Some 200 people attended the Lunar 
Eclipse event at DeKorte Park's McDowell Observatory last night.
Participants learned all about the solar system and eclipses, and got to see the event through both the 20-inch research grade telesccope in the observatory and smaller telescopes outside the science center.
Thanks to all who braved the night and the cold for this great event. We may post links to news coverage later.
If you want to see a great variety of winter waterfowl, DeKorte Park and environments is the place to be. On the Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, we had 14 species of duck — with a majority of them seen at DeKorte.
The list and CBC totals follow.
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 highlights from April:
April 1: Cranes of the Meadowlands
April 7: Monk Parakeet Update
April 9: Kearny's Osprey Nest Back in Business
April 14: About Those Midges
April 20: Bald Eagle W/Transmitter
April 22: Good News on Earth Day
April 27: Best Tuesday Teaser Ever
April 29: Forster's Fest
Ron Shields took this photo of a likely immature Long-tailed Duck at DeKorte on Saturday. We saw it again on the Christmas Bird Count on Sunday.
It was rafting with Canvasbacks near the shore in the Saw Mill mud flats by the Transco Trail this morning, and was near a Ruddy not far from the Canvasbacks near the entrance to the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve. (Thanks, Ron!)
A Common Goldeneye is also still present, in Teal Pool out by the (closed) Saw Mill Creek Trail.
More on Long-tailed Ducks here.
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Celebrate the Winter Solstice with a walk and talk at DeKorte Park tomorrow, beginning at 9 a.m.
We’ll begin with an 90-minute walk near the Meadowlands Environment Center.
Then, at 11:30, we'll listen to a talk about the Sun by Laura Venner, a NASA solar system ambassador and MEC educator.
We have been seeing a Long-Tailed Duck of late — a really good bird for this area — and we will see if we can get that. Will post more on the duck later today.
The walk is run by the N.J. Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society.
Check meadowblog.net for last-minute weather updates. You will have to sign a standard liability release for this event.
To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-636-4022.
Just a reminder: 
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission invites the public to an up-close view of the first total lunar eclipse in nearly three years tonight at the Commission’s William D. McDowell Observatory.
The free, all-ages program begins at 11:30 p.m. with an information session on eclipses. Visitors will have a chance to view the eclipse and the night sky through the Observatory’s state-of-the art 20-inch-diameter telescope.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon completely passes behind the earth so that the earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon. As a result the moon is cast in spectacular shades of red and orange.
More information folllows.
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 highlights from March, when Disposal Road was the place to be:
March 1: Snow Bunting, Disposal Road
March 3: Sign of Spring: Killdeer, Disposal Road
March 5: Turkey Vulture, Up-close
March 17: Rare Irish Bird at DeKorte
March 25: DeKorte Eagles Plus
March 29: Greater Yellowlegs Are Back
Dennis Cheeseman got this Great Blue Heron shot on Monday. We're hoping he hangs around for the Christmas Bird Count on Sunday.
Ron Shields writes: "Attached please find several images from a visit last weekend to Mill Creek Marsh, as well as a photo of Canvasback silhouettes at sunset at DeKorte Park.
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 highlights from February:
Feb. 2: Groundhog's Day Video
Feb.5: White-crowned Sparrows: Easy To Find
Feb. 14: Great Backyard Bird Count Walk
Feb. 19: Audio recordings of Northern Shrike
Feb. 19: Mandarin Duck, Monk Parakeets, Gray Ghost
Feb. 25: Cross-country Skiing at DeKorte
Feb. 26: DeKorte after a Heavy Snow