Follow A New Jersey Egret's Winter Migration With New Technology

BERNARDSVILLE, NJ — For most of the year, you can spot “Edward the Egret” hanging around the Arthur Kill, the narrow saltwater channel that separates New Jersey from Staten Island. He’s an urban bird, hatched in the New York-New Jersey harbor, and that is where he feels most at home.

But New Jersey Audubon can tell you, with 100 percent pinpoint accuracy, that Edward also likes to head down to Hilton Head, S.C. for parts of the winter, and has some favorite towns he makes sure to visit.

That’s commonly known because New Jersey Audubon caught Edward in June of 2015, placing a transmitter on him. Researchers are now using GPS and a solar-powered device to track Edward wherever he goes for the rest of his life, said Nellie Tsipoura, Ph.D., a Senior Research Scientist for New Jersey Audubon.

Every day, New Jersey Audubon gets texts from Edward’s transmitter, at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., letting Dr. Tsipoura know where he is. His route is easily viewable to the public through njaudubon.org or at http://tinyurl.com/za9uwso.

“We are tracking Edward so we can learn where he is breeding and where he goes when the breeding season is over,” Tsipoura said. “We’ve learned that in June and July he likes to go back and forth between a nesting colony in Staten Island and the Arthur Kill in New Jersey. At the end of September, he moves to Jamaica Bay and then around mid-November, he makes his way down to Hilton Head.”

New Jersey Audubon is collaborating and sharing data with researchers in New York City and North Carolina, as they study habitat use, focusing on conservation. “We want to know what type of habitats these egrets need at different stages of their lives,” Tsipoura said. “We are sharing and comparing our data with a larger set of birds tagged in the same way as Edward; tracking what they do and comparing their patterns.”

The scientist noted Edward has followed a very similar schedule and route two years in a row; he is one dependable egret.

“What has shocked us is his consistency, both in sites he uses and when he migrates from Jamaica Bay to South Carolina,” Tsipoura said. “In 2015, he left on November 23 and on November 22 in 2016. When he’s here, he doesn’t move around much, just back and forth between Staten Island and New Jersey. Clearly, he knows the best places to eat close by.”

The program is part of New Jersey Audubon’s “Cities and Towns” initiative, to focus on local conservation efforts. The program’s biggest challenge is finding the funding support for the transmission of Edward’s daily texts. To learn how you can help, visit njaudubon.org.

At 10 a.m. on a recent morning, Edward texted from Brays Island in South Carolina, with sunny weather and 63 degrees. Clearly, he is enjoying his time as a snowbird.

— By Jasmine Walden

(Images provided)

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