NJAS Blogs

Author:	Research Department	Created:	1/6/2008 6:48 PM
The New Jersey Audubon Society fosters the application of sound scientific principles and practices to address conservation issues related to vertebrate and invertebrate fauna, and the natural habitats with which they are associated. Our mission is to design and conduct scientifically valid research that provides information to support ongoing conservation initiatives in our state and region wide.

More from the End of the Earth - January 18-19

By Research Department on 1/31/2008 4:35 PM

Our plan for today is to try a catch at the site that Riccardo staked out two days ago when he had several thousand birds roosting in the Salicornia. But first we spend time cleaning the cannons of debris and remnant gunpowder. Residue can dramatically affect the performance of the cannon and cause a misfire. We also need to construct the new keeping cage in the event that we catch lots of Hudsonian Godwits. That's certainly out intent, along with catching more Red Knots, and it would be great to mark more of these fantastic birds.

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More Adventures from Fin del Monde (Spanish for the "End of the World") January 14-17

By Research Department on 1/19/2008 6:13 PM

I'm writing this chapter after an pulling an all-nighter, banding all-nighter, that is. When I left off last the team (11 of us) was just off to set up mist nets on the mud flats at Bahia Lomas. At the catching site we meet up with a team of biologists from Chile's Department of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG in Chilean) and US Department of Agriculture who are here to collect fecal and saliva samples to check for avian influenza.

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Trek to the End of the Earth: Red Knot Wintering Grounds in Tierra del Fuego, Chile - Janauary 13

By Research Department on 1/14/2008 4:34 PM

Successful expeditions to catch sandpipers, whether they occur in South or North America, takes considerable work. My take on it that the effort ratio is 90% preparation, 10% execution. The better the preparation, the greater the probability of success. A little luck never hurts either...

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Trek to the End of the Earth: Red Knot Wintering Grounds in Tierra del Fuego, Chile - January 11-12

By Research Department on 1/13/2008 11:58 AM

Our trek to Tierra del Fuego (means "Land of Fire" in Spanish) to monitor Red Knot populations on their wintering grounds began today. For me it started with a 90 mile drive to Philadelphia International Airport from my house in Atlantic County, NJ. Here I met up with my colleagues, Larry Niles, Amanda Dey and Steve Gates, who drove a similar distance from the Trenton/Princeton area.

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Journey to the End of the Earth - Red Knots Wintering Grounds in Tierra Del Fuego, Chile

By Research Department on 1/12/2008 10:11 PM

The mass migration of birds every spring and fall ranks among the greatest of natural wonders on our planet. Of the many avian species that migrate, a few make spectacular journeys that set them apart from their globetrotting counterparts. These marathon migrants cover many thousands of miles, sometimes non stop, over open oceans, deserts, mountain peaks and inhospitable terrain. ...

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