Ray says:

An adult snow goose is hanging out behind the Xchange Place in the flooded field north of the boat launch.  It looked like an adult that wasn't associating with any other geese in the area.

 I saw an osprey on the nest at the train bridge, same spot as last year.

 I'm pretty sure I saw one of the Common Ravens flying from the nest at Laurel Hill on Sunday afternoon.  That nest is kind of tough to see in this year so I think we're probably going to have to wait awhile to see how many babies are in there this year.

(Thanks, Ray!)

Just in time for Tuesday's free guided Harrier Meadow walk, 20 students from the Ecology Club of St. Joseph Regional Prep in Montvale spent the better part of a day last week cleaning up the 70-acre site.

They picked  up several contractor bags' worth of trash and found was weird flotsam that came in with the tides (12 feet of nautical rope — still looped — a McDonalds Happy Meal toy, shotgun shells, a bowling pin, a doll leg, a Doll's head, a 10- foot piece of rebar, and light bulbs.

The work crew also cut back some of the runaway groundsel to restore part of the Harrier Meadow meadow. (Thanks, St. Joe!)

Seen at Harrier Meadow on Friday: More than 200 Greater Yellowleg, 8 Dunlin, a Spotted Sandpiper and a Wilson's Snipe.

Details of the walk follow.

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Just a reminder: The Meadowlands Commission has fielded a great team for our first foray into the World Series of Birding, on Saturday, May 14, and we could use your help.

The Meadowlands Marsh Hawks will be exploring every nook and cranny in Bergen County in search of as many bird species as we can.

Your pledge on the number of species of birds seen by the Marsh Hawks will help support bird research projects in the Meadowlands and continue assisting students from Ramapo College of New Jersey gain invaluable experience working with and for conservation efforts in the Meadowlands.

For example, if 120 species are found and your donation is for $.20/species then the donation towards our research and education program would be $24. Donations may be tax-deductible.

Download a pledge form here:  Download Pledge sheet

After the conclusion of the World Series of Birding, we will send you a complete list of the birds counted and a letter documenting your generous donation.

Donations to the Marsh Hawks will go to support the N.J. Meadowlands Commission Landfill Bird Banding Project, which has been a great educational tool for Ramapo College of New Jersey students in recent years.

More info follows.

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Next time you're visiting DeKorte Park, check out the Flyway Gallery's new watercolor exhibit: “An Overview of the Works of the Late Andy Gorcica, ” on display through Friday, June 3.

When Gorcica retired from his career as a freelance advertising designer 15 years ago, he turned his remarkable artistic talent to painting vibrant watercolors of scenic vistas he had experienced during travels with his wife.

Gorcica’s flair for capturing landscapes and architecture was soon recognized by the local art community, and he received several awards honoring his work. But Gorcica’s promising second career was cut tragically short when the Wallington resident and East Rutherford High School graduate died of cancer at age 72 in 2007.

Now, Jane Gorcica is carrying on her husband’s legacy so that people can experience and enjoy his paintings. Gorcica’s works include striking portraits depicting the natural beauty of landscapes in England and across the United States, from Ringwood State Park to Minnesota, South Dakota and Alaska.

More follows.

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The next seven days are chock-a-block with birding-related events at DeKorte, beginning with the last "Birding for Beginners" class at 1 p.m. at the Environment Center.

Tuesday is a free guided Harrier Meadow walk and banding demonstration at 10 a.m.

Wednesday is a free talk, "Birds of the Meadowlands," at 8 p.m. at the Environment Center.

Next Friday is a free Earth Day walk at 10 a.m., beginning outside the Environment Center.

Details follow.

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John Muselli of the Meadowlands Commission took these nifty shots of Killdeer eggs in a parking lot in North Bergen.

Can you see the nest in the photo above?

The close-up at right might help. (Thanks, John!)

Killdeer will lay eggs for the next couple of months just about anywhere, from the parking lots at DeKorte to ballfields to rooftops with gravel on them.

IF you see a Killdeer running around, feigning a broken wing, you are probably too close to its nest or its Killfawns.

Our next free guided walk with Bergen County Audubon is next Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Harrier Meadow, a wonderful birding oasis.

  If weather permits, the walk will begin with a not-to-be-missed bird-banding demo by NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse and his crew.

This week we have seen Green-winged Teal, No. Shovelers, No. Pintails, Common Mergs, Gadwall and Red-tails at Harrier.

Previous Harrier Meadow posts are here. Details follow.

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 Earlier this week, N.J. Meadowlands Commission naturalists Gabrielle Bennett-Meany and Mike Newhouse installed new Tree Swallow housing in the Shorebird Pool.

In case you hadn't guessed already, the boxes were painted by last year's Blue K and Green K classes of The Montclair Kimberley Academy.

The Tree Swallows seemed to like the look of the houses, because they were claiming their new homes as soon as the poles for boxes hit the mud. Above, two new tenants check out their digs.

(We'll be putting more boxes soon at Mill Creek Marsh and elsewhere.)

We have a slightly revised schedule for our 2011 guided paddles on the marshes of the Hackensack River.

Download the schedule, further info, and registration form here.

Download Canoe Registration FormLR

(If you have trouble downloading, make sure your Adobe Reader is updated.)

"Birds of the Meadowlands" is the free slide show and talk next Wednesday night at 8 p.m.  at the Environment Center in DeKorte Park.

The talk, part of the April meeting of the Bergen County Audubon Society, will be presented by Jim Wright, who keeps this blog for the Meadowlands Commission.

The talk will include many of the photos displayed on this blog and will feature recent arrivals, frequent fliers and other crowd-pleasers.

(The Osprey w/likely-White-Perch photo above was taken earlier this week at DeKorte: Jim will show the entire sequence at his talk.)

Details follow.

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