If you’ve walked through DeKorte Park’s Lyndhurst Nature Reserve and come across the plots in the photo above, you’ve probably wondered what they are.

Wonder no more.

Sue Lewicki of the Meadowlands Environment Center says: “These are our practice archaeological dig pits for our field trip program entitled ‘Peek at the Past.’  Students are introduced to Meadowlands history through maps and artifact study.

“We have a collection of artifacts from early 20th century in the Science Building, but, weather permitting, students are also introduced to proper dig techniques (it’s a lot more “scraping” than digging) and we used the gridded pits to organize teams in unearthing their own specimens.

“We never really are sure what contributions people have shoved in the soil recently, but occasionally the student haul up something that we didn’t plant and that’s genuinely been in the load of soil (who knows where it came from) for a long time – the 1950s Mountain Dew bottle with the hillbilly was my favorite (‘It’ll Tickle Yore Innards’ – they just don’t write catch phrases like that anymore).”

We happened to photograph this American Robin last week in DeKorte Park's Lyndhurst Nature Reserve.

In going over the photos, we noticed it was banded — perhaps the handiwork of NJMC naturalist Mike Newhouse and his volunteers?

We had hoped to hold Sunday's free guided nature walk at Losen Slote Park, but the park is muddy and more rain is expected this weekend. As a result, we are switching to the walk to DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst — 10 a.m. The Birding for Beginners class meets at DeKorte at 1 p.m. the same day. Here's the listing for the walk.

Sunday, April 3, 10 a.m.
First Sunday-of-the-Month Bird Walk with the NJMC and BCAS
This free two-hour guided nature walk starts outside the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, and runs from 10 a.m. We’ll walk around the square-mile-park, looking for spring arrivals, Bald Eagles and other birds. 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.

Most times you see a Common Merganser, it's taking off. But last week at Mill Creek Marsh, we were lucky to watch one come in for a landing.