Reminder: Meadowlands Raptor Walk is Wednesday, Nov. 11

Red-tailed Hawk

The Bergen County Audubon Society will lead a walk along Disposal Road in North Arlington, an excellent spot for raptor viewing. Keep your eyes peeled for kestrels, eagles, hawks and more. The walk goes from 10 a.m. to noon.

The Veteran’s Day walk meets by the AMVETS Memorial Carillon on Disposal Road, North Arlington

Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

Meadowlands Raptor Walk is Wednesday, Nov. 11

Red-tailed Hawk

The Bergen County Audubon Society will lead a walk along Disposal Road in North Arlington, an excellent spot for raptor viewing. Keep your eyes peeled for kestrels, eagles, hawks and more. The walk goes from 10 a.m. to noon.

The Veteran’s Day walk meets by the AMVETS Memorial Carillon on Disposal Road, North Arlington

Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

Reminder: DeKorte Park Nature Walk Is This Sunday, Nov. 1!

Northern Pintail

Start November by getting out in nature with the Bergen County Audubon Society as your guide. They’ll be looking for raptors and ducks during this walk through DeKorte Park, the gem of the Meadowlands park system. The walk runs from 10 a.m. to noon.

Meet in the Meadowlands Environment Center parking lot, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.

Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

Photographer Spotlight – Alon Feder

The stunning intensity of Alon Feder’s bird photographs from DeKorte Park belie the fact that he’s been capturing avian scenes for only the past 18 months. Inspired to increase his steps by a health scare, Feder’s increasingly frequent visits to DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst sparked a natural curiosity in its surroundings, especially the many bird species to be seen.

“I started walking DeKorte Park in 2023,” Feder said during a recent conversation. “Before I started walking specifically for my health, I was walking through DeKorte with earphones on. I couldn’t imagine that now. Oh gosh, no. There is too much to take in, too much beauty that demands your full attention.

“I started walking for my health in January 2025,” Feder continued. “I had a relatively new puppy. I started walking him in the park and I really started noticing how many birds were in the park. I started bringing the camera in April 2025 and started posting a few pictures here and there on my Facebook page. Friends started telling me, ‘you take really nice photos.’ I started doing it more and more. People were catching on and I started posting in photography and birding groups. It became a passion.”

Osprey

He said that DeKorte Park is a must-visit destination for anyone. “Other than the overlook, it’s a flat, easy walk,” he said. “The different trails have different environments. The vegetation is beautiful. And if you’re into birding it’s the place to go to northern New Jersey. I’m there three to five times a week now.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Peregrine Falcon and American Kestrel

Feder’s previous photography experience was in the business world. As the owner of a marketing firm in San Diego, he would take photos for certain jobs. His work included everything from restaurant dishes for menus and commercial real estate photos to architectural shots of the old Qualcomm Stadium.

“We used to hire a lot of photographers,” Feder said. “I kind of watched what they did with lighting and settings, and I had a decent understanding of it. I just figured it out.”

A proud member of the Bergen County Audubon Society, he encouraged people of all levels of birding to join BCAS. “There are a number of things I really enjoy about it,” Feder said. “Everyone shares knowledge. If somebody sees a particular bird, they’ll tell how they’ve come to identify it, sights, sounds, behaviors, what to look out for. One of the things that impresses me the most is you have people with decades of experience that still get astounded. Birding doesn’t get boring.

Feder said Snowy Egrets present the challenge of capturing photographs that differentiate feathers given the bird is all white.

“I’m extremely immersed now,” Feder said, noting that he’s viewed hours of YouTube videos on bird photography techniques. “I’m out in the park as often as possible. I’ve also gained a lot of very technical knowledge. How to photograph birds in different circumstances and in different lighting. Where to go and how to find things.”

Forster’s Tern spinning mid-air following an unsuccessful dive for food

Feder prefers taking his images in an uncompressed RAW file format rather than the standard compressed jpeg file. “You can do a few things with a jpeg like adjust contrast, brightness, exposure, some color saturation, but you can’t really do a lot. I like to bring what I saw when I was taking the photo to the image. Camera RAW captures a tremendous amount of detail.”

Red Fox, Cardinal Feasting On Snail, Yellow-crowned Night Heron

He said that birding is a hobby that requires a person to be in the moment, something that has benefitted his life overall. “Your mind has to be very disciplined. It’s kind of a belief system,” Feder said. “Your senses have to be aware. Your vision almost expands because you’re looking for any kind of movement. Any flitting around. You’re very aware and tuned in. You get a sense of connection with the birds and learn the different species’ personality traits.”

Feder loves that his photography has opened up his interactions with both birds and humans. “I believe that ultimately people need to and want to feel connected,” he said. “To me birding is a beautiful thing to connect with.”

DeKorte Park Nature Walk Is This Sunday, Nov. 1!

Northern Pintail

Start November by getting out in nature with the Bergen County Audubon Society as your guide. They’ll be looking for raptors and ducks during this walk through DeKorte Park, the gem of the Meadowlands park system. The walk runs from 10 a.m. to noon.

Meet in the Meadowlands Environment Center parking lot, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.

Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

Don Torino Welcomes Michelle Wiessner to The Nature Connection This Sunday (Oct. 25)

Bergen County Audubon Society President Don Torino welcomes Michelle Wiessner of Van Vleck House and Gardens in Montclair to The Nature Connection radio show this Sunday, Oct. 25. The program can be heard from 6:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. on WFDU 89.1 FM and will be available starting on Monday at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nature-connection/id6795559600

Michelle is Director of Education at Van Vleck House and Gardens, one of Montclair’s most treasured historic and horticultural landmarks. It traces its origins to 1868, when Joseph Van Vleck Sr. moved his family from Brooklyn to Montclair and established a 12-acre country estate. Like many successful businessmen of the era, he sought a refuge from industrial city life and envisioned a grand home surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds.

Today, the estate’s historic centerpiece remains the distinctive U-shaped Italianate villa. The house and gardens are a testament to generations of stewardship and a deep appreciation for horticulture, beauty, and community.

Michelle is dedicated to providing engaging environmental, horticultural, arts and wellness programs for children, families and adults. Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Rutgers University and completed additional coursework in outdoor teaching, environmental education and ecology.  Previously she worked as the Director of Education at Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit for over 10 years, presented outdoor teaching workshops at the New Jersey Science Teachers Convention, the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE) Conference and several individual schools in the New Jersey area.

The Nature Connection airs on the fourth Sunday of each month.