Three popular raptors - bald eagles, peregrine falcons and ospreys - generally had a good year in New Jersey, according to new state reports.
The state Department of Environmental Protection this week posted 2010 annual reports on the endangered or threatened species.
Here are some of the findings in the reports:
- DEP biologists and volunteer observers monitored a record 94 eagle pairs during the nesting season. Eighty-two nests had eggs, but only 43 nests produced a total of 69 young. That's 0.84 young per active nest, the lowest rate in 17 years. Heavy snow and rain and severe windstorms were linked to the poor results for this endangered species.
A male bald eagle at the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell in 2008 (file photo)
- The population of endangered peregrine falcons remained nearly steady at 25 known pairs, with generally good nesting success.
Ben Wurst with "Squam," a peregrine falcon released into the wild at the Port Monmouth waterfront in 2009 (File photo courtesy of Emily Maxwell/ National Wildlife Foundation)
- Ospreys, a threatened species, had an excellent year. They produced an all-time high of two young per nest - a rare event. The nesting population is very close to the 1940s level - about 500 pairs - before the pesticide DDT was used.
An osprey flies over the Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone in Barnegat Bay in 2010 (file photo by Doug Hood)
