Note: I included the Common Raven seen by Julie McCall (thanks, Julie!) but no doubt missed one or two species.
Above is one of the two Palm warblers seen on the walk — our first of the year at DeKorte. At the top of the post is one of the many Greater Yellowlegs seen in Teal Pool.
NJMC naturalists have been busy repairing and installing nesting boxes for Tree Swallows ar DeKorte Park of late, and the Tree Swallows are thrilled. No sooner do the boxes go in than the Tree Swallows arrive. These birds are not only gorgeous and graceful, but — as NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse likes to point out — "When it comes to eating mosquitoes and other insects, Tree Swallows work the day shift and bats work the night shift."
In the photo below, NJMC Naturalist Gabrielle Bennett-Meany installs a new nesting box in the Shorebird Pool at DeKorte.
More pix below.
The First Sunday of the Month Walk at DeKorte was a trifecta — great weather, great people and great birds. I am guessing we had at least 36 people, and we had at least 36 species, including FOY Snowy Egret, Brown Creeper, Eastern Towhee, Palm Warbler and Golden-Crowned Kinglet.
Did we mention plenty of Cedar Waxwings, incude on friend on the right?
Full report later this week. (Thank you to everyone who attended!)
Julie McCall reports: "Was out from about 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. Saturday. Beautiful weather. The songs, calls, and scolding sounds of birds basically didn't stop. 34 species." (Thanks, Julie!)
Ray Duffy reports: "I got my first of the year Golden-crowned Kinglet and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Schmidt's Woods. I had another boat-tailed grackle sighting, this time at Mill Creek Point."
Artwork by local children and teens with special needs will be featured at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s Flyway Gallery during April.
The exhibit, “Welcome to Our World: Artwork by Children with Different Needs,” runs through Thursday April 29 and includes 65 drawings, paintings, collages and other works. A reception for the artists is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday April 25.
The William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park begins a new month of programming next Monday night with free public programs at 8 and 9 p.m. — weather permitting, of course.
Dress for the weather; with the dome open, you are basically outside.
Each evening two major objects in the night sky will be viewed, plus one or two other celestial objects or events depending on the observing conditions.
Pictured at left is the observatory's state-of-the-art telescope with a 20-inch mirror, housed beneath a retractable dome.
The telescope, one of the largest in the area, is equipped with cameras to record the stars and planets. Special filters block light pollution.
For detailed information and the complete April schedule, click here.
Bruno Rondi of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission has been photographing some of the beautiful cranes of the district. We are posting a few of Bruno’ s shots here.
No wonder Bruno finds cranes so uplifting. (Thanks, Bruno!)