By popular demand, we are providing a downloadable PDf of our new butterfly guide. This way you can see a digital version and save paper. Do not try to print it out… It is set up to be read on a computer.
We will print all six of our new or reprinted guides over the next week.
Next: The new Saw Mill Creek Paddling Guide.
For the first anniversary of our third-Tuesday-of-the-month nature walks, we thought we would do a Hackensack River cruise on the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's great pontoon boats.
The cruise lasts two hours and costs just $15. We are aiming to make this a cruise for both birders and nature photographers.
You can download a registration form here. You can call 201-460-4640 to reserve a seat or two and to get more information. Space is limited, so best to register early. If there's a lot of demand, we will see if we can do more of these.
This NJMC cruise is in conjunction with the Bergen County Audubon Society, and Don Torino of BCAS and Jim Wright of the NJMC will be pointing out various BOIs (birds of interest).
Link to the registration form is here; fill in "Bird Cruise, July 20" for the date.
Ron Shields writes: "I photographed this little guy by Disposal Road on Sunday. He was hiding out and laying low on Mom's orders." (Thanks, Ron!)
As of 4:30 p.m. today, water levels in the DeKorte Shorebird Pool have dropped dramatically in advance of a routine inspection of the piling-restoration work done under the Visitors Center in the Meadowlands Environment Center.
A quick look found no unusual birds of interest. The Marsh Discovery Trail will be open at noon on Tuesday and Thursday for the the weekly 90-minute walks. Contact Jim Wright here if you want to rsvp for a walk.
Researchers from the Smithsonian have been visiting a marsh along the Hackensack River in Carlstadt to study Swamp Sparrows, with an assist
There are two types of Swamp Sparrows in the Northeast. One frequents uplands, the other likes coastal plains.
The Carlstadt marsh is one of the few places where both species occur and adapt, over time, to thrive in the salt marsh.
Researchers are banding and cataloging the Swamp Sparrows, and looking into how they evolve for their environment.
More on Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrows here, with a link to Coast Plain Swamp Sparrow Facebook Page. Photo of banded Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow follows.
Seen regularly on our free Marsh Discovery walks at DeKorte Park, at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call Jim Wright at 201-460-2002 for more information.
We had a great Father's Day walk on the Marsh Discovery Trail and other DeKorte locales.
Highlights included a few nice looks at a Marsh Wren (below), several good looks at Black-crowned Night Herons, an Osprey and assorted swallows.
The walk was sponsored by the Meadowlands Commission and Bergen County Audubon Society.
A big thank you to all who attended.
Check out this post on our sister blog, the Meadowlands History Project. Link is here. Clue is on the left.
