[ NEARSHORE WILDLIFE HABITATS AND POPULATIONS IN THE NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY HARBOR ESTUARY by D. F. Squires Marine Sciences Institute and J. S. Barclay Department of Natural Resources Management and Engineering The University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut November 1990 , " CONTENTS Introduction. • •1 Concept of urban wildlife resources .. • .2 Purpose and limitations of report .. · .3 Definitions . 3. Study area .. ·3 Hildlife . 4 Information ... •• 5 Nearshore habitats in the ~ew York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary ...•.•.. • 7 Description of the study area ••. • 7 Geography . • 8 Geology ... ..9 Modification of nearshore habitats .11 Modifications resulting from port and port• related development ••••••.•••.••••.•. ... 11 Modifications resulting from urbanization •. •••• 14 Summary .....•.•..........•.•.. .. 19 Fu ture Trends ....• • . 24 Impacts of physical alteration on nearshore habitats .27 Nethods .... .. 31 Atlas of documented natural areas .. .. 31 Mapping . .36 Habitat modification recommendations •.39 Uildlife populations .39 Data . .39 Bird surveys . .41 Results and discussion .•. • 44 Time frame and data .. .44 Uildlife habitats . ••••. 44 Natural areas .44 Parks and open space. ••. 46 Wildlife populations ......• .47 Matrix of wildlife species .. ....... 41 Amphibians and reptiles .50 Birds .. ••• 55 l'tamma1s .84 Wildlife values •. • • • 86 Conclusions and recommendations .67 Ha bit at .....•..•.... .. 88 Recommendations 1-3. .88 Habitat modification . .91 Wildlife populations .92 Recommendations 4-8 .........•........................ 92 llildlife habitats .................•.•..................... 93 Re c ommen d a t ion s 9-16 93 Peop Ie 94 R e c 0 mm end a t ion s 18 -20 .•...•••...••.......•.•........• 94 tv i 1 d 1 i f e 94 Recommendations 21-22 94 Pe-op 1 e 95 R e c 0 mm end a tion s 23 -28 95 References Ci ted ...............•.•...............•.•.•.............. 97 Appendices A. List of vertebrate species cited in this report 102 B. Atlas of parks and natural areas within the vicinity of the New York/NelJ Jersey Harbor Estuary· ................•........l08 C. Species matrix for birds, mammals, amphibiansI and reptiles for natural areas within the vicinity of the New York/New Jersey Ha rb 0 rEs tu ary ••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••••••. 182 D. Maps of wetlands and open space in the New York/New Jersey Harbor Es tuary 251 E. The influence of urban structure and human settlement on birdlife in the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary area 265 F. A bibliography of the habitats and wildlife within the vicinity of the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary •...............298 I II ~I I " illil " I ~11 I ,iii, i I FIGURES 1. The New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary study area .......•...•.•... 6 2. Growth of settled areas of New York City from 1800 through 1934 .•....•••.......•••.•.•......••..•...... 13 3. Growth of human population in the New York/New Jersey me tr0 pol i tan reg ion •••••••.••••.....•.•.•••..••••.... 17 4. Status of made lands and infilled wetlands as of 1900 .••.••.•.•.. 21 5. Status of made lands and infilled wetlands as of 1966 22 6. Status of made lands and infilled wetlands 'as of 1939 •.•.••.•.... 23 7. Map of 39 major natural areas for which wildlife habitat and/or population data were. obtained .•................••.... 32 8. Map of eleven Christmas Bird Count circles whose data vere included in the analyses of winter bird populations as described in this report ••....•.•..... 43 9. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Red-throated Loon; Horned Grebe; Northern Gannet; Great Cormorant; Double-crested Cormorant; Great Blue tIe r 0 n 57 10. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Black-crowned Night Heron; Mute Swan; Snow Goose; Brant; Canada Gaa sc; Gre en-1·1in ged Tea 1 , 58 11. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Black Duck;• Mallard; Northern Pintail; Northern Shoveler; Gad 1-1a 11; Am e ri can Wig eon •.....•....•....•.••.•.••.•.. 59 12. Population trends from Ch~istmas Bird Counts: Canvasback; Redhead; Ring-necked Duck; Greater Scaup; Lesser Scaup; Old Squal-1.....•...............•......•. 60 13. Population trends from Christmas Bird Count: Black Seater; Surf Seater; White-winger Scoter; Common Goldeneye; Bufflehead; Hooded Herganser ......••...... 61 14. Population trends from Christmas Bird Count: Common Merganser; Red-brested Merganser; Ruddy Duck; Northern Harrier; Red-tailed Hawk; Ameri~an Ke s t r a 1 ..•.•.••.. '•.....•••••••.••••.•.••••••••••• ' ••.. 62 15. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Ring-necked Pheasant; Ruffed Grouse; Northern Bobwhite; American Coot; Black-bellied Plover; Killdeer .•••••.. 63 16. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Ruddy Turnstone; Sanderling; Purple Sandpiper; Dunlin; Laughing Gull; Common Black-headed Gull .•.•.......•••.•....... 64 17. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Bonapart's Gull; Ring-billed Gull; Herring Gull; Great Black-backed Gull; Black-legged Kittiwake; Ro c k Do ve ...••••••.•••.•.•.••••••••••••.••••••••••••• 65 18. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Monk Parakeet; Short-eared Owl; Downy Woodpecker; Hairy Wood- pe ck e r; Nor the rn F 1icl~e r .......•..........••.•.••...• 6'6 19. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Horned Lark; Blue Jay; American Crow; Fish Crow; Black-capped s Chickadee; Carolina Chickadee 67 20. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Tufted Titmouse; White-breasted Nuthatch; Golden-crowned Kinglet; American Robin; Northern Mockingbird; Water Pipit .... 68 21. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Cedar Waxwing; European Starling; Yellow-rumped Warbler; Northern Cardinal; American Tree Sparro,.; Chipping SparroY .... 69 22. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Field Sparrow; Savannah Sparrow; Fox Sparrow; Song Sparrow; Sw amp Spa r rOll; l~hite-th r 0 ate c1 Spa rrow 70 23. Populations trends from Christmas Bird Counts: White-crowned Sparrow; Dark-eyed Junco; Lapland Longspur; Snow Bunting; Red-winged Blackbird; Eastern MeadoYlark .... 71 24. Population trends from Christmas nird Counts: Rusty Blackbird; Common Grackle; Brown-headed CoYbird; Purple Finch; House Finch; Common Redpoll .............•.•.......... 72 25. Population trends from Christmas Bird Counts: Pine Siskin; American Golcfipch; Evening Grosbeak; Ho use Spa rr 0"1 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 73 26. Autumn migrating shorebird population trends on Jamaica Bay, NY, 1981-1988: Black-bellied Plovers; Semipalmated Plover; Greater Yellowlegs; Ruddy Turnstone; Red Knot ····77 27. Autumn migrating shorebird population trends on Jamaica Bay, NY, 1981-1988: Sanderling; Semipalmated Sandpiper; Least Sandpiper;" Dunlin; Short-billed Do,.itcher 78 28. Spring migrating hawk population trends at Sandy Hook, NJ, 1979-1987: Osprey and Northern Harrier 79 29. Spring migrating hawk population trends at Sandy Hook, NJ, ~ 1979-1987: Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper's Hawk 00 30. Spring migrating hawk population trends at Sandy Hook~ NJ, 1979-1987: Red-shouldered Hawk and Broad-w~nged Iia "1k .........•..•...........•.•..•..• ".••••........... e 1 31. Spring migrating hawk population trends at Sandy Hook, NJ, 1979-1987: Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel 8~ 32. Spring migrating hawk population trends at Sandy Hook, NJ, 1 9 7 9 - 1 9 8 7: !-ter 1 in ...•..•••••..•..••.•••••••.••...•..• 8 3 'I-Inl I I. ~ ,I " j, II., I TABLES 1. Political subdivisions of the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary .....•.••......•..........•......••... 9 2. Denography of the Net~ York/Net~ Jersey Harbor Estuary .........•.. 15 3. Acreage of tidal wetlands loss, New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary ..•. ".••.•.•.••..•.•...•..•....••.•••. 16 4. New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary tidal mar~h and underwater lands landfilled, 1609 to present ••....•.•..•...•..• 19 5. Numbers of duelling units scheduled for construction/completion on the New Jersey shore of the Hudson River .....••.. 25 6. Amount of office space scheduled for construction/completion on the New Jersey shore of the Hudson River ......••. 25 7. Amount of commercial retail space scheduled for construc~ion/cornpletion on the New Jersey shore of the Hudson River ..••.•..................••• 26 8. Key to figure 7 for the 39 natural areas and subsites with geographic coordinates and USGS quadrangles, for which wildlife habitat and/or population data we reo b ta ined .................•...........••....•••. 33 9. US Geological Survey 7 1/2 minute quadrangles included in the study area .•.•....•........•.....•...........•.•••.• 38 10. Data sets obtained for evaluation of wildlife populations, population trends and habitats within the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary ............•..•..•••• 40 11. Key to place names, coordinates and survey years for the eleven Christmas Bird Count circles depicted in figure 8 ............•.........................••• 4 2 12. Summary of documented natural areas, specific sites and reported acreages by management authority in the Harbor region .............•..............•.•. 45 13. Distribution and size of major park areas in New York City ..•.. 46 14. Park land as a percentage of total land and in relation to population in New York City ...•.............•••.• 47 15. Composite list of natural areas by county and number of vertebrate species reported by class ........•••.•••• 49 16. Status summary based on reports by 26 natural areas in the Estuarv region for 50 amphibian and re p t i 1e spe c ie s ....•.......••...••.•.•••..••••..•••• 51 17. Total species, average per site, and estimated percent