birds

Garrett Testut is a rising junior at Stockton University, where he studies Marine Science with a concentration in Marine Biology, and a minor in Environmental Science. He is a part of our 2023 season internship team. Originally from Connecticut, Garrett has a passion for animal care and behavior and hopes to work in the animal…

Not long ago was plastic almost completely absent in the day to day lives of the average American. Now, it has essentially reached ubiquity. Not surprisingly, its proliferation was initially a reflection of the fertility of American economics during the mid twentieth century. A material referred to as Bakelite, first synthesized by a Belgian chemist named Leo Baekeland in 1907, marked the beginning of what has been rightfully coined “The Polymer Age”. (Meikle, J. L. 1997). It was even marketed as “the material of a thousand uses”, and the infinity symbol was its trademark. (Meikle, J. L. 1997).  A newspaper ad for Bakelite in the early 1900’s. Fast forward to today, and the amount of plastic being produced annually stands out at two hundred and forty five million tons. (Andrady, A. L. 2011). One of the main reasons that the…

Introduction Citizen Science is a project that depends on the collection and analysis of data by members of the general public. These large projects are often collaborative with professional scientists. Citizen science typically is used in the natural sciences, but it can be used in a variety of fields. Many volunteer programs and studies exist…

Cape May is known for its gorgeous shorelines, beautiful Victorian architecture, and interesting history. Its no wonder that the summer months draw 40,000 to 50,000 visitors annually with a steady increase every year (Barlow 2019). While this is good news for the local economy and to the thousands of visitors who choose to vacation in Cape May, this excess foot traffic can be problematic for migrating shorebirds who nest on the coastlines. Adult Black Skimmer Shorebirds are some of the most migratory animals known to science today, and the habitats they utilize for nesting and feeding are extremely important to maintaining a healthy weight while migrating and for successfully raising chicks. Many of these vulnerable shorebirds have seen declines since the 1970s. Factors affecting these birds include degradation of their wintering or staging grounds through development, human disturbance, pesticide use,…

The red knot is a shore bird species that visits the shores of Cape May on its migration route. This species has the longest migration route of any species that visits our shores. It travels from tropical and temperate conditions in the winter all the way to the Arctic for breeding, a journey that totals…

05/25/2015 Now that I’ve caught up on sleep a bit, here’s a more elaborate description of the successful Cape May overnight trip. See Life Paulagics ran a highly successful overnight trip that racked up 4 NJBRC review species! (Yes, Mr. Boyle, I will be writing them up.) We left Sunday night a little after 10:00…