not sure if this fish will make it back to the tropics or even survive in local waters. Most Lookdowns do not. They either get eaten as easy prey or go down from cold water temperatures. Yet, the memory of this Lookdown fish will live on. No one ever forgets catching such a bizarre straggler from the south in Lower New York Bay.

Update on Hudson River Sewage Spill

A Message from the NY-NJ Baykeeper:

On Friday, NYCDEP was able to bring both engines at the plant back online and as a result all untreated discharges into the Hudson River stopped Friday night as of approximately 9:30 pm. Saturday morning, at approximately 5:00 am, an electricity feeder that supplies power to the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant went offline because of an electrical utility manhole fire. Because of this, the plant temporarily was able to treat roughly 104 million gallons a day of wastewater with primary treatment and chlorine disinfection; and untreated wastewater at a rate of roughly 15-25 million gallons a day was for several hours being discharged into the Hudson River. The pump was brought back online around 2:00 pm Saturday afternoon. Because of that, the rate of discharges continued to decline and stopped at approximately 3:30 pm on Saturday. Since then, intermittent issues with the plant's operations related to the fire continue to be addressed as they arise. This has not resulted in any discharges since Saturday afternoon.  Please keep in mind that treatment at the plant is still not at full capacity for secondary treatment.  

For more information on the status of the discharge please visit the NYCDEP's website.  All current health advisories remain unchanged.  For the latest on the water quality conditions visit the following link. 

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has conducted its own sampling of Hudson River, NY/NJ Harbor, Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay.  The sampling results for Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays remain below action levels for fecal coliform and enterococcus, with the exception of one point.  Sampling continues and the advisories for New Jersey remain unchanged.

This event highlights the ongoing challenge our older municipalities surrounding the NY/NJ Harbor continually face with the current system of a combined sewer outfalls (CSOs).  Even a small amount of rain in our area can lead to overflow conditions and the release of raw sewage.  We encourage you to contact your elected officials and media to demand a comprehensive long-term solution to combined sewers and their impact to our local waterways.

For more information see today's NY Times article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/science/earth/25hudson.html?_r=2&scp=4&sq=sewage&st=cse

 

Young Needlefish in Lower New York Bay

The heat and humidity had been oppressive all day. With air  temperatures in the 90s, being in or near the water was the best approach to enjoy Lower New York Bay this past weekend.

A juvenile Atlantic Needlenose fish was recently caught in a seine net in Sandy Hook Bay, part of Lower New York Bay

One way I looked for some relief during this sultry phase of summer was by wading in the water and hauling a seine net. The net scoops up fish, crabs, and other aquatic creatures as it's dragged through the water. The captured fish are then put into water-filled buckets, where they can be observed before being returned to the bay. It's a quick and easy technique to discover what lives in the shallow tidewaters without harming any wildlife.

 

Along with a few friends, we pulled a 30-foot seine in a small cove in Sandy Hook Bay, near Pews Creek in Port Monmouth, New Jersey. Nothing special at first. There were the usual bunch of Silversides, Hermit Crabs, Pipefish, and one 3" young-of-the-year "snapper" bluefish.

Yet, one more haul of the net had caught the best find of the day. Mid-summer can bring great opportunities to discover some of the bay's more impressive and unusual fauna.

 

At first I didn't know what we had caught. It was a wacky looking fish. With an extended 3-inch slender, silvery body, a long head, and a long slender beak. It looked more like a long, plump needle than a fish

In fact, it was a juvenile Atlantic Needlefish living in the bay.  Although needlefish can be found throughout Lower New York Bay, this was my first time actually seeing one up close and personal. What a bizarre and beautiful fish!

 

The slender fish was not at all panicky, but it did appear a bit unhappy from the look of its somber eyes.  So, I swiftly found my camera, took a few pictures and released this cool looking fish back in the bay to unite with its family or friends of other juvenile needlefish. It is always best to keep wild animals wild.

I am sure this juvenile Atlantic Needlefish fish was just hungry. Perhaps it swam off to pursue its prey.  Its feeds on various small fishes, copepods, shrimp, and aquatic insects. At this young stage, however, the fish may feed primarily on planktonic invertebrates including amphipods and small shrimps. The fish will switch to larger prey when its upper jaw length is at least 60% of lower jaw length. It takes about two years for an Atlantic Needlefish to reach adulthood and it can grow up to 2 feet long.

 

No matter the size, though, Atlantic Needlefish are an efficient predator capable of sudden, short bursts of speed to capture its prey. In the shallows they will catch their food in their scissor-like jaws. Needlefish must look like an imposing killer with their long, sharp jaws.

Usually needlefish can be glimpsed by people during the daytime near piers, docks, bridges, beaches, or under Sea Lettuce beds. The fish are attracted to light and prefers to swim in shallow areas or near the water's surface throughout the estuary from spring through early fall.

 

Back on the beach, I was rolling up the seine net for another time. I was pretty sure that I would not see another elusive Atlantic Needlefish anytime soon. Maybe forever.

 
Still, the sight of this fish did have a deeper meaning to me. Possibly the restoration of Lower New York Bay was working to some degree. This great big body of tidal water can actually be a great nursery for young needlefish. There's plenty of food, and the turbid waters and thick beds of Sea Lettuce hide them from predators.

Come fall, Atlantic Needlefish will presumably leave Lower New York Bay to swim in warmer waters down south. Even so, with continued restoration and preservation efforts by the present-day people of this bay, I am hopeful that these bizarre and beautiful fish will be back next year to start another generation. For people, it gives us another opportunity to discover just how little we know what lives in Lower New York Bay.

Worms Bloody Worms

Another daunting hot day around Lower New York Bay. It was already 83 degrees when I woke up around sunrise this morning. Temperatures are predicted to reach up into the mid 90s with a heat index as high as 101 degrees. Whew!

An adult Blood Worm.

With that kind of overwhelming heat and humidity, I decided to find some relief early on this morning by the edge of Raritan Bay.  On foot along the bay with a trowel in my hand, I was stopping every now and then to dig into the wet sand.

The tide was going out and I was curious to find out what might be living within the inter-tidal zone during this heat wave.  It didn't take long to come across my first encounter with a little critter that calls the edge of the bay home during the summer.

The small tapered head is looking towards the left!

Squirming around in the wet sand was a bright Blood Worm. Along with a round body and a tapered head, this worm has a semitransparent body, so its red/pink body fluids are visible for all to see.  In fact, looking closely, I could see the red to pink hemoglobin-type fluid pulsating and flowing to parts of its petite body. I felt like a kid again discovering life in the bay for the first time! Yes, different species of worms do live in the water too!

It didn't matter that Blood worms are an abundant mud flat critter in Lower New York Bay or that they are often sold as a lure for flounder fishing. Here in my hand was evidence of just some of the undersized, but important life that provides food and energy to much of the bigger life in the bay. Many fish and birds find blood worms appealing.They are part of the rich biodiversity in the bay.

Blood worms are true worms, classified as Polychaeta. They can grow around an inch in length, though sometimes up to 6 inches or more. Blood worms burrow into the sand or mud in a screw-like motion. Blood worms breathe through gills and once in their sandy or muddy homes, they will feed on decaying animal and plant matter.  

For some, Blood Worms may just be bait, but for me, this little red and pink worm will always provide wonder and excitement every time I explore the edge of the bay.

From Hot Nights To Dusty Days - Broken Weather Records Are The New Normal

Above: red indicates weather stations where U.S. Daily Highest Min Temperature Records were set on July 21, 2011 Image credit:NOAA

Yesterday, the 21st of July, it was hotter than hell across much of the Eastern US. Nights, which tend to have the daily minimum, were especially unpleasant. Out of 5,569 daily minimums recorded on the 21st, 188 broke previous records and another 138 tied them (exceeding or equaling, respectively, the previous record for daily minimum temperature).

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/07/from-hot-nights-dusty-days-broken-weather-records-new-normal.php?campaign=th_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+%28Treehugger%29

104 degrees! Near Record HEAT in New York City!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/nyregion/heat-wave-envelops-the-northeast.html?_r=1&hp

The temperature climbed to 104 in New York City — 2 degrees shy of the city’s record — and 108 in Newark, the highest temperature ever recorded there, as a heat wave around the region intensified on Friday afternoon.   


It was 2:10 p.m. when the temperature in Central Park reached 104 degrees, soaring past the local record for July 22, set at 101 degrees in 1957, and getting close to 106, the city record, which was last reached in 1936. (The last time it was 104 was in July 1977.) The record temperature in Newark had been 105 degrees, set in 1901.
On Friday, according to the National Weather Service, it felt like 112 degrees in New York City.
To those out in the streets, it felt more like being licked by a big, swampy monster.

“It’s a steam bath,” said Joseph Goldstein, 67, as he sat on a Manhattan street in the morning across from his broken-down cab. “In all my years in New York, I’ve never seen it get this hot this early.”
Making matters worse, a fire had shut down one of the city’s largest sewage treatment plants, rendering some waters around New York unfit for recreational use, including swimming.
The record-breaking heat wave that began in the central United States earlier in the week had spread east by Thursday. No relief was expected until Sunday — if temperatures in the 80s and 90s indeed qualify as relief.

“One could say, ‘Oh, it’s summer, its late July, it’s hot,’ ” said Christopher Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service. “But this is different.”
According to Mr. Vaccaro, this heat wave is exceptional not only for its strength, but also for its breadth and duration. More than 1,400 record-high temperatures have been broken or tied around the country in July alone, Mr. Vaccaro said, and that number was expected to rise on Friday as 132 million people were living under an excessive heat warning or heat advisory.

The sizzling weather suffocating much of the country is also noteworthy for its extraordinary mugginess. That high humidity makes it even more difficult for the body to cool off.
When the dew point is in the 60s, Mr. Vaccaro explained, the air starts to feel uncomfortable.
“In the 70s,” he said, “it’s oppressive. In rare cases in the U.S. do you hit 80.”
It parts of Minnesota earlier this month, it reached 82.
In New York City, the dew point was 74 on Friday — but that decidedly did not feel as if the city was getting off easy.
As the mercury crept higher, Consolidated Edison’s consumers in New York City and Westchester set a record of their own: the highest level of power consumption, reaching 13,189 megawatts at 4 p.m. The previous record, 13,141 megawatts, was set in the late afternoon of Aug. 2, 2006. It was never broken throughout the sweltering summer of 2010.
John Miksad, Con Ed’s senior vice president for electric operations, said he expected that the company would have the capacity to handle the record demand without any significant failures in its distribution system. However, there have been some outages scattered throughout the city, according to Carlos Torres, a vice president for emergency management at the utility.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, on his weekly radio appearance, said New Yorkers should turn up their thermostats to 79 degrees to conserve power and while that might be too warm for some, “not having electricity would be a lot more uncomfortable.”
City officials announced that cooling centers would be open daily through the heat wave. The Department of Environmental Protection also turned fire hydrants around the city into drinking-water fountains by attaching special faucets, and a bowl for pets. And Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered the Parks Department to offer extended hours at swimming facilities at state parks.
Meanwhile, hundreds of city employees and contractors, some from out of state, were working Friday to repair the badly damaged sewage treatment plant in Harlem that has discharged millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Hudson and Harlem Rivers.
The broiling heat had set across most of the Eastern Seaboard, from Georgia all the way up to Maine. The temperature in Washington, D.C. — which was 91 degrees at 10 p.m. Thursday night, with a heat index of 111— was forecast to hit 103. Even Portland, Me., which usually enjoys a pleasant 79 degrees in July was expected to hit 100 on Friday.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/52779/alltime-record-on-the-bubble-i-1.asp

Many of the all-time high temperature records in the Northeast were set during the Dust Bowl era with several occurring on dates during the blistering summer of 1936. In a number of other locations, the nasty heat waves during July 1966 and August 1918 set the marks to beat. Elsewhere, the all-time list is scattered about various decades through the past century.

City	Ave. High	Old July 22 Rec. High	All-Time Rec. High
New York City	85	101*/1957	106/July 7, 1936
Philadelphia	86	100*/1957	106/Aug. 7, 1918
Wilmington	87	101/1957	107/Aug. 7, 1918
Baltimore	88	101*/1957	107/July 10, 1936
Washington, D.C.	83	103/1926	106/Aug. 6, 1918
Newark	86	101*/1957	105*/Aug. 9, 2001
Richmond	88	103/1930	107/Aug. 6, 1918
Allentown	84	101*/1926	105/July 7, 1981
Harrisburg	86	101*/1926	107/July 3, 1966
Scranton	83	98/1955	102/Aug. 7, 1918
Hartford	86	101*/1926	102/July 6, 2010
Boston	83	103/1926	104/July 4, 1911
Atlantic City	86	100*/1957	106/June 28, 1969

Note: * indicates the record was tied or broken Friday.

A few locations were already at the 100-degree-temperature mark before noon Friday, well on their way to making history.

Nothing Common About These Terns in Lower New York Bay

It's not just gulls that fly around the bay. Look closely and you will see the most common tern in the northeast as well as in Lower New York Bay.

The Common Tern is a gull-like bird with a black cap, red bill, pointed wings, and forked tail. It is smaller than a typical gull (up to 18 inches in length) and much more in elegant in sight and flight.

During the summer and early fall this beautiful bird can be seen soaring,  sometimes to heights of 1,000 feet or more, near the sandy shores of the bay in search of a fishy meal. When it spots a fish, the bird will hover for a bit before plunging into the water head first to catch its prey below the surface.

 

The other evening, I was kayaking after work near the harbor of Atlantic Highlands in Sandy Hook Bay and was lucky enough to spot about a dozen or more Common Terns catching fish. What a show they put on.

Like a group of mighty hunters, the terns called loudly "kee-urr" to announce that the chase was on. The terns would enter the water one by one with a little splash, often submerging their entire body into the water. Then they emerged a moment later with a small fish cross-wise in their beak and shaking off the water as they flew away. The small fish did not have chance against these expert fishing seabirds of the sky.

Luckily, Common Terns seem to be thriving in Sandy Hook Bay. In Atlantic Highlands, the birds seemed to be using the pilings to rest after feeding and perhaps for nocturnal roosting as well. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of the bay. The Common Tern is listed as a threatened species in New York State most likely due to the loss of nesting habitat on sandy beaches from poor coastal development and the increase in population of larger predatory animals , such as foxes and gulls.

Certainly there is work to be done to preserve and protect more coastal habitat around Lower New York Bay to ensure that these vibrant and beautiful seabirds remain a welcome sight along our shoreline every summer season.

Plenty of Bay Anchovies in the Water

With air temperatures in the 90s and water temperatures within Lower New York Bay in the upper 70s to mid 80s, it must be summer.  

While out kayaking in the Navesink River after work yesterday, I spotted an enormous school of small fish swimming in the shallow part of the tidal river. I mean there was not just a handful of fish here, but millions of little sea creatures. Curious, I took out my dip net to try and catch a few fish. The little things were fast, but I was lucky enough to catch a pair.  

The fish turned out to be juvenile Bay Anchovies. Sorry, this is not the kind of cuisine you want to put on pizza. Instead, this fish is an important source of food for bigger fish in the estuary, such as Striped Bass, Bluefish, and Fluke. You wouldn't think so from looking at it, but this little blunt nose fish is a key element in the Lower New York Bay's food web.

Bay anchovies, as other members of the family Engraulidae, typically amass in large schools. They are planktivorous fish which use gill rakers--comb-like structures on their gill arches--to strain the water for microscopic life. 

While populations fluctuate, Bay Anchovies are often one of the most abundant fish in Lower New York Bay. As such, this little fish is a very important link between plankton and larger predatory fish located higher on the aquatic food chain. Thus, even though the little Bay Anchovy has no commercial value, it fulfills a crucial role in providing food to many characteristic estuarine fish.

I am thinking that these little Bay Anchovies most likely arrived from the Atlantic Ocean just a few weeks ago. Spawning occurs for Bay Anchovies in the evening during late spring and summer. The peak of spawning occurs in July. Eggs are pelagic, and larvae hatch within 24 hours. Growth is rapid, especially during higher water temperatures. They grow fast, because Bay Anchovies seldom live past the age of two. They also don't grow that big, rarely reaching more than 4 inches in length.

Okay, so I didn't catch the big one, but there is nothing minor about the significance of Bay Anchovies to the health and abundance of foodstuff throughout the summer and fall in Lower New York Bay. Though I wonder what one would taste like on pizza sometimes! 

Juvenile Oystercatcher in Lower New York Bay

The saga continues for one of the strangest looking birds in Lower New York Bay. Since early spring, I have been monitoring the breeding status of American Oystercatchers at Sandy Hook. 

Here it is - a juvenile American Oystercatcher seen recently at Sandy Hook, NJ

It all started around March 13 when I caught my first glimpse of the year of an American Oystercatcher. The bird was resting near the tip of Sandy Hook with some gulls. Later on more oystercatchers were seen and by the end of May the birds were nesting near the edge of Sandy Hook Bay. Around June 28th, newly hatched American Oystercatchers were seen on foot for the first time with their proud parents at Sandy Hook. Life was good!

Now, a few weeks later, the young oystercatchers have grown into teenagers. Over the weekend I spotted a juvenile American Oystercatcher at Sandy Hook. The young, gangly bird was even more odd looking than its parents. Just like a typical teenager, the bird seemed a bit weird. Yet, it was being good child and staying close to mom and dad. 

This is a good thing. Just like many other shorebirds, they are vulnerable to human activities and numerous predators including  red foxes, domestic dogs and cats, rats, American Crows, gulls, falcons and owls. Every life is precious when it comes to shorebirds living in Lower New York Bay. 

Mom or dad is never far away and is always looking

If this young oystercatcher survives, it will perform its first flight around the end of month and become entirely independent for food sometime in August or around two months after hatching. Until then, this child is dependent on mom and dad and will follow the adults around.

Seeing an immature American Oystercatcher up close and personal is a thrill. Next time you are at the beach, take a look around for young birds as well. If you spot one, please respect their space. These are wild animals and we need to give them plenty of breathing room to move around and feel safe. I think you will agree, though, that you were lucky to have visited these beautiful waters and be enriched by the sight of new life in the bay. 

Teenybopper Terns Near Lower New York Bay

For those of us who love summertime, it doesn't get much better than this. The other day was sunny and warm, but not overly humid, with a refreshing northerly breeze blowing down on Lower New York Bay. Best of all, while out walking along the bay beach I was treated to the sight of new life! 

A little Least Tern seen recently at Sandy Hook

The sandy beach along the Sandy Hook peninsula in New Jersey  which forms the southern gateway to Lower New York Bay is such a spectacular place to view wildlife. An early evening high tide provided a quiet setting to view juvenile Least Terns scampering and scurrying about the high dunes. 

The little Least Terns looked like they were just a few weeks old. The feathers looked fresh, and the plumage was whitish with a pale-spotted mask near the eyes.  Some were fledging, which means they must have been at least 21 days old. 

 

The dunes had a dozen or more chicks scurrying about the beach. This is a good sign!

Living near one of the largest urban coastlines in the world is never easy for any species, let alone the smallest tern in North America. Habitat loss and degradation, human disturbance, and predation threaten the recovery of this species. Natural phenomena (storm tide flooding, excessive rainfall) can also cause egg and chick loss. Pets (dogs and cats) too can destroy nests and harass terns. Garbage left on beaches attracts predators, including foxes, skunks, raccoons, crows, and gulls, all of which readily prey on tern eggs and chicks. Without intensive management, these threats would rapidly wipe out the Least Tern population in Lower New York Bay. 

A juvenile Least Tern looks at a piece of plastic garbage as potential food

Thankfully, wildlife experts from private and public conservation organizations and concerned volunteers work with landowners to protect and fence off nesting areas. Signs are posted in an attempt to protect colonies from human disturbance.

Despite the fact that Least Terns are listed as an endangered species in New Jersey and threatened in New York State, this little 9-inch bird still hunts, feeds, and nests in Lower New York Bay, especially along the Sandy Hook peninsula. While some past years have found chicks sprawled dead on the sand due to an over-abundance of predators, such as rats, gulls, and foxes, this year seems pretty good so far. 

The parents seemed in high spirits too. Numerous adult Least Terns fluttered and turned in the sky above the water. They were scanning the waters in search of small fish to feed their hungry young. It's a good thing that Sandy Hook Bay was full with bait fish, such as Spearing and Killifish. It didn't take long for several Least Terns to plunge into the water head first and catch a fat fish in their bill crosswise. Food seemed plentiful, another good sign that the terns may be able to raise their chicks.  

An adult Least Tern with a fish in its beak to feed its young

After the young have fledged, adults and young from several nests associate with each other for feeding and roosting. Young Least Terns will follow their parents to feeding areas, where they will be fed by parents and eventually begin to forage for themselves. Adults and juveniles will congregate at fishing areas beginning in late July and early August. They will forage in bays, rivers, creek mouths, and tidal marshes, usually within 1½ miles from colonies.

An adult Least Tern, the smallest tern in North America

Come fall, both adults and immature Least Terns will say goodbye to Lower New York Bay and migrate to wintering areas near the Atlantic coast, perhaps as far south as northern coast of South America.

Yet, with continued coastal habitat restoration, and land preservation and protection, I am hopeful that the Least Terns will be back to lower New York Bay and Sandy Hook. The sight of new life in the bay always gives me lots of hope.