We engage in a wide variety of monitoring and management activities that help to protect natural resources, ensure a suitable environment for research and education, and provide useful information to coastal managers. Monitoring activities are primarily focused on assessing the condition of natural communities, rare or declining species, and ecosystem stressors, including climate‐change effects and invasive species. Results of monitoring efforts may indicate the need for adaptive management actions, such as controlling an invasive species, or protecting critical habitats to sustain biodiversity and critical ecosystem functions that benefit and protect coastal communities.
Current Projects
Tracking Flight and Migration
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an open-source, international collaborative network of community hosted radio-telemetry receivers and wildlife researchers designed to track the movement of tagged flying migratory animals. The Hudson Valley Motus Collaboration (HVMC) is a partnership between the Reserve, New York State Parks/Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Audubon New York, Scenic Hudson, and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. The project currently includes four Motus stations along the Hudson River that were installed between the fall of 2022 and December of 2023 to document where and when migratory wildlife make their journeys, as well as how they use the habitats along the Hudson River.
2024 Motus Report
As of December 31, 2024, there have been a total of fifty-one detections by HVMC stations, representing twenty-one different bird species and one bat species. In 2024, the Ramshorn Marsh station recorded its first and only detection and the HVMC detected five species not recorded in previous years including: American Kestrel, Common Nighthawk, Gray Catbird, Peregrine Falcon, and Wood Thrush. One notable migration in 2024 was Common Nighthawk (ID #58156) which traveled the furthest south, approximately 2,926 miles from its tagging site in Orrington, Maine to La Dorada, Colombia.
Tracking Wildlife on the Ground
Camera trapping is a method of wildlife monitoring that uses motion sensor cameras that can be left out for long periods of time. When the infrared sensor detects movement, the camera takes a photo or video and stores it to the storage card. We have deployed cameras in habitats of interest and management areas to better understand species presence, habitat use, and wildlife interactions.
2024 Camera Trapping Report
In 2024, we recorded a total of 5,193 unique detections. While more than half of these detections (52%) were false triggers caused by moving water and vegetation, the remainder (48%) documented wildlife usage and visitor use. Overall, there were 44 different species, and 5 different types of visitor use detected. The most frequently detected wildlife species include: Canada Goose, Common Merganser, and White-tailed Deer. Other notable species photographed in 2024 include Glossy Ibis, Green Heron, Eastern Kingbird, Hooded Merganser, Spotted Lanternfly, and Bobcat. Boating and hunting were the most common activities detected. Using camera trapping as a method of wildlife and visitor use surveying has reduced researcher time in the field and helped document the benefits of habitat management.
Hidden Wildlife of U.S. Coastal Wetlands
Scientists from across the National Estuarine Research Reserve System have conducted the first coordinated assessment of wildlife in coastal wetlands across North America. Using 109 cameras in 29 estuaries, the team captured thousands of images that collectively reveal the secret lives of estuary wildlife. The diversity was astounding and included 146 species—from Alaska’s bears and Mississippi’s hogs to Florida’s armadillos and New York’s muskrats. The study provides a unique foundation for addressing important wildlife science and management questions on our changing coasts.
A side benefit from the project was a series of photos that also clearly demonstrate the many ways that humans use and value our coastal wetlands, including activities such as birdwatching, kayaking, hunting, school field trips, and even bicycling!
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Click here to view camera trapping photos from across the country
Bioacoustics
In 2025, we began deploying passive acoustic recorders in different habitats across the Reserve. These audio recorders are being used by researchers to detect secretive wildlife species even when they can’t be seen. By analyzing sound recordings, we can also monitor ecosystem health, understand human impacts on the environment, and document changes in the overall soundscape. Soundscapes are the combination of sounds heard in a particular environment. This includes natural sounds like rain or bird song and anthropogenic sounds like traffic or sirens. These recorded sounds can then be visualized with a spectrogram.
Nest Boxes for Wildlife
Nest boxes are an important tool for wildlife conservation, providing nesting sites where natural cavities are scarce or absent due to deforestation, urbanization, or habitat fragmentation. They are used to support various species including birds, bats, and insects that rely on tree cavities for nesting or roosting. We install and monitor artificial nesting structures at the Reserve to enhance habitat, support declining species, and study population trends.
Current nest box efforts target Purple Martins and Tree Swallows. Both species commonly breed in open spaces near bodies of water and are secondary cavity nesters meaning they use existing cavities or artificial nests. Purple Martins nest in colonies while Tree Swallows are solitary nesters.
