The year 2010 marked the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's 41th anniversary and the continued expansion of our nature programs with Bergen County Audubon Society — including an Earth Day Celebration, a Kearny Marsh Cleanup, a Butterfly Day, a "Green Friday" nature walk, and a talk by Scott Weidensaul.

We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2010, month by month.    

Here are some October highlights:

Oct. 1: Bird-Banding Totals for September

Oct. 8: Kestrel Eating Prayiong Mantis in Flight

Oct. 11: How To Photograph a Grasshopper

Oct. 15: Snapping Turtle, Disposal Road

Oct. 21: All About the Transco Trail

Oct. 22: Red-tail, Up-close

Oct. 27: New Meadowlands Documentary Project

Oct. 29: DeKorte Rainbow

This bird is in the NJMC taxdermy collection, labeled "sandpiper." 

But it doesn't look like any sandpiper we know. So we e-mailed the image to shorebird expert Kevin Karlson, who says:

"Since the eye is fake and obviously oversized, it makes an ID of this bird tough.

"However, the bill size and shape combined with a few salmon colored feathers on the neck and breast and the medium-length greenish legs point to Red Knot.

"I know this is an uncommon migrant to the Meadowlands, but I suspect that there were much greater numbers in the old days, with some birds moving just slightly inland to the Meadowlands.

"This is the only bird that makes sense with the shape, bill size and shape and posture of this mount."

What do you think?

The year 2010 marked the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's 41th anniversary and the continued expansion of our nature programs with Bergen County Audubon Society — including an Earth Day Celebration, a Kearny Marsh Cleanup, a Butterfly Day, a "Green Friday" nature walk, and a talk by Scott Weidensaul.

We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2010, month by month.    

Here are some September highlights:

Sept. 2: Kearny Marsh: Yellow-crown

Sept. 8: Carlstadt Egret: Radio-transmitter recording

Sept. 13: BirdFest, the Full List

Sept. 17: Caterpillar Lunch

Sept. 23: The Problem of Released Birds

Sept. 27: Losen Slote, Last Day of Summer

There's still a little open water at DeKorte, with the Canvasbacks and a few Pintails huddled together — and lots of snow drifts. No sign of the Long-tailed Duck yet, but have not really looked.

Yes, we realize that this is a stuffed bird, but it is from the Meadowlands more than 110 years ago. It was labeled "Sandpiper," but retired NJMC Naturalist Don Smith wonders, "Which one?"

The bird is part of an NJMC collection that also includes a Passenger Pigeon and two Heath Hens — both species now extinct.

More on the Heath Hens here.

Shorebird expert Kevin Karlson weighs in on the blog tomorrow.

Start the new year right with some fresh air and new birds (for your 2011 list)!

Join us on our next free guided walk on Sunday, Jan. 2, at DeKorte Park — brought to you by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society.

Who knows? Maybe the Long-tailed Duck will make an appearance.

Pictured at right: male Northern Pintail in flight, a pair of pintails below.

Full info on the walk follows.

Continue reading →

The year 2010 marked the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's 41th anniversary and the continued expansion of our nature programs with Bergen County Audubon Society — including an Earth Day Celebration, a Kearny Marsh Cleanup, a Butterfly Day, a "Green Friday" nature walk, and a talk by Scott Weidensaul.

We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2010, month by month.    

Here are some August highlights:

Aug, 6: Carlstadt Peregrine

Aug. 9: Doubly Amazing Tagged Shorebird Story

Aug. 10: DeKorte Butterfly Report

Aug. 12: Carlstadt Harbor Herons

Aug. 20: DeKorte Sunrise

Aug. 22: American Avocet at DeKorte

Aug. 24: Kearny Marsh Sora

Thanks to Mike Britt and his crack team of birders, we have a great list of 94 species for this side of the Hudson on the Christmas Bird Count from last Sunday.

Highlights included Canvasback, Long-tailed Duck, Wild Turkey, Great Cormorant (above), Black-crowned Night Heron, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin,Peregrine, Common Moorhen,Greater Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Wilson's Snipe, American Woodcock, Iceland Gull, Barn Owl,Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Common Raven (below), Horned Lark, Marsh Wren, Snow Bunting, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Ipswich Savannah Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow and Pine Siskin.

Full list follows.

Continue reading →

The year 2010 marked the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's 41th anniversary and the continued expansion of our nature programs with Bergen County Audubon Society — including an Earth Day Celebration, a Kearny Marsh Cleanup, a Butterfly Day, a "Green Friday" nature walk, and a talk by Scott Weidensaul.

We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2010, month by month.    

Here are some July highlights:

July 2: Butterflies and Clear-winged Moth

July 2: Black Skimmer Show

July 7: Great Bird-bath Shots at the Butterfly Garden

July 15: Nesting Cliff Swallows at DeKorte

July 26: Butterfly Day: The Full List

July 26: Glossy Ibis, Kearny Marsh

July 29: DeKorte, 3 Least Bitterns