Michael Mastropasqua reports:

On my drive home Sunday night (about 11:15pm) I stopped by the Clay Avenue Wetland (Tessie McNamara Park) to see whether there was anything interesting in the marshes and much to my surprise I found a Black Skimmer skimming!

Though not uncommon in the Meadowlands, it certainly is there on the early side.  I watched it for at least 10 minutes doing laps from the main pond area to the orange cones at the corner by the bright parking lot light post. 

That corner is really well lit by those lights and the bird was easy to see as it skimmed by no more than 20-30 ft away.  In addition, there was a Killdeer family in the middle of the street on the corner of Clay Avenue and Valley Brook Drive with at least 3-4 babies about the size of cotton balls on tooth picks.

Several Raccoons and a Mallard pair were also seen crossing the street in that area. 

I've also seen (at close range) a juvenile Great Blue Heron, a juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron, and a Skunk on a previous late night drive-by. That little marsh is a real gem.

(Thanks, Michael!)

 We took this photo last Thursday on the Marsh Discovery Trail. Only way to get the entire bird on the blog was to do a two-parter. Some readers may have to click "Contiue reading…" to see the entire photo. 

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The Record has a terrific story about the Meadowlands Marsh Hawks' World Series run in today's editions.

The link is here, but as of 7:30 a.m. on Sunday the online version did not have any of the nifty photos featured in the print edition — a shot of the team's four mainstays birding on the Hackensack River, or shots of a Great Egret and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

We have learned the results of the World Series, and our 127 species earned us second place in our division, one percentage point behind the winning team. Not bad for our first time out. The results are here (just click on "results").

We will try to post the full list this week — we saw some big-time birds.

From Mahwah to Norh Arlington, the Meadowlands Marsh Hawks combed Bergen County for birds during today's World Series of Birding. At nightfall, they had a preliminary total of 127 species, including some surprising ones.

We hope to print a full list next week, along with a few more photos and a link to a major newspaper article.

We'd also like to thank everyone who donated to the Marsh Hawks. The money will go to bird research (and education) in the Meadowlands, and it is most appreciated.

And yes, the Marsh Hawks not only saw more than one Marsh Hawk (Northern Harrier), they even got a Gray Ghost.

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.

More info follows.

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Ron Shields writes:

I found this guy up a tree in the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve Monday afternoon. 

Maybe he's an avid birder getting a closer look or maybe he's waiting to pounce on unsuspecting photographers. 

If I remember correctly, this fellow might have been the subject of a Tuesday Teaser last year. 

Can he be counted in the World Series of Birding?   And I do hope that he returned to earth okay! (Thanks, Ron!)

We ran into three-fifths of the University of Pittsburgh Birding Club's World Series team yesterday.

They were scouting DeKorte Park, where they will start their 24-hour quest a second after midnight tonight.

They are raising money for the National Aviary Department of Conservation and Field Research. Apparently it was the worthy cause with the longest name they could find. :- )

Good luck, Panthers!

Ron Shields says:

A trip into the Kearny Marsh yielded fantastic results this past weekend.  
As many as Five ospreys were perched at the same time on the old telegraph poles that still line the abandoned Erie Railroad right-of-way along the southern boundary.

In addition, numerous Black-crowned Night Herons (mainly adults) were observed throughout the area and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks flew overhead.  The water level is still high resulting in limited shorebird action.

A Common Yellowthroat and several Wood Ducks were a nice change of pace.

(Thanks, Ron!)

More photos follow.

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Dennis Cheeseman photographed this Semipalmated Plover by the Marsh Discovery Trail, on the left before the first bird blind. Dennis adds: 

"The Orioles are back, off the parking lot." (Thanks, Dennis!)

We are happy to announce that we have streamlined our standard liability release forms for our walks. You will now be able to sign one release that will cover you for all our walks in 2011. (Note: Just bring the release with you on the next free guided walk.)

You can download it here: Download NJMC Guided Bird Walk Calendar Year Release – 2011.