Meadowlands Commission naturalists were on the Hackensack River at Saw Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area when one noticed an apparently gruesome sight — a Double-crested Cormorant had slipped and gotten its head wedged in a gap between boards of an old tidegate.
   At first, the young bird appeared to be dead, but as the naturalists  approached in their boat, they could see that it was hanging on for life.

   Naturalists Gabrielle-Bennett-Meany, Brett Bragin and Mike Newhouse pried the boards further apart, and intern Eleanna Ballas of Secaucus lifted the cormorant until its head was free.
   She placed the cormorant in the water, and it dived under. It surfaced again about 20 yards away and swam off, hopefully no worse for wear. 

    NJMC naturalists also rescued a Snowy Egret on the Hackensack River last fall. Post is here. NJMC naturalists also rescued a Red-tailed Hawk near Harrier Meadow in North Arlington in late March. Post is here.

     A reminder:   The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) will perform a “Salute to America!” – a selection of patriotic tunes, American popular music and opera favorites – this Saturday, June 27, in DeKorte Park at 7:30 p.m.

   This special concert in the heart of the Meadowlands is the NJSO’s only outdoor show in Bergen County this summer.

   The concert is presented by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) and the Ramapo College Foundation and is part of the NJMC’s 40th Anniversary celebration.

    Click "Continue reading …" for details.

Continue reading →

    Photographer Ada Baisre of Manhattan took us up on our request for butterfly photos and sent in this shot of a Cabbage White butterfly, taken recently in DeKorte Park near the WTC Memorial.

   "The park is steaming with flowers and insects," writes Baisre. "I got a few more shots of bumble bees, ladybugs, a muskrat, several bunnies, the pesky midges, several flowers, spiders, birds and much more. It is really a great place to visit, even (especially) for a Manhattanite."

    More on Cabbage Whites here.

   Today is the first day of summer.
   We took this Friday afternoon in DeKorte Park.

    After searching for the Stilt for the past five days, we figure our visiting Black-necked Stilt has moved on. 

    We will keep an eye out, but we are thinking this bird has flown.

     We know this doesn't  really qualify as nature, but we thought we would be remiss if we did not let you know….

   The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) will perform a “Salute to America!” – a selection of patriotic tunes, American popular music and opera favorites – on Saturday, June 27, in DeKorte Park at 7:30 p.m.

   This special concert in the heart of the Meadowlands is the NJSO’s only outdoor show in Bergen County this summer. The concert is presented by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) and the Ramapo College Foundation and is part of the NJMC’s 40th Anniversary celebration.

    Click "Continue reading …" for details.

Continue reading →

   We rescued another turtle on Disposal Road last week. We are thinking this guy is a Slider — but please e-mail us if you think we've got it wrong. This guy was roughly 10 inches long.

   Click here for posts on other Meadowlands reptiles and amphibians.

   Click "continue reading …." for more photos.

Continue reading →

     Nature Photographer Walter Choroszewski has been taking the Meadowlands Commission's pontoon boat eco-tours to get some great shots along the Hackensack River.
   The most recent post on his blog  (here) talks about the NJMC boat trips:
    "The tours provide great photo opportunities for birds, wetlands and more.   The volunteer guides are excellent and they provide natural and historical information and interesting stories about the Meadowlands.  It's the best $15 adventure you can buy."
    Scroll down that post and you'll see a link to his gallery of Meadowlands shots.
    Thanks, Walter!