Egrets Feeding Hardily in Lower New York Bay

A metaphoric "dinner bell" must have clanged recently. With just about every low tide around Lower New York Bay, quite a few egrets and herons have been flying in to feed within shallow waters. 

Recently, I spotted a large flock of Great and Snowy egrets feeding among the  tidal wetland grasses near Pews Creek, part of Sandy Hook Bay and located downstream from New York City. Some herons were either standing at the water’s edge or wading in the tidal waters. One by one these expert fishing birds were waiting patiently for just the right opportunity to strike with their beak at the water's edge to catch a small fish in their long beak and shallow it down whole head first. 

A Great Egret with a Spearing or Silverside in its mouth

The catch of the day was either Stripped Killifish or Spearing. The birds didn't have to decide which fish to catch, though, the creek was full of them. 

A Snowy Egret

Come autumn, many egrets and herons feed a great deal. Juveniles and adults will migrate along the coast, feeding along the way until they reach their warmer winter home down south. 

 

These beautiful wading birds will be back, though, next spring to raise a family and feed again in the rich tidal waters of Lower New York Bay. 

Volunteers Seine Lower New York Bay

In September, millions of people gathered on beaches and along waterways around the nation to help celebrate National Estuaries Day– an annual event celebrating estuaries, the vibrant coastal areas where rivers meet the ocean.  National Estuaries Day was also observed in Lower New York Bay, one of the most urban estuaries and coastlines in the world. 

Young steward of the bay holding a juvenile Black Drum

On Sunday, September, 25, 2011 volunteers from the Bayshore Regional Watershed Council, an all volunteer group dedicated to restoring Raritan and Sandy Hook bays, joined with local residents to seine and monitor water quality along four bayside beaches. 

A juvenile Kingfish

Seining is the ancient way of fishing by dragging a net through the water. A 50-foot long, hand-woven net with a five foot pole on each end was used. No marine life was harmed. All fishes, crabs, and other aquatic creatures were identified, cataloged, and returned to the water.  

Juvenile Blue-claw Crab

People on hand not only had a fun time seeing what interesting life lives in the bay, many people had a good time holding different species of fish, such as snapper blues, Black Drums, flounders, Hermit Crabs, Pipefish and more before releasing them into the estuary. Each haul of the seine net brought something new to discover. Even some tropical fishes were found this year, including a juvenile Florida Pompano and a juvenile Crevalle Jack.  

A juvenile Black Drum, hairs on the chin indicate a benthic feeder

 

 Below are the details of the event. Seine locations and species found are listed. 

Adult, female Blue-Crab - Soft-shell

10am - Aberdeen Township/Cliffwood Beach

400 Spearing or Atlantic Silversides - the largest measured at 3.5 inches

200 Mud Snails

30 Striped Killies

20 Comb Jellies

18 Black Drums that measured up to 7 inches

1 Adult Blue-Claw Crab - measuring about 4 inches

1 juvenile Cunner, measuring 2.2 inches in length

1 Pipefish

Notes: Water was clear. Water temperatures was 69 degrees F. Outgoing tide. 

A juvenile Florida Pompano

Juvenile Winter Flounder

12 Noon - Union Beach/Conaskonck Point - Front & Dock streets meet

200 Spearing

50 Mud Snails

25 Shore Shrimp

20 Striped Killies

10 Hermit Crabs

6 Comb Jellies

5 Blue-Claw Crabs

1 Kingfish

1 Tube Worm casing

Notes: Water was clear. Water temperatures was 74 degrees F. Low Tide

Female Striped Killifsh

Male Striped Killifish

2:00pm: Middletown Township/Port Monmouth - Pews Creek

30 Shore Shrimp

30 Hermit Crabs

28 Black Drums

15 Hermit Crabs

2 Juvenile Florida Pompano

1 Juvenile Blue-Claw Crab - measuring less than an inch

1 Juvenile King fish

Notes: Water was cloudy or turbid. Water temperature was 76 degrees F. Incoming tide. No Killies or Spearing found

A juvenile Crevalle Jack

4:00pm: Atlantic Highlands/Mouth of Many Mind Creek

300 Mud Snails

50 hermit Crabs

50 Spearing

50 Striped Killifish

20 Shore Shrimp

10 Kingfish

5 Grass Shrimp

2 juvenile Bluefish - Snappers, measuring up to 7 inches

2 juvenile Winter Flounder, measuring up to 1.5 inches

1 Crevalle Jack

Notes: Water was cloudy. Water temperature was 77 degrees F. Lots of seaweed in the water. 

A snapper Blue fish

 

Thanks to Gene, Panse, Charlie, Neil, and Jamie for their help, time & energy!

Pubescent Semipalmated Plovers Fancy NY Bay

Autumn arrived today around 5:05 a.m. EDT. It pulled in as the tide was pulling out just before sunrise. The sky was cloudy, the air was humid, and there was pea soup fog around Lower New York Bay. Water temperatures ranged from the upper 60s to the lower 70s.  

A few hours later I was walking along the edge of the bay. In a small mud flat several feet away I noticed several young Semipalmated Plovers foraging for food. 

Perhaps they just flew in or maybe these small birds had been around the bay for a number of days. I wasn't sure, but they provided the pleasure of being the first wildlife I observed on the first day of autumn.  

With small orange-yellow legs, a stubby dark bill, and dark subterminal lines on the upperparts, my guess was these plovers were juveniles. If so, these little birds were no more than just a few months old. 

Without much support from their parents, these young birds have migrated thousands of miles from their birth home up north somewhere in the open flat tundra of Canada to one of the most urban coastlines in the world called Lower New York Bay.  

  

By instinct, the young plovers know to follow the coast. When hungry, they stop over at tide flats to forage for insects, crustaceans, and worms. 

Who knows where their fist autumn migration might end. Semipalmated Plovers have a very extensive winter range that extends from the coast of New Jersey down to southern South America.

For now, these young birds seemed happy enough. They were finding an abundance of food in the mud, especially small clams. Sure they were quiet. Their parents taught them to be voiceless. These little 7 inch birds do not need to attract attention from equally hungry predators, like from foxes or hawks. Yet, in their silence they were able to convey courage and boldness. They were on a mission to survive.  They were born to be brave and endure. Fighting strong winds, severe storms, and every obstacle in their first long, wing migration.

No doubt, these little Semipalmated Plovers will be back. They have the spunk it takes to make it along New York Bay. Over time, this little cove known as Sandy Hook Bay  could be their favorite stopover to rest and feed during their restless windswept and wandering life that has taken them to wilds of New York Bay.

Butterflies Adding Early Autumn Color Around the Bay

The colorful orange and black Monarch Butterfly seems to get the bulk of attention from people this time of year. For it is around this time that the little insect starts its epic migration to Central Mexico. Sometimes gathering in massive numbers with other Monarchs in flight. 

American Cooper

Yet, Lower New York actually has a diverse amount of butterfly species to discover and enjoy during the late summer and early fall. In fact, over the weekend, I noticed two beautiful butterflies coming across the bay heading south and providing some wonderful color to the landscape. 

The first was the American Lady. This is a medium size, soft orange butterfly with white spots on the upper wings. These brushfoot butterflies prefer opens spaces to feed including coastal dunes and fields, and roadsides. Come fall, the American ladies start to feed and migrate south to Florida. 

American lady

Another American butterfly was the tiny American Cooper. Normally, all you see are quick flashes of orange on sheep sorrel flowers, but if you look closely you will find a radiant black and red butterfly. Best of all, it is a widespread insect that loves urban areas. It thrives in disturbed habitats , such as fields around power lines, roadsides, and sandy sites. It will overwinter as a pupa to begin life anew with the arrival of the warm winds of spring. 

Common Buckeye

In past days, I also took delight from the sight the Common Buckeye. This brushfoot butterfly is about the same size of the American Lady, and has prominent eye-spots, but they are located along the margins of both wings. Like other butterflies of the bay, this little critter enjoys open fields, beaches and disturbed sites found commonly around Lower New York bay. Come fall, the Common Buckeye begins its long migration down south to the Coastal Plains of Florida where it will overwinter.

This is quite a time to stare at the flight patterns of beautiful butterflies. Let the butterfly watching begin!

Three-Month-Old Ospreys Leave the Nest

Presto, alakazam! Just like that the local osprey population of Lower New York Bay has pretty much flown away from their spring and summer nesting sites for southern climates. All that may remain now are a few first-year young Ospreys trying to gain enough courage  for their long solo wing migration to the tropics, most likely South America. 

 

Ospreys frequently do not migrate in flocks. They fly solo, even the young!

By and large mother Osprey is the first to leave the nest to begin her solitary fall migration. She departs usually around late August or early September. Then dad Osprey flies off ordinarily a week later after mom. Left alone, the juvenile Ospreys are the last to leave the nesting area. On their own, they spend this time around the bay to sharpen flying and hunting skills. 

This must be stressful time for the bay's three-month old ospreys. They are about to start their first long, perilous migration from their birthplace in Lower New York Bay to conceivably the unfamiliar tropical rainforests of South America. That a young osprey can travel 3,000 miles alone on its first fall migration is amazing. It was just a few months ago that these young birds just hatched out of an egg. Now they are forced by nature to make an incredible uncertain migration.

Not all will survive. The largest percentage of dead Ospreys found by people are usually juveniles that couldn't make their first migration. Many die from getting tangled up in electric wires, being overpowered by strong winds from tropical storms,  illegal hunting, or not being able to find or capture a fish. 

At last check, in Sandy Hook Bay, I watched a young Osprey flying with a large menhaden in its talons. That bird will survive for sure. The waters of Lower New York Bay provide an excellent classroom for young Ospreys to learn how to pluck a fish from the quick tidal waters of an estuary. Many young Ospreys have survived Hurricane Irene and are waiting for summer's end. I imagine in the next week or so nearly all young Ospreys will begin to head south, following the coast through Central America to northern South America.

Young osprey do not return to North America the following spring. They remain in South America for a year or so to mature.  Once adults, they will return the following year to their home territory to attract a mate, build a nest, and start a family of their own in Lower New York Bay.

For want of a bunker

http://www.app.com/article/20110916/NJSPORTS06/309160013/For-want-bunker

Written by John Oswald | Staff Writer  Asbury Park Press

Everyone knows the rhyme that begins for want of a nail a shoe was lost. From the loss of the shoe, the horse, rider, battle and then the kingdom were all ultimately lost.

Adults have been using that old poem for centuries to teach their children about the consequences of their actions. Let’s hope the same lesson isn’t lost on fishery managers when it comes to menhaden.


Bunker is like the nail and if lost, a lot of other species will follow. Most predator fish in our waters, like striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, tuna and others, rely on it heavily for food. And if the bunker disappear, all those fish disappear, and not only for recreational anglers, but for everyone who enjoys and counts on them for their livelihood.


The value of plentiful bunker has never been more clearly demonstrated than over the last several years when abundant schools of menhaden have produced a world-class striped bass fishery in New Jersey waters. It wasn’t that long ago that reduction boats operating off our shores decimated bunker schools and proved to anglers that no bunker meant no bass.


But bunker are in trouble. Stocks have been declining steadily for years.
In an effort to turn the tide and protect what has been widely called the most important fish in the sea, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) issued a range of options to increase the abundance of menhaden and has put them out for public comment.


The measures are contained in Draft Amendment V to the Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management Plan. The measures will allow up to a 45 percent reduction in the annual menhaden harvest.
“Anything that to helps us keep the bunker throughout the season would be a tremendous boost to the fishery,” said Len Fantasia, a founder of the Mendhaden Project and a long-time advocate for protecting the resource in New Jersey waters.


Fantasia said that many out-of-state bunker boats come to New Jersey. “They can’t fish (legally) for bunker in their own states, so they come here,” he said.



While nearly everyone in fishery management agrees that protection for mossbunker is long overdue, there are those who don’t believe the ASMFC’s approach is the right way to go.

“It’s the same old, same old,” Jim Donofrio, executive director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance said.” He objects to the ASMFC issuing a list of options to select from rather than going to the real heart of the problem.“You have a plan put out by the ASMFC that would go across the board and cut everybody equally, the bait harvester and the reduction industry. If you look at the numbers, the reduction industry is 80 percent of the fishery. Why are we cutting anything out of the bait fishery that is sustainable and has a low impact on the marine environment?”


The reduction industry is basically one company, Omega Protein, a Houston-based corporation that turns bunker into all kinds of products, from animal feed to vitamins. Its fleet of boats, based in Virginia, locates schools of bunker using spotter planes, then nets the fish and vacuums them onto the ships. The boats operate in the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.


“It’s a publicly traded company. In order for it to be successful, it has to catch the very last menhaden,” Donofrio said. To Donofrio, Omega Protein is the heart of the problem.


Those interested in voicing their opinion on Draft Addendum V and what can be done to protect the mendahden stock, New Jersey’s public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m on Sept. 29 at 33 Washington St. in the L. M. Hirshblond Room in Toms River. Draft Addendum V, is available at ww.asmfc.org/ speciesdocuments/menhaden.