Seal Release

Last Friday the Marine Mammal Stranding Center came to Sandy Hook with two stranded harp seals. They called our office in hope of recruiting volunteers to help with the release. There are two environmental organizations (American Littoral Society and Clean Ocean Action) in our building so MMSC had no problem convincing a few of us to leave our desks and help them with the seals. In fact, MMSC likely releases the seals at Sandy Hook because of the easy access to volunteers. One phone call to our building and they get at least five people willing to help out. There have been about ten seals released in the past couple of months, most of them harp seals. The strange thing about this is that NJ is really far out of this seal’s range. In fact, the US in general is out the harp seal’s range. Harp seals are highly migratory, but tend not to come south of Canada. Scientists are unsure why the seals are coming so far south, but some speculate that they could be following a food source down. One consequence of the seals coming further south is that there have been a lot of strandings. You might recall the seal that was found by a snow plow driver in Woodbridge last year during a snow storm. That was a harp seal. There have also been reports of harp seals showing up on golf courses and in parking lots. Harp seals spend most of their winters up on ice packs. There doesn’t tend to be floating ice off the coast of NJ so this could be why the seals are coming up onto land. Seals rely on the ice as a source of fresh water and to escape the cold winter waters. Unfortunately when the harp seals come up onto land they can get stuck there. Enter Marine Mammal Stranding Center along with a handful of excited volunteers from building 18!

Harp seals can weigh 400 lb and measure 6 ft in length so it took a lot of muscle to carry the cage from the truck down to the water’s edge. The first seal we released, a large female, quickly made her way to the ocean. The second seal, which was a lot smaller, was hesitant to leave the cage. He would make his a way a few feet towards the ocean and then stop. It took a bit of pushing from the brave volunteers at MMSC (harp seals can leave a nasty bite if they want to), but eventually they got him to enter the water. He is equipped with a tracking device so that they can monitor his movement and make sure he doesn’t get stranded again. Check out mmsc.org for information on strandings and rescues.

Last night was the Littoral Society’s second Family Night of the summer. On Thursday nights in July and August families meet the American Littoral Society at building 18. They start the night off with a bit of history about ALS from Frank, a board member who has been to almost every family night since we started doing them many years ago. Having been around since 1961, the American Littoral Society has many great traditions, and you get a real sense of history and camaraderie when participating in events like family night.
Next we break out the microscopes and curious kids (and parents) take a look at the tiny organisms often overlooked in our coastal waters. They find that the water is teaming with plankton. We also bring out some of the baby horseshoe crabs we have been raising, another educational project in the works.
Then the real fun begins. We head down to horseshoe cove with buckets, kiddy pools, and our 40 foot seine net for a close encounter with what’s just below the surface of the water. Last night, all of the kids were eager to help pull the seine net and transfer our catch into the pool for a closer look. We all huddled over the pool examining our catch, ALS staff and parents just as excited as the kids. Our catch last night included a swill of silversides, striped killifish, northern kingfish, comb jellies, blue claw crabs, and grass shrimp. Digging and wading in the tidal pool at horseshoe cove, we were also able to find hermit crabs, mud snails, fiddler crabs, and Asian shore crabs. With each new critter we found, there was a story to tell. That’s what I love most about Family Night, the exchange of stories and thus knowledge.
As the sun began to set, we had to pack up. As we released the catch, flocks of terns and even a few skimmers came by to check out what we found. I think that they are trained at this point to know that once we pack up there is a feast awaiting them. We all stood back and watched the show before us, terns plummeting into the water and coming up with silversides.

We all left with sandy feet, smiles on our faces, and hopefully a new love for the coast.

Littorally Yours,
Stevie

On June 27th, I joined the American Littoral Society’s New York Chapter for a sunset cruise of Jamaica Bay. Located just across the bay area between Sandy Hook and Brooklyn, NY, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge provides vital habitat for many species of birds, fish, and invertebrates. Birds tend to be heavily concentrated in this natural sanctuary surrounded by the intense urban development of the city.
The birds weren’t the only ones enjoying the rich ecosystem of Jamaica Bay, Littoral Society folks from NY and NJ were also eager to bask in the beauty of the refuge. Over 100 enthusiastic cruisers were led by expert naturalists Don Riepe and Mickey Cohen aboard the Golden Sunshine. They pointed out several birds to the crowd including common and least terns, black crowned night heron, great blue heron, egret, osprey, and northern harrier. We also got a really great look at a peregrine falcon that was nesting on the bridge. The sun setting over the salt marsh and the bay was absolutely gorgeous. Be sure to check out the Littoral Society’s other upcoming cruises in Barnegat Bay and Jamaica Bay in September.

Littorally Yours,
Stevie

Photos courtesy of Don Riepe

Summer Solstice

It’s the official start of summer and the longest day of the year. It is also the date of the Summer Solstice walk, one of the American Littoral Society’s many great traditions. Twenty five people joined Littoral Society and park staff for an evening stroll around the Hook last night. On our way to North Beach we checked out the Sandy Hook light house and the old batteries and learned a bit of Sandy Hook’s history. Additionally, Botany Bill and other Littoral Society folks pointed out some of Sandy Hook’s many plants to the group. We were also able to spot some of Sandy Hook’s resident birds including great egret, eastern towhee, osprey, cat bird, and black crowned night heron.
The timing was perfect; the sun had set as we arrived at the North Beach pavilion and it was just dark enough to see the New York City lights twinkling across the ocean. As we gazed out at the water many people asked great questions, testing our knowledge about Sandy Hook and the littoral zone. The Solstice Walk has been might favorite event thus far. It didn’t quite feel like we were giving a tour, it was more like exploring and sharing stories with friends. It was educational yet very casual and a great way to get people to know us. Be sure to join us next year!

Littorally Yours,
Stevie

The American Littoral Society brings 12 high school students from Camden and Newark out to Sedge Island every year. It’s a small island in Barnegat bay off the coast of Island Beach State Park. The students leave the urban environment for three days and are completely immersed in nature and the serenity of the salt marsh. No phones, no ipods, and nothing to watch at night but the setting sun. The days are spent kayaking, fishing, clamming, and exploring the littoral zone. Students not only learn about the coastal environment, but also learn the importance of conserving our natural resources. They are encouraged not to turn on lights, use as little water for cleaning as possible, recycle, and compost. There are no flushing toilets on Sedge, instead there is a composting toilet. The students are also required to plan and cook all of their own meals. I’m sure that this way of life was very foreign to some kids, but most of them really seemed to enjoy the experience. Some of them even got up at sunrise in order to get some extra fishing time in. This experience is invaluable for these inner city kids, many of which have never even been to the beach.

My favorite memory of the trip was the horseshoe crab rescue. In order to keep Barnegat inlet from eroding, large geotubes have been placed there. While exploring the inlet, some kids noticed large lumps under the fabric of these manmade structures. The lumps were horseshoe crabs that had come up onto the beach to lay their eggs, but had gotten stuck under the fabric during their journey back to the water. It was a truly compassionate and heroic act as students began to cut the fabric open and pull the horseshoe crabs out. Eight horseshoe crabs were rescued. This may not seem like a huge number as far as boosting the population, but it was a great lesson for the kids. After the rescue, many students stated that they didn’t feel protecting the inlet for human use was really worth the sacrifice of the horseshoe crabs. Sounds like we have some future environmentalists on our hands. The Sedge Island experience is amazing in itself, but experiencing it through the eyes of kids that are so often disconnected from nature makes it truly special.

Littorally Yours,
Stevie

Species Clash

Sandy Hook is home to many beach nesting shore birds. Several sections of Sandy Hook's beaches are closed off from April-August to provide habitat for these migratory birds. Beach nesting birds (as their name implies) lay their eggs directly on the sand and are particularly vulnerable to human traffic on beaches. Closing off sections of the beach provides a safe haven for these birds to nest.
Oystercatchers are a species of special concern in NJ because their populations appear to be declining. They nest both on the bay side and on beaches. While participating in an event last week, I noticed one pair of oystercatchers that chose not to nest in the protected area. Rather, they decided to nest at one of Sandy Hook's busiest beaches. In the middle of all the beach traffic sat one tiny egg and two frantic parents. I'm not sure what made this pair decide to nest here, I guess that they chose the spot before the nice weather and the beaches got busy.
One woman at the event placed some sticks around the egg so that it wouldn't get stepped on. Unless you're looking for the egg, you would never notice it intermingled with all of the rocks and shells in the sand. Before human traffic on beaches was an issue, the eggs of beach nesting birds were beneficially camouflaged from predators. Unfortunately, this adaptation does not protect the oystercatchers from their biggest threat, people.
New Jersey Fish and Wildlife has since put up string and flags around the area to keep people away from the egg. This pair of oystercatchers appears to be pretty skittish. Even though the egg is protected, the parents are still weary of the people on the beach and often fly away from the nest sight. Hopefully the mother is spending enough time on the nest for the egg to incubate. If the egg does hatch, there will certainly be problems if the parents continue to leave the chick alone at the nest site. Young chicks are often predated upon by gulls, fox, raccoons, and feral cats.
The odds are certainly against this oystercatcher family. However, if they are successful, it will be a wonderful opportunity for Sandy Hook's beach-goers to get an up close look at life on the hook.

The other night I joined up with some volunteers to monitor horseshoe crabs. During high tide, between now and June, female horseshoe crabs start to come ashore to lay their eggs. The volunteers disperse to several locations and count the number of male and female horseshoe crabs present. Trained volunteers also tag some horseshoe crabs in order to monitor their populations more efficiently. The tags actually look like beach badges (rather appropriate for the Jersey shore) and have to be attached using an electric drill.
The weather was pretty miserable and apparently the horseshoe crabs weren’t anymore fond of the wet and cold than we were. So we didn’t find any horseshoe crabs, but the evening still held one big surprise.
After leaving the monitoring sight, right in plain view was the largest nest I had ever seen, and inside of it was a juvenile bald eagle. What an amazing sight! We waited a while for the mother to come back, but the chick was big enough where she must have felt comfortable leaving it alone for a while. The juvenile was about the size of an osprey so I can just imagine the size of the parents. I would say spotting that nest definitely made up for the lack of horseshoe crabs. Check out this great link from Duke Farms to get a live view of the bald eagles nesting there: http://www.dukefarms.org/Education/Research/Duke-Farms-Eagle-Cam/Farms-Eagle-Cam/

We did get to see some horseshoe crabs at the Littoral Society’s open house two weeks ago, which I finally got pictures of (check out our special guest from Jenkinson's Aquarium below). Kids (and adults) seem to get really excited when we pick up horseshoe crabs. Most are also relieved to find out that these ancient arthropods do not have giant stingers and can’t actually hurt you. I always like to point out that the bumps on the sides of their heads are actually eyes. I think that being able to see the eyes of an animal allows you to connect more with it. I developed a bit of a soft spot for horseshoe crabs after taking notice to those big eyes so maybe others will too.

Littorally Yours,

Stevie