Ron Shields got some nice duck shots before the storm hit, including a couple of Canvasbacks and a pair of Hooded Mergansers. (The Canvasbacks are just starting to come in for the winter now.)
Writes Ron: "Mergansers shot at Mill Creek Marsh and the Canvasbacks photographed at DeKorte Park just before the snow."
Click "Continue reading …" for more of Ron's photos. (Thanks, Ron!)
Stephen Buckingham reports:
"I had planned to look for the shrike this morning, but had no free time until after 3 p.m. Saturday, when it was getting darker, windier and snowier by the minute.
"Nevertheless I drove down to DeKorte from Montclair in a hurry, figuring this could be my last chance to see the bird. When I arrived and parked in front of the Amvet Carillon, it was 23 degrees with the wind seeming to blow snow into my face no matter which direction I was looking.
"It took me all of five minutes walking up and down the road though, before I heard the crazy bird singing as if it were spring. Had I not heard it, there was no way I would have spotted it in the dim light and snow. "
Click "Continue reading …" for the rest of the report.
Please e-mail Jim Wright here if you see the Disposal Road shrike.
The Lower Hudson Bird Count went off yesterday despite the snow. I was with NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse, the BCAS' Don Torino, and birder/photographer Kevin Watson.
We looked for the shrike and visited Harrier Meadow, two balers, two landfills, a Hackensack River marina and a Hackensack River marsh.
Highlights included a Barn Owl, lots of Snow Buntings, a Meadowlark, a Rough-legged Hawk, and a lot of Horned Larks.
No, we did not get the Northern Shrike yesterday, but it was not for a lack of trying.
Click Continue reading for more pics (including a Cooper's Hawk and Dark-eyed Junco) and the full list.
The year 2009 marked the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's 40th anniversary and a major expansion of our nature programs. We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2009, month by month.
Here are some NJMC nature highlights from February 2009:
February 2: Groundhog Video for Groundhog Day
February 3: Ducks Galore ( & two kinds of Green-winged Teal)
February 9: Raven's Nest, Secaucus
February 19: The Coots of Kearny (Video)
February 23: About the Cedar Stumps
We are pleased to announce that on Friday, this blog reached 100,000 page views.
We officially launched the blog in July 2008 as part of our efforts to highlight and celebrate all of the Meadowlands' natural wonders, and we have been heartened by your response. We hit 50,000 hits in 10 months, and 100,000 in less than 18 months.
We'd like to thank everyone who has been following this blog, and all those who have contributed bird sightings, photos and suggestions.
We look forward to many exciting posts ahead. With your help, we just might top the Northern Wheatear, Wilson's Phalarope and Northern Shrike of the last four months.
Happy holidays.
The year 2009 marked the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's 40th anniversary and a major expansion of our nature programs. We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2009, month by month, beginning with January and the Snowy Owls.
We'll provide links to the top bird sightings and blog posts of January here –as you can see, it was a great month for viewing raptors:
January 5: Raptor Prowl w/Snowy Owl
January 27: Raptor Ramble Results
The Lower Hudson Count is still on tomorrow. We will report our sightings during the week.
Starting tomorrow, we are looking back at the highlights from the Meadowlands Blog from the Meadowlands Commission's 40th anniversary year, month by month.
We'll include the Snowy Owls, Rough-legged Hawks, Black-necked Stilt, Glossy Ibis, Northern Wheatear, Soras, and Northern Shrike. Hope you enjoy it!
Julie McCall reports: "This morning I went out to Disposal Road to look for the shrike, figuring if I didn't see it before the snow gets here, I never would.
"I joined a group of friendly birders at the small parking area just past the Carillon at around 9 a.m., and they had seen the bird several times already.
" The bird was spotted again, and someone was kind enough to let me get views through their scope. As previously reported, the shrike was spending its time among trees behind the pond. The bird was very active this morning, and by 9:30 had headed off in the vague direction of Valley Brook.
"It's quite a pretty bird, and I found myself wishing I had a digiscoping set-up, because in the overcast light it really stood out from the surrounding brown branches, phrags, and leaves.
"A quick walk to the environmental center and back to Disposal Road yielded some mallards, canada geese, a bufflehead, white-throated sparrows, many robins, and a pair of downy woodpeckers that were very perturbed by my existence.
"There was also at least one red-tailed hawk on Disposal Road. It was perched on a post near the Erie landfill as I came in, and I spotted one kiting over the Kingsland landfill on my way out." (Thanks, Julie!)
Mike Britt reports:
"The Northern Shrike continued Friday behind the retention pond along Disposal Road. At one point, Chris Takacs and I watched it tail-chase a Mockingbird for a good 30 seconds.
"Other birds in the Meadowlands Friday included N. Harriers along Disposal, and the Mill Creek Marsh/Point area, an adult Bald Eagle at Mill Creek Point, and Mill Creek Marsh was loaded with sparrows (including a handful of Fox and a single immature White-crowned) and RC Kinglets."
(Thanks, Mike!)
Please e-mail Jim Wright here if you see the shrike, and I will update the blog.