This Sunday, the Meadowlands Commission and Bergen County Audubon Society are hosting two great free events — a nature walk at 10 a.m. with the inimitable Edith Wallace and other fine folk, and a Butterflies for Beginners Talk and Walk at 1 p.m.
More info on both events follows.
Richard W. DeKorte Park is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 8:30 p.m.
Please note: Vehicles that remain in parking areas past 8:30 p.m. run the risk of being ticketed or towed at the owner’s expense or locked in overnight unless it is a public viewing night at the observatory.
The Marsh Discovery Trail closes – and the gate will be locked — at 8 p.m. nightly. The trail may also be closed during and/or after rain because of slippery conditions.
Year-round
NJMC Administration Building: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Meadowlands Environment Center: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Observatory: Public viewing hours are Monday and Wednesday nights. Check the Meadowlands Environment Center website for more information: www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.
On Friday and Monday, we surveyed the three known Osprey nests in the Meadowlands.
All three, we are happy to report, are active.
At the nest in Carlstadt, we saw the female on the nest and the male nearby.
At the nest in Kearny, opposite laurel Hill, we saw two adults on the nest (above).
At the Jersey City nest, by the PSE&G generating plant, we saw one adult on the nest with two babies.
The Jersey City nest, the oldest of the three, played a key role in Tom Yezerski's new children's book, "Meadowlands."