Woodbridge Creek (East) Mitigation Area

Woodbridge Creek (East) Mitigation Area. . , A few of many supported endemic flora and fauna within the Woodbridge Creek Wetland Ecosystem., ❶ Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) also known colloquially as seahawk, fish hawk or fish eagle, are well-loved birds of our coastal bays and marshes. Formerly known as the fish hawk, ospreys rely almost exclusively on fish for their diet. They have taken well to human structures, such as duck blinds and channel markers, for nest structures. They, like eagles and falcons, succumbed to the effects of DDT and their population dropped to about 60 pairs by the early 1970s. With the help of biologists and, more recently, volunteers who put up nest structures, they have recovered to more than 360 nesting pairs in New Jersey., ❷ Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) use freshwater sites, and even dry fields, but most frequently are found in brackish water and marshes and often nest in mixed colonies with other water birds. Snowy Egrets feed on small fish, crustaceans (particularly shrimp, fiddler crabs, crayfish) but also on frogs, lizards, snakes, worms, snails, insects, and even mice., ❸ Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) was historically a common breeding species along the New Jersey coast. During the late 1880s, the species was frequently shot at nesting and roosting sites for its plumes and as food. Following the 1910 ban of plume sales in New York markets, populations began to quickly recover. As its name implies, this noisy bird is largely nocturnal, beginning to forage at dusk, when other herons are on their way to roosts. These birds are sluggish hunters, standing quietly for long periods of time waiting for a frog or fish to pass by., ❹ Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is an adaptable bird whose large size enables it to feed on a variety of prey from large fish and frogs to mice, small birds, and insects. The Great Blue has one of the widest ranges of any North American heron., ❺ Northern Harrier (Circus Cyaneus) is a native, permanent resident of our area. This medium-sized raptor, formerly referred to as the "marsh hawk," has been listed as endangered in New Jersey since 1984, and is listed as threatened in New York. The Northern harrier hunts on the wing and uses its hearing to locate prey. It is a beautiful and efficient flyer and can cover up to 100 miles a day seeking small rodents and birds to eat. During courtship, the male performs an intricate aerial dance. Current threats to the Northern harrier include ongoing pesticide use and the loss of breeding habitat, specifically the filling of wetlands and the development of grasslands habitats., ❻ Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a medium-sized plover. Adults have a brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with two black bands. the rump is tawny orange. The face and cap are brown with a white forehead. They have an orange-red eye ring. The chicks are patterned almost identically to the adults, and are precocial - able to move around right after hatching. The Killdeer frequently use a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest., ❼ Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoeuca) The Greater Yellowlegs is a mottled gray wading bird with long, bright yellow legs. It is similar in appearance to its smaller relative, the Lesser Yellowlegs. Greater Yellowlegs breed in muskeg bogs in the northern boreal forest. Their wintering and migration habitats are more general; they can be found in many fresh and saltwater wetland habitats, including open marshes, mudflats, estuaries, open beaches, lakeshores, and riverbanks. During the breeding season, insects and insect larvae are the primary source of food. During winter migration, small fish, crustaceans, snails, and other aquatic animals round out the diet., ❽ Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Every fall, from points around the United States and Canada, monarch butterflies pull off a near miraculous feat of navigation, fluttering thousands of miles to converge by the millions on a few patches of Mexican forest that they've never seen before. They go to only a dozen over wintering sites, just west of Mexico City. They precisely calculate flight direction using the angle of the sun and the time of the day, all with brains the size of a grain of sand., ❾ Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) one of the most often cited functions of intertidal wetlands is their utilization of resident and estuarine-dependent fish and macrocrustacean species. The mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, is the resident fish species that is most abundant in tidal wetlands of the U.S. Atlantic coast. They are a primary food source for herons and egrets., ❿ Fiddler crabs (Uca Pugnax) are a crucial link in the ecology of a salt marsh. They help aerate the soil around marsh grasses and stimulate the turnover of important nutrients in the soil. Fiddlers are also a favorite prey of larger predators such as blue crabs, egrets and herons, and small mammals such as raccoons. They are also sensitive to environmental contaminants such as insecticides and heavy metals., ⓫ Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) is a migratory passerine bird that breeds in North America and winters in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Outside of the breeding season the Tree Swallow congregates into enormous flocks and night roosts, sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands. They swirl around like a living tornado and as darkness approaches they then wheel low over the marsh or grove of small trees., ⓬ Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) Nine species of bats are considered regular residents of New Jersey. Natural caves once provided hibernating habitat for bats, but today most caves are subject to disturbance by people and thus are not suitable for use by bats. Bats are probably most known for echolocation, their amazing ability to navigate in total darkness using sonar. One bat can eat approximately 3,000 insects in one night during the summer months., ⓭ Summersweet Bush, Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) is a vase-shaped deciduous shrub, which features fluffy, bottle brush-like, 3-6" spikes of extremely fragrant white flowers that are an extremely important nectar source in summer. Glossy, dark green leaves turn a rich yellow in autumn., ⓮ Common Buttonbush (Cepahlanthus occidentalis L.) is an obligate wetland shrub suitable for wetland restoration, created wetlands, and riparian zones. It has exceptional wildlife benefits. The seed is eaten by eight species of waterfowl and the twigs by three species of mammals., ⓯ Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) is quite often used for candles because of the wonderful scent it gives off and sometimes insects like the praying mantis nest in its leaves. Bayberry provides winter food to many songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds and marsh birds. Species that benefit from Bayberry include eastern meadowlark, white-eyed vireo, yellow-rumped warbler, tree swallow, and red-winged blackbird., ⓰ Saltmarsh Cordgrass (Spartina alteniflora) is a perennial deciduous grass which is found in inter-tidal wetlands, especially estuarine salt marshes. It grows 3-5 feet tall, and has smooth, hollow stems which bear leaves up to 8-24 inch long and 0.5 inch wide at their base, which are sharply tapered and bend down at their tips. Like its relative Saltmeadow Cordgrass S. patens, it produces flowers and seeds on only one side of the stalk. The flowers are a yellowish-green, turning brown by the winter. It has deep roots, which, when broken off, can result in vegetative asexual growth. The roots are an important food resource for Snow and Canada Geese, lack duck, rails, seaside and sharp tailed sparrows, and muskrat., ⓱ Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) Blooms in late summer - pink, white or crimson varieties. These flowers can be as big as a person's hand. To conserve moisture, the flowers close during the hot day and reopen when the sun fades.