Forty years ago, there were 53 pairs of ospreys in New Jersey. By 2013, there were 542. Since 2014, New Jersey Osprey Project has banded 157 of the fish hawks with red anodized bands that contain a large white code of numbers written over a capital "C" or "D." Now the project, which is part of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, would like you to keep an eye out for those ospreys and share what you see.
The sightings will become part of Project RedBand, which the Osprey Project on its website describes as a citizen-science-based effort to engage the public in osprey management and conservation along the Jersey Shore.
Data from Project RedBand also will reveal where the ospreys are, what they're eating, how long they live, where they migrate to and the route they take to get there, according to the website.
Project RedBand is based in Barnegat Bay, in Ocean County, but you don't necessarily have to live there to participate. Birds get around. And Project RedBand is online.
Among the information the site asks for: the number on the red band; the time of sighting; location of sighting (GPS, if possible); what the osprey is doing (for example, feeding, flying, nesting); the nearest town.
A photo helps, too. In some cases, a photo of the red band is "critical" to confirm sightings, and you should try, if possible, to get a high-resolution photo of the band, the website says.
Chances are the osprey won't be right in front of you, so make sure you have binoculars, or a phone or camera with a zoom that lets you read clearly from a distance.
For more information or to submit data, go to www(dot)conservewildlifenj(dot)org/protecting/projects/redband
The sightings will become part of Project RedBand, which the Osprey Project on its website describes as a citizen-science-based effort to engage the public in osprey management and conservation along the Jersey Shore.
Data from Project RedBand also will reveal where the ospreys are, what they're eating, how long they live, where they migrate to and the route they take to get there, according to the website.
Project RedBand is based in Barnegat Bay, in Ocean County, but you don't necessarily have to live there to participate. Birds get around. And Project RedBand is online.
Among the information the site asks for: the number on the red band; the time of sighting; location of sighting (GPS, if possible); what the osprey is doing (for example, feeding, flying, nesting); the nearest town.
A photo helps, too. In some cases, a photo of the red band is "critical" to confirm sightings, and you should try, if possible, to get a high-resolution photo of the band, the website says.
Chances are the osprey won't be right in front of you, so make sure you have binoculars, or a phone or camera with a zoom that lets you read clearly from a distance.
For more information or to submit data, go to www(dot)conservewildlifenj(dot)org/protecting/projects/redband
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