Monthly Archives: October 2008

NORTH ARLINGTON: Disposal Road = Raptor Road

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  The rough stretch of road connecting Schuyler Avenue in North Arlington and DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst is officially called Disposal Road or AMVETS Way, but these days it's Raptor Road.
   Every trip we've made along the road in the past week, we've seen a redtail or kestrel or marsh hawk. The female marsh hawk was seen hunting along the Kingsland Landfill last Thursday.

   The Marsh Hawk (Northern Harrier) is endangered in New Jersey. The American Kestrel is a species of special concern.

For more raptor shots, click "Continue reading…" below.

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HARBOR HERONS: The New Jersey effort

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   One of the amazing things about this year’s Harbor Herons research in the Meadowlands was how extensive it was —  more than 50 volunteer citizen scientists, taking regular surveys of heron activity at more than 50 points at a dozen sites — coordinated by Nellie Tsipoura of the New Jersey Audubon Society, with the help of Kate Ruskin.

   The surveys continue through the end of the month.

   We will post the findings as they are released.

   Click "Continue reading…" below for a map of the survey sites, provided by NJAS.

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MILL CREEK MARSH: Dusk

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  We took Don Torino’s advice and visited Mill Creek Marsh on Thursday.

   The twilight of early October made  the marsh seem almost incandescent, right down tothe ancient cedar stumps. We were there until 6:30 and watched more than a dozen snowy egrets fly across the marsh at low tide.

 The Meadowlands Commission restored the site and opened it to the public in 2002. It is a great place to watch birds, take a walk, or just chill.

 Click “Continue reading…” immediately below for more images of the marsh at sunset.

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MARSH RESEARCH: Innovations

    

   One of the Meadowlands Commission’s missions is to revitalize and diversify the region’s wetlands.

   To replace the invasive species phragmites, a tall inhospitable reed that tends to dominate a marsh, NJMC has been planting all sorts of native marsh grasses in marshes throughout the 14-town district.

   To measure the success of those efforts, the NJMC’s Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute has been using some innovative methods, including the use of helium-balloon photography (see video above).

   On Thursday, MERI is holding a workshop for wetlands professionals on the use of such remote techniques to monitor marsh vegetation.

    More about the workshop here.


MILL CREEK MARSH: Don Torino reports

   Just in time for October’s arrival, birder Don Torino reports:

    Visited Mill Creek marsh trail [yesterday] morning, The colors were unbelievable. This has to be the most beautiful time of year to visit.

     The yellows of the Goldenrods full of Bumblebees and Monarch butterflies, the faded pinks of the Fleabane and Smartweeds, the purples and blues of the Pokeweeds and the Cedar Berries, and the Whites of the Snakeroot and Sea Myrtle.

No painter could ever put anything on a canvas that would come close to how wonderful it looked Tuesday morning.

 The Savannah Sparrows and Yellow-rumped Warblers seemed to be everywhere ! I hope all your readers get a chance to visit there real soon.