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Monthly Archives: March 2010
Nifty Article on Harrier Meadow
John V. Soltes, editor of The Leader, did a wonderful profile of Harrier Meadow in the current issue: "In the Valley of the Birds." We happened to get this photo of a Cooper's Hawk taking off on John's visit.
You can read the article on-line here.
This Sunday’s Bird Walk
The first Sunday-of-the-Month Nature Walk will be held at 10 a.m. on April 4 at DeKorte Park. (Note: The locale has been switched because of Storm Damage to Mill Creek Marsh.)
Details follow. (And, no, we will not look for eggs.)
Tuesday Teaser 033010 (Updated)
We shot this photo late one rainy day last week of a distant duck. We were thinking it was a Blue-winged Teal, but a sharp-eyed reader suggested a female Greater Scaup. (Sounds good to us; thanks, Rosemarie.) Any other theories?
Other Tuesday Teasers are here. As we get into bird-banding season, we'll try to ramp up this feature again.
A Profile of Disposal Road
We recently wrote a column for The South Bergenite about one of our favorite birding spots, Disposal Road, which was until recently (as far as we know) the three-month home base for a Northern Shrike. Here's the column:
Where is the best birding spot in all of the Meadowlands?
For most people, several spots managed by the Meadowlands Commission come to mind – from Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus to DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst to the Kearny Marsh.
But for the past few months, a little-known two-lane road named Disposal Road just might hold the crown.
Greater Yellowlegs Are Back
The Greater Yellowlegs are back at DeKorte. Noelle Zaleski shared these shots. (Thanks, Noelle!)
Tagged Ring-billed Gull
Ron Shields photographed this tagged Ring-billed Gull at the Kearny Marsh on February 5, and asked us recently what the tag meant.
We gave him the following information, and here's what he learned.
Bird Report: DeKorte 032710
Rob Fanning reports he saw the following today at DeKorte Park:
-Boat-tailed Grackle–male continues–seen/hear in 2nd parking lot of HMDC.
-Common Raven–soaring left of walkway overlook. My first for DeKorte
-Greater Yellowlegs–8+ in flight–my first of the year
-American Kestrel–2 males along Disposal Rd–my first of year
-Ring-necked Pheasant–heard only–Disposal Rd.
-Northern Harrier–3
-Common Goldeneye–female–in w/ flock of 55 Bufflehead
-Canvasback–1 lone drake lingering
-Ring-necked Duck (pair)
Pintails, Shovelers, GW Teal, Gadwall; Redtail, Killdeer, Tree Swallows
(Thanks, Rob!)
Update: Upcoming Guided Walks
Our First-Sunday-of-the Month Walk on April 4 with Bergen County Audubon Society has been moved to DeKorte Park because of major storm damage to the other site.
What's more, we have added a walk on Sunday, April 11, to Harrier Meadow.
Both walks begin at 10 a.m.
Details follow.
Boat-tailed Grackle, Kestrel @ DeKorte
A brief walk after lunch yielded no Bald Eagles, but we did 
get a Boat-tailed Grackle by the Administration Building, and an American Kestrel on the DeKorte Park Osprey Platform.
The Grackle was making an incredible racket — heard it from 50 yards away.
A full complement of ducks is still hanging out in the impoundments.