STONE HARBOR – The black skimmer is an iconic bird in New Jersey and an endangered one as well.
Large black and white birds with orange and black bills, those social birds often fish in groups and fly in formation. The skimmers also nest in colonies on the beaches in the south end of Stone Harbor.
Over the years the number of successful skimmer colonies along the Jersey Coast has declined with two of the most successful remaining ones being Longport and Stone Harbor.
The colonies spend summers in the Garden State and then, much like many of the human inhabitants, they head south for the winter.
This year the colonies in Stone Harbor are running a bit late.
Stone Harbor Borough Council heard a request from its Natural Resource Committee to extend the ban on vehicles on the southern beaches from the usual date of just after Labor Day to Oct. 1.
It seems that a number of nests still have unhatched eggs. Once they hatch, the young birds cannot fly for three to four weeks, making the introduction of vehicles on the beaches after Labor Day a problem for the colony.
Stone Harbor’s municipal code establishes an elaborate and regulated process for vehicles on the beaches. Permits are required, and rules dictate what can and cannot be done even when a permit is obtained.
For beaches north of 122nd Street the earliest date for which a permit can be obtained is Oct. 1, presumably to allow for humans to continue enjoying spectacular days at the shore.
For beaches from 122nd Street south, the ordinance allows permits beginning the day after Labor Day. In both cases, north and south, the end date for permits is March 15.
This year the skimmer colony needs the south-end beaches for a bit longer than usual.
Even though there is every expectation that the remaining eggs will hatch any day, the requirement to allow up to four weeks before the birds can fly led to the request that council adopts an Oct. 1 date for vehicle permits in the south end. Council agreed.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
