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.

Field Report: MRRI Surface Elevation Table (SET) Measurements

L – MRRI Senior Environmental Scientist Joe Grzyb steadies himself on an aluminum plank as intern Reece Sit looks on. R – Joe prepares to take Surface Elevation Table Measurements

Joe Grzyb, an NJSEA Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute (MRRI) Senior Environmental Scientist, was conducting Surface Elevation Table (SET) measurements at the Riverside Marsh in Lyndhurst with help from the department’s interns. Each September and continuing through mid-December, Joe and the year’s interns use a rod surface-elevation table instrument to determine how wetlands in the Meadowlands District keep pace with sea level rise. MRRI began tracking sediment elevation in 2008.

Joe steadied his footing on an aluminum plank as reeds whipped around him on a blustery, late September morning. Reece Sit helped assemble the SET instrument. Joe carefully but firmly inserted pins from a metal measuring device into a pipe receiver protruding from the marsh surface and called out measurements in millimeters. Lily Day recorded the numbers in a small, yellow field book, repeating the figures for accuracy.

The receiver is a vital element of long-term marsh elevation monitoring, serving as an unchanging reference elevation. This receiver is meticulously anchored at a depth of 20 feet or more within the ancient clay deposits of the former Lake Hackensack, a geological formation stemming from the last glacial period. This deep, stable anchoring keeps the receiver’s elevation constant, providing an unvarying baseline for comparative measurements over time.

Into The Marsh

The SET monitoring program is critical. Marshes have many significant environmental benefits that would be lost if they were inundated by rising water levels. They provide protection from storms by acting like large sponges that absorb rainwater. Wetlands also trap pollutants, prevent erosion and provide wildlife habitat, to name just a few additional benefits.

Joe said that large storms and runoff from urban areas in the Meadowlands add more sediment to the marsh system, which helps build up the wetlands. The measurements at Lyndhurst Riverside showed surface elevation had increased by 4.59 millimeters over the past year. Analysis of current elevation data indicates a varied response across Lyndhurst Riverside. While some areas are exhibiting elevations that exceed the rate of sea-level rise, others are not. This mixed response suggests that, so far, the overall elevations are keeping pace with sea-level rise.

Riverside is one of nine Meadowlands marshes where MRRI carries out SET measurements. Readings are taken at 108 points within each marsh. The vegetation at some sites is so dense that Joe, Lily and Reece make preliminary visits to stomp out and clear paths to data collection spots. They gather information at one marsh per week, spending approximately two hours on the project. Joe then inputs the data into spreadsheets for analysis.

Joe confers with Lily

Information gathered at other sites last month, including two in Secaucus, showed wetlands elevations increasing by more than 5 millimeters. According to NOAA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the current observed rate of sea-level rise in northern New Jersey is approximately 4 millimeters to 5 millimeters per year.

A final report mapping all sites will be submitted to the New Jersey Tidal Wetland Monitoring Network in January.

Joe said that, overall, Meadowlands District marsh elevations are in a good position to track with sea level rise.

Kearny High School S.A.V.E. Club Inspires Next Generation of Environmental Stewards

Kearny High School S.A.V.E. Club at the Meadowlands Birding Festival

The NJSEA was pleased to welcome the Kearny High School S.A.V.E. Club to the Meadowlands Birding Festival on Sunday, Oct. 4. Students gave out copies of the club’s Endangered Species Activity Book created last year. S.A.V.E. is an acronym for Students Against A Vanishing Earth.

The impressive guide is filled with engaging facts and plenty of activities to support the club’s goal of educating the next generation about endangered species in New Jersey. Young people can learn about and color an array of wildlife species, including turtles, raptors, reptiles, butterflies and bats. A nature word search and crossword puzzle, and tips on simple ways kids can help the environment are also featured.

“We wanted to give kids ideas for things they can do to help the environment,” said senior Layla Luciano, the illustrator of the activity book. “We wanted to make the book fun and useful.”

“I’ve always admired animals in nature,” added fellow senior Sebastian Roa. “I’m also very interested in history. Those are the major reasons why I joined the S.A.V.E. Club. I want to help the community and preserve the Earth.”

The club currently consists of 23 students. Over the past two years, students ran a plastics recycling drive, collecting more than 2,000 pounds of plastic films and bags. This year they have expanded their reach and are collecting all types of household batteries through the Recycle My Battery Program.

“We’re sharing what we do with the next generation to inspire them about endangered species. We want people to help the environment at a younger age,” said S.A.V.E. Club member Manuel Paz, a senior. His brother, freshman Lucas Paz, added that “it’s important to share how to conserve and how conservation helps protect species.”

Club Advisor Krystina McGee said she is proud of the initiative the students take in bringing their message of environmental stewardship to fellow students and the public. “They are very dedicated,” Ms. McGee said. “They meet twice a week after school for almost two hours.

“They’re very eager and love to teach,” she said. When I raise an idea, their reaction is, ‘Let’s do it!’ For instance, she recently learned that Haven in the Woods, a wildlife rehabilitation center and sanctuary in New Jersey, needed acorns for a variety of young animals in their care, including raccoons and squirrels. S.A.V.E. club students promptly collected over 20 bags of acorns in the first week of the initiative.

“They are great kids who are making a difference,” Ms. McGee said.

Kudos to the Kearny High School S.A.V.E. Club!

Meadowlands Birding Festival Recap

The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority would like to extend its thanks to everyone who attended the Meadowlands Birding Festival at Richard W. DeKorte Park and the Meadowlands Environment Center in Lyndhurst yesterday! Approximately 300 visitors took guided walks, saw live raptor shows, listened to talks, perused information tables and participated in other activities.

We also thank our partners at the Bergen County Audubon Society whose tremendous hard work greatly contributed to the event’s success!

Bird banding demonstration – Credit James Falletti

Bird banding demonstration – Credit James Falletti

NJSEA guides lead a morning bird walk – Credit Alon Feder

Bird walkers on the Marsh Discovery Trail – Credit Alon Feder

Eastern Screech Owl – Credit Alon Feder

Josephine the Great Horned Owl – Credit NJSEA

Tilly the Eastern Screech Owl – Credit NJSEA

Credit NJSEA

Credit NJSEA

Bergen County Audubon Society President Don Torino – Credit Alon Feder

Kearny High School S.A.V.E. Club – Credit NJSEA

Speaker James Falletti – Credit Matthew Malwitz

Credit NJSEA

Credit NJSEA

Credit NJSEA

Credit NJSEA

Credit NJSEA

Credit NJSEA