Tag Archives: Meadowlands Festival of Birding

Bird Fest 2010: The Full List, Plus Rare Banding Photo

IMG_1664American Golden Plover 1 The Meadowlands Festival of Birding had a perfect alignment of the stars this weekend — great birds and great birders (and, on Saturday, great weather).

All of this combined for some great sightings, including Whimbrel, Clapper Rail, Sora Rail, Golden Plover and more.

(The Golden Plover pictured here was photographed at Mill Creek Marsh on Saturday by Kevin Bolton, using a digiscope. Thanks, Kevin!)

The full list of 107 species follows (click below if necessary), along  with a rare banding photo.  Please e-mail us if we missed any confirmed birds, and we will update.

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MEADOWLANDS FESTIVAL OF BIRDING

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  The Meadowlands Festival of Birding had a great turnout today, including this female Blue Grosbeak who showed up for the bird-banding demonstration in Harrier Meadow.
    Also making several appearances: Peregrine Falcons, Ospreys, Green herons, Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned and Great Blue Herons, umpteen egrets, Stilt Sandpipers, yellowlegs and so on.
   Oh, and an estimated 240 birders.
   Some 50 birders went on the Harrier Meadow morning bird walk, and more than three dozen attended the early morning bird-banding, which provided up-close looks at  a Red-eyed Vireo, Ovenbird, Magnolia Warbler and Redstart.  A total of 36 birds were banded and released.

MEADOWLANDS FESTIVAL OF BIRDING

Img_5943_2     Just a reminder that the big Bird Fest convenes at DeKorte Park tomorrow.

   The Meadowlands Commission’s Michael Newhouse will be doing a bird-banding demonstration from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Harrier Meadow.

    There will be guided  bird walks of Harrier Meadow — usually closed to the public — at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday as well.

   Click here for more about Harrier Meadow, including a video.

    For the early a.m. bird-banding, you’ll need to go to the Harrier Meadow site on your own. NJMC staffer Jim Wright will park his silver Honda hatchback on Disposal Road near the Harrier Meadow Entrance.

   (At the entrance to DeKorte Park at the end of Valley Brook Drive, bear right just after the train tracks and onto Disposal Road and follow it past the Amvets Carillon. Harrier Meadow entrance is on the left, just past the stop sign by the PSEG electric gizmos.)

    The guided bird walks meet at DeKorte and go by bus.

       If you can’t attend the bird fest but would like to go on a guided birdwalk in Harrier, e-mail Jim Wright (link above).

HARRIER MEADOW: The Video

   Harrier Meadow in North Arlington is a 70-acre wetlands mitigation site restored by the NJ Meadowlands Commission.
    Once a year, for the Meadowlands Festival of Birding (Sept. 13 and 14), the site is open to the public.
    Here’s a sneak preview, with an interview with NJMC naturalist Michael Newhouse.
    Click here for a previous post on Harrier Meadow, with information on plans for guided tours that you can sign up for.