🎉🎥 Congratulations to the Winners of the 2025 Species on the Edge 2.0 Video Contest! 🎥🎉 We’re thrilled to celebrate this year’s talented high school student filmmakers who used their creativity and passion to shine a spotlight on New Jersey’s at-risk wildlife. From bald eagles to bobcats, your stories inspired us and captured the importance of protecting our state’s incredible biodiversity. Huge thank you to all who participated—your voices are powerful tools for conservation. And a special shoutout to our winning creators for their outstanding work! 🏆 (fb)

#WildlifeWednesday: The Barn Owl 🦉 The barn owl is one of New Jersey’s most striking and silent predators—easily recognized by its ghostly white, heart-shaped face and golden-brown wings. Though common across much of the world, barn owls are now listed as threatened in New Jersey due to habitat loss, fewer nesting sites, and reduced prey availability. Want to get to know this nocturnal beauty better? Here are some fascinating facts: 🌍 Global Travelers: Barn owls are found on every continent except Antarctica. In NJ, they breed throughout the state and are more common in areas like Salem and Cumberland Counties. 🏡 Unexpected Nesters: Despite their name, barn owls nest in all sorts of places—barns, tree cavities, chimneys, caves, old buildings, and even abandoned wells. But they rely on existing cavities and can't make their own, which makes nest boxes a vital conservation tool. 🍽 Masters of the Hunt: Their diet includes mice, voles, shrews, and even insects or reptiles. With exceptional hearing, they can hunt in complete darkness—and sometimes even during the day! 🎶 Not Your Typical Hoot: Instead of a hoot, they screech, hiss, and even snap their beaks. Spooky, but incredible! 👶 Family Life: Barn owls can nest year-round if food is available. They usually lay 3–6 eggs, and successful pairs often reuse the same nest for decades. 🚨 Threats: Habitat development and the loss of nesting sites have hurt their numbers. Poisons used to control rodent populations also threaten these owls. With continued research, funding, and conservation efforts, we hope to help barn owl numbers rebound here in New Jersey. #BarnOwl #ThreatenedSpecies #NewJerseyWildlife #ConserveWildlife (fb)