Monthly Program: "Monitoring American Oystercatchers on the Delaware Bay"

The Delaware Bay is well-known for the spectacular concentration of horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds that converge on the bayshore beaches each spring. However, little is known about the activity of another Delaware Bay visitor, the eye-catching and charismatic American oystercatcher. Breeding populations of this species of special concern have been well-monitored along ocean beaches in New Jersey since 2003, but oystercatchers nesting on Delaware Bayshore beaches have been understudied…until now. Learn how biologists from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, The Wetlands Institute, and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service are working together to unravel the mysteries of this relatively new population. Wildlife Biologist Emmy Casper will share stories from the field and discuss how on-the-ground monitoring, trail cameras, and bird banding are all being used to learn more about the oystercatchers that call the Delaware Bay home.

Presenter: Emmy Casper, Wildlife Biologist, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey

Directions: The Holy Nativity Lutheran Church is located just off Rt. 553 (Woodbury Glassboro Rd.) immediately south of the traffic light at Mantua Ave. The church parking lot can be accessed by entrances on either Woodbury-Glassboro Road or Lenape Trail (first left off of Mantua Ave).