The Process of Banding Geese

Today proved to be quite an adventure as I experienced the process of banding geese. Before actually learning how to go about doing it, I kept imagining a giant net and each of us attempting to wrestle a goose to the ground. Luckily, I was way off. I'm going to be honest. The idea of getting anyway near a goose terrified me. They're the birds that hiss and seemingly have no problem squawking and chasing after you. I didn't think I'd be able to handle the geese at all, but I'm happy to say that I did fairly well after a little bit of practice.

Our first task was to locate an area where there would be geese. The FWS employees we worked with did this on a regular basis, so they knew exactly where to go. Once we arrived at the sight, it was time to lay out the capture area. A couple of people went out in kayaks to herd the geese onto land where the rest of us were hiding. The plan for each encounter was to first let the geese group together on land, providing them with the assumption that they were safe. We would then show ourselves, making no fast movements towards them until we were close enough to a large piece of fence we used to form a fenced in area. As we held the fencing and moved closer in, it became fairly easy to keep them contained. The time before all of this involved a lot of waiting and the real fun didn't start until after. Below is a picture from my view of the clearing and the fencing I would be using to contain the geese, followed by a gathering of geese herded in.  

There were some of us who wrote down recaptures, birds that had previously been banded, and some who actually handled the birds. The FWS employees, and some fellow interns, took care of the actual banding, which involved sexing the bird and recording the number of the band put on the bird's leg. I ended up handling birds for most of the day. I didn't do well my first time, but I conquered the nerves and got the hang of it, braving the angry geese at 3 locations throughout the day. Overall, the day went fairly well, and I learned a lot. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Below are pictures of myself holding a goose and the make-shift stand holding the bands before they were placed on the geese. 

Beachcombing

Today, I led my first walk on the topic of beachcombing at Holgate. I had known of the hobby vaguely, but I knew nothing of its past before this internship. Originating in the south Pacific, the process of hunting through the soft sand for shells was first done by sailors who were unemployed. They would often times search for flotsam and jetsam rather than simply shells, which is the wreckage of a ship and the belongings of a ship thrown overboard, respectively. The shells and other items found would be used for trading among Native people. Today, beachcombing is considered simply looking for what the sea may hold rather than parts or items from a boat. Those who are truly dedicated will monitor tide charts and other factors of an area in order to time when is best to go out and search. I led a group of 8 people along the beach, identifying as many shells as I had learned, spouting out fun facts to keep them engaged. There were scallops, clams, mussels, horseshoe crabs, and moon snails. Each and every shell has once been or housed a living creature, and they are more part of the ecosystem than many of us realize. I hope to have more pictures to show as the summer continues, since I will be leading this walk every Sunday. Below is a photo of what was a crab and a knobbed whelk shell I found a few days prior on a different beach.

  

Piping Plover Plight

Listed as an endangered species in 1986, the piping plover is a small shorebird that struggles with finding well-kept nesting habitat and simply surviving through the disturbance from other animals and the uninformed public. It is a very small bird that I had the pleasure of observing yesterday on an island designated as a protected wilderness area in New Jersey. Pictured below is an adult plover, taken from the Wikipedia page.

Found nesting along the Atlantic coast and Great Lakes in the United States, this small sand-colored bird stands at a mere 6 to 7.5 inches once full grown. While I was monitoring the nests, the adults I saw seemed so much smaller and blended in very well with the surrounding sand and seashells. The call they emit is short and difficult to discern among many other calling birds. It took me a while to finally hear its call, and I'm sure I won't be able to forget it. Not requiring any vegetation to consume or nest, the ideal habitat is among sandy beaches or rocky coasts. Pictured below are some photos I took of the island where they were nesting. 

Migrating south for the winter, towards Florida and even the Bahamas, the nesting season of these birds starts in mid-May and continues on into the beginning of summer. Because of the limited numbers and large availability of suitable habitat for the birds in New Jersey, there are areas under federal protection solely for the purpose of maintaining an area for nesting and closed to the public for the duration. During this season, employees, or in this case interns, of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge take on the task of observing and monitoring the birds and the nests. Adult pairs are sought out first, fueling the hope for many nests and chicks. Once eggs are starting to be laid, interns observe the adults and attempt to seek out the nests. This is done by noting the behavior of the adults. They are a territorial bird and nest with a large amount of space between each other. If a bird seems to be calling a lot and going through the broken-wing display in an attempt to get your attention, chances are there is a nest somewhere very close by. The job of finding the nest isn't easy, though. The adult will attempt to lead you away from the nest, and it is then imperative to watch each step that is taken. Even when you have an idea of where the nest is located, it can blend in so very well. Because it consists of a scrape in the sand, often decorated with broken seashells, it can be easily bypassed. The fact that the eggs are sand colored doesn't help either. Once the nest is finally found, the job of the intern is to make notes on the location and leave the nest as soon as possible, in order to avoid further stressing the adults. With many predators to fend off, even without the addition of the general human public, nests will sometimes be enclosed in wire fencing, leaving just enough room for an adult to fit through. Foxes, raccoons, gulls, and crabs are still clever, though. Monitors of the nests try their best to protect it, but the designation of an area as a federally protected wilderness area prevents it from being altered or aided in any way. The fate is left up to nature. Interns will make frequent checks, though, and chicks will be observed to be sure the eggs did hatch and weren't eaten. I was able to see three, and they were simply specks moving across the sand, standing at 2 inches when hatched. Pictured below are some of the nests from the area I was at and photos of a chick and broken-wing display, taken from Wikipedia and RedBubble. 

Piping Plovers will lay up to 4 eggs, usually one every other day. They will often re-nest if something destroys the first nest. 

Only so much can be done to try and maintain the population of a truly amazing little bird, and I love knowing that there are people out there who care. It is my hope that more people will make the attempt to help and protect in any way possible, and I enjoy knowing that I can help in making the first step through education. 

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

Spending time here at another refuge, I can't help but recall memories made at the first refuge I interned at last fall: Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, located in South Texas. It's been almost a year, and I still get excited thinking of all that I was able to experience. I'm originally from South Texas, so the area wasn't as much of a culture shock as it could have been. My internship was mainly visitor services and outreach events, which had me running the Visitor Center a lot and also promoting the refuge in various locations. I was also able to be a tour guide on the tram that traveled the wildlife drive. I had originally hoped to have more experience with educating, working with schools in the area, but I was happy to have done what I was able to do. I also had the privilege of creating a refuge event that had never been done before. It was a lot of work but totally worth it! I appeared on TV to promote the event, which was a bit nerve-wracking, but many people showed up, and the kids all really enjoyed it. I'm hoping my experience here at Forsythe NWR will be just as memorable. Below are some photos from my adventures in Texas!

Map of Santa Ana

One of two towers on the refuge

Spanish moss

Cemetery on the refuge

Me with the Blue Goose at RGV Birding Festival

Face make-up to be an ocelot!

Getting ready for a Christmas parade

Giving a tour

Discussing invasive plants

Talking about cats

Dressed up for the scavenger hunt!

Video of myself and another intern promoting the refuge scavenger hunt

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

I have been in New Jersey for 5 days now, and I've enjoyed every moment so far. I am currently interning at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge for the summer as an outreach intern stationed at Holgate. I will be spending the majority of my summer sitting at an exhibit on the beach to inform the public of the protected wilderness area for nesting birds. The picture below shows our display for piping plovers, which are an endangered species of bird, and a variety of shells and brochures.

I will also be leading two of four guided nature walks down the beach throughout the summer. I'll be in charge of the Wilderness Walk and the Beachcombing Walk. The walk will allow the public to walk into the protected wilderness area, albeit only for a short time. 

The refuge headquarters itself is beautiful, located in Oceanville, NJ. The Visitor Center is amazing, housing many interesting displays and a live video feed of osprey chicks. There is an 8-mile wildlife drive overseeing many salt marshes and a forested area. I drove along it for the first time just yesterday, and I was able to see a diamondback terrapin laying eggs, two deer, and many birds, including willets, laughing gulls, great egrets, snowy egrets, canadian geese, and an american oystercatcher. While at Holgate, I also got to see my first wild Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, one of which jumped out of the water! Below are some pictures of the refuge itself.

 I hope to have many more amazing experiences as the summer continues!

Snakes

I may have once had a fear of snakes when I was younger, but I am constantly amazed by them as I get to see them and learn more and more. Holding the large ones and getting to feel the powerful muscles in their bodies is both exciting and a little scary. Many could choose to harm you if they really wanted to, but I have yet to be bitten. I like holding the smaller ones, but it's a little frustrating with how quickly they can move. The patterns a snake can exhibit on the skin are always beautiful, and they do not feel slimy at all, contrary to what many may believe. Watching them feed is fascinating, as they expand their skull to fit prey in and use the entire rest of the body to digest. Movement is crazy to think about because many species use the ends of their ribs to move across the ground. It's nearly impossible for us to even imagine! I get sad when people say they don't like snakes with no good reasoning. Many are so often misunderstood, and I would be happy if every person decided to give them a chance. 

Sunkhaze National Wildlife Refuge 2

As the not-so-exciting and very cold night came to an end, our second morning at Sunkhaze was spent canoeing on Pickerel Pond to find eastern painted turtles. They were abundant among logs and on the shore, basking in the sun. My canoe partner and I managed to catch four, but we decided to spend most of the time just observing. 

The males could be discerned from females based on their large claws and space between the end of the shell and the cloaca, which is lacking on females. Male turtles often have a more concave plastron, too, in order to sit easier on the female when engaging in fertilization, but it's not always obvious on aquatic turtles. The young ones were too small to discern a sex. 

In the afternoon, before heading back to campus, we tried again to look for snakes. We went to some large open areas with thick grass and fallen trees. I saw one garter snake but wasn't able to catch it. We did find a small snapping turtle at the water area we had gone to the previous night to find frogs. A mink frog was also found, pictured below. It is often confused with the green frog but emits a musky, mink smell when handled.  

As we left Sunkhaze and headed back to COA, we stopped at Hamilton Pond to check out some traps we had set for snapping turtles. We had managed to capture two, one male and one female. They were obviously angry and pretty large but not at their full size. The defense for the snapping turtle on land is to live up to its name. They can extend their neck quite far and have very powerful jaws. When they're disturbed in water, they usually make the attempt to run away first, but they're more vicious on land because of the vulnerability. 

Our trip quickly came to an end, and I decided it had been one of the best field trips since starting at COA.