Bert Filemyr reported the following on JerseyBirds this afternoon:

"Vincent Nichnadowicz observed a Swallow-tailed Kite over the DeKorte Park Visitors Center  (Lyndhurst, NJ) at 3:52 today (Friday 4/29)."

Several of us went combing the skies, to no avail. If anyone took a photo of the kite, please let us know here.

Something else to keep an eye out for this weekend at DeKorte… (Thanks, Bert and Vincent!)

We are getting reports of ticks from all over, so take care — might wear long pants and long sleeve shirts, and tuck your pantlegs into your socks. Also, please stay on trails.

The tick photographed here is a Wood Tick that hitchhiked a ride with an NJMC naturalist this week. Deer tick are even smaller and can carry Lyme Disease. 

NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse reports:

"The Red-necked Phalarope has not been seen as of 8:30 this morning. However, there are some interesting birds around DeKorte Park."

Here are some of Mike's highlights from this morning:

Sora-2
Common Moorhen-1
Coot-1
Solitary Sandpiper-1
Greater Yellowlegs-45+
Lesser Yellowlegs-15+
Least Sandpiper-50+
Forester's Tern-1
Osprey-2
Green-winged Teal-6
Blue-winged Teal-2
Northern Shoveler-1
Ruddy Duck-6
Gadwall-10
Yellow Warblers-many
Yellow-rumps-many
White-crowned Sparrow-1
Savannah Sparrow-1

Ron Shields writes:

Included are images of a pair of Tree Swallows whose antics caused them to crash land on an exposed mudflat a few feet off the Transco Trail Tuesday afternoon. 

The pair had been engaged in their usual aerial acrobatics when they suddenly hit the mud and became completely stuck.

They couldn't move…or fly as their undercarraige was soaked in mud.  Not having a tree limb at my disposal, I turned to my trusty camera monopod and helped them out a bit.

One perched in the phragmites quite shaken from the ordeal while the other "walked" to cover.

Here's hoping that they were both OK.  Man…the things you see in the Meadowlands!

Now a great time to see Forsters Terns at DeKorte. They often perch on the railings on the elevated boardwalk outside the Meadowlands Environment Center.