Who threw trash into a South Jersey osprey nest?

MAURICE RIVER — The search continues for the teens who dropped trash into a South Jersey osprey nest.

A group of six or seven teenage boys are seen in silent video, taken by a live streaming webcam, approaching the nest located near the East Point Lighthouse in Heislerville, above the ground along the Maurice River.. One of the boys tosses an empty pack of cigarettes into the nest and then laughs about it.

The group Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs – Cumberland County, part of the 4H club that erected the nesting platform and runs the webcam to observe the birds, first posted on their Facebook page about the incident they said happened last Saturday.

"These folks broke about three different laws in their attempt to be famous," according to the post, which said in an update a portable toilet had also been tipped over at the lighthouse and created a mess for volunteers to clean up

"This is not simply kids being kids. They are vandalizing property and endangering wildlife with their actions," the post read.

The club said in the comments section that the birds covered up the carton. Adult club leader Joe Haase told NJ.com that the birds threw to the ground a stuffed toy chicken tossed up a few weeks ago.

Ospreys are protected in New Jersey. According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, they return to the state in late March and begin nesting in April. Under the law they may not be harassed, disturbed or moved without state or federal permits.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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