We had a great birding cruise this morning, with four pontoon boats on the river and nearby marshes in search of unusual birds.

Different boats got different species, but all got good looks at the Kearny Osprey nest (left), as well as plenty of Yellow-crowned Night Herons by the Anderson Creek Marsh. We also saw plenty of Forster's Terns and assorted sandpipers.  A big thank you to all who attended.

Later this week,  if possible, we will post a list of birds some of us saw.

We are adding another birding trip on Tuesday, August 23, at 10 a.m. Call Gaby Bennett-Meany at 201-460-4640 for more info. At $15 suggested donation, these are the best bargains around.

You can book a cruise at another time, too — download the registration form, the rest of the summer schedule and details here:

 Download Pontoon Registration

Event listing follows.

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On Jan. 1, Meadowlands Commission Naturalist Mike Newhouse set out to see a different bird species a day for as many days as he could.

His efforts ended last Tuesday when he failed to get a new bird. He was hoping for a Least Tern, which showed up the following day (above, left).

Mike had a run of 193 birds — more than half the year. Congrats, Mike!

His last new bird was a Forster's Tern (above, right). The photo shows a nice size comparison between the One-degree Tern and the Forster's.

We thought we'd share this list here, since he saw so many of the birds while on the job in the Meadowlands.

Full list follows.

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In honor of Butterfly Day at DeKorte on Sunday, we give you this butterfly from Mill Creek, photographed late last month by Theresa Ciralo.

What is it?