Dennis Cheeseman took these shots of a Barn Swallow doing a "swallow wallow"  in the mud at the Shorebird Pool. (Thanks, Dennis!)

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In conjunction with a brand-new (and free) Butterfly Guide to DeKorte Park, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission is sponsoring a free one-day butterfly fest on Sunday, July 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
   In addition to butterfly walks for the whole family, there’ll be a lside show on the Butterfly of DeKorte Park, tables with loads of information on butterfly identification, binoculars and gardening to attract butterflies – plus contests, scavenger hunts and great door prizes.
   Bring your own picnic lunch and beverage.
   The event is co-sponsored by the Bergen County Audubon Society and the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association.
   Check meadowblog.net for last-minute updates and weather advisories. To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-636-4022.

 
  Nature photographer R. T. Geoghan has taken a lot of great shots at DeKorte, including these recent shots of a Cedar Waxwing and a Baltimore Oriole taking at bath at the fountain in the Jill Ann Ziemkiewicz Butterfly Garden.  She has put all of them on her website. More bathing birds here.
   She also has great scenics of DeKorte here.

   The link to her website is here.

   What is this? Answer below.

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    Striking images of the Meadowlands’ marshes, sunsets, and flora and fauna captured by photographer Marco Lips will be on display at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s Flyway Gallery during the months of July and August.
   The exhibit, “Quintessential Meadowlands,” opens on Tuesday, July 6 and runs through Friday, Aug. 27. A reception for the artist is scheduled for Sunday, July 11, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

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   This Black Skimmer showed up in the back of the Shorebird Pool by the Transco Trail around 12:30 this afternoon.  It then flew around the East Pool of the Shorebird Pool (aka the Kingsland Impoundment) for several minutes.
   This is prime time for these guys, and we have our first anniverary walk with Bergen County Audubon Society at DeKorte Park at 10 a.m.
   On the first walk the Meadowlands Commission did BCAS last Fourth of July Weekend, we had great looks at a Black Skimmer — and an Osprey catching a fish.
    Link to last year's walk is here. 

    Info on this weekend's walk is here.

   The William D. McDowell Observatory in  DeKorte Park begins a new month of programming next week with free public programs at 9 and 10:30 p.m. — weather permitting, of course.  Please check the Observatory's Web site to see it will be open on Monday, July 5. Link is here.
   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 July schedule, click here.

 
  The sunny weather is bringing out plenty of butterflies at DeKorte — yesterday we had our first Pearl Crescent (above), a Viceroy, a Monarch and a Black Swallowtail in addition to the usual (beautiful) suspects.

   For the third day in a row, we had a Snowberry Clear-winged Moth (below) as well.

 
    Water levels in the Shorebird Pool at DeKorte are up in again. Today on our noon-day walk with Denise Farrell of the Bergen County Audubon Society, we had two Forster's Terns and  eight Lesser Yellowlegs, along with the other usual suspects.

 
  The South Bergenite has a neat update on the Wild Turkeys that have been hanging out in Rutherford.
   Link is here.