SAVE WILD BLOG

June 20, 2024

Eyes On Eagles

Excerpt from the 2022 Annual Review

In 2018 Mercer County Parks located the first bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nest in our parks. The nest was securely out of public view and produced one healthy chick that fledged (left the nest) in early July.

In cooperation with the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species Program (NJENSP), the Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) and PSE&G, the Wildlife Center, the Park Commission and the Wildlife Center Friends worked to develop an education opportunity for the residents of Mercer County. The goal was two-fold. First, to keep the eagles safe and undisturbed and, second, to allow the residents to learn more about our newest neighbors. Eyes on Eagles was born - or hatched!

With funding from PSE&G, a nest camera was installed in the fall of 2018, prior to the nesting season. It had a great view of the nest and the lake. Volunteer training began and education plans started. And then, during the 2019 nesting season, the eagles moved to another location! No where near the camera. However, in a better location for public viewing from a distance with binoculars and spotting scopes. The nest produced two chicks that fledged at the end of June. Also, in 2019 another nest was located in Mercer County. That nest also produced two chicks who successfully fledged at the end of June.

In 2020, as with the rest of the world, the program came to a screeching halt. We managed a couple of virtual programs but nothing in person. The eagles did not care about our program. They continued with their mating and nesting. Both nests were successful. Each produced two chicks that fledged in the middle of June.

In 2021 the nests were again successful. The original nest produced three chicks and the second nest produced two. The first nest got a late start and thus, the chicks fledged late, in mid-July. The second nest got an earlier start and those chicks fledged in mid-June.

Talks began about putting a camera on one of the new nests. The climber from CWF assessed both nest locations in the late summer of 2021. It was determined that neither nest tree was suitable for a camera. Either tree branches blocked the view or the tree was not safe to get the camera in a workable location. There had also always been a secondary wish to add the Mercer County eagles to the NJENSP database by doing examinations, getting measurements and blood samples, then placing identification bands on the chicks. In order to accomplish that, someone needs to get to the nest and safely get the chicks to the ground and the veterinarian!

Again, both nest trees were checked for climbing safety. The first nest was not accessible. The second nest, with a little creativity, was able to be fitted with climbing equipment. The equipment was put in place in the late summer of 2021 and we crossed our fingers for nesting success in 2022.

Unfortunately, the original nest was not used in 2022. Maybe such a large group of nestlings the previous year encouraged them to take a year off! We are hoping for them to return for the 2023 nesting season. The second nest was successful in producing two chicks in 2023. On a beautiful day in mid-April a banding trip was scheduled. The biologist from NJENSP was surprised to find a single chick in the nest. Evidently, one of the chicks had fallen or had been predated. There had been a strong storm a few days earlier and we were all suspicious that if the chick had landed on the ground, the water would have swept it away.

The second chick was strong and healthy. It was placed in a duffle bag and safely transported to the ground for its physical and banding. Park Ranger Springsteen noticed a person climbing the tree from a distance and arrived to investigate. The Rangers are all aware of the proper distancing from the nest and work diligently to keep the eagles safe and undisturbed. He got a reward for his efforts and had his photo taken with the chick before it was replaced in the nest. The chick was also fitted with a green New Jersey identification band and a silver one from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. This marked the first time an eagle chick from a Mercer County Park nest had been examined and banded.

As an aside, this chick tried to fledge a few weeks early and was found on the ground by NJENSP volunteer nest watchers, Kevin and Karin Buynie. It was brought to the Center for radiographs and a veterinary exam. With a clean bill of health and no injuries, it was returned to the nest a few days later. It managed o stay put until it fledged in mid-May.

We look forward to the adult birds returning to both nests this year to continue the Eyes on Eagle program and to possibly band more chicks to add to the state database.

Picture: A healthy fawn hiding in behind a shrub. The mother returned to this fawn 4 hours later.

May 24, 2023

It is that time of the year again…

… the season of young animals! In late spring and early summer months it is not uncommon to find fawns hiding alone in and around your yard. Though you may be alarmed that its mother is nowhere to be seen, this is normal behavior and usually no cause for concern.

While adult white-tailed deer carry a scent, fawns are born with no identifiable scent. For survival purposes, mothers will leave their fawns behind shrubs, in tall grasses, or brush for hours at a time while she feeds a short distance away.

Despite this vulnerability, fawns have many features that protect them from predation. In addition to a lack of scent, fawns will remain still and quiet in the location their mother left them.

A fawn’s bright white spots also help them to camouflage into their natural surroundings.

In some rare circumstances, you may encounter a fawn that is abandoned and in need of help.

Signs of a fawn in distress include: crying and wandering around an area for an extended period of time, laying on its side with its legs stretched out, attracting flies, having noticeable injuries, and finding a fawn near a deceased adult deer. In these circumstances, it is appropriate to contact a wildlife rehabilitator.

If you find a fawn alone and not displaying signs of distress- leave it where it is. Moving or kidnapping a healthy and cared-for fawn does it more harm than good. As a protected species, it is also illegal to “rescue” or keep white-tailed deer as pets.

If you notice a fawn in distress or are unsure whether it is abandoned, please contact us at (609) 303-0552 for further assistance.