Don Torino, who is one of the leaders on our Meadowlands Commission-Bergen County Audubon Society walks, writes a weekly column for the blog wildnewjersey.tv.
His latest column is about a young birder who has joined us on some of our walks. The link is here.
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:
Event listing follows.
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.
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?
We got our first Pearl Crescent of the season today, along with two Hummingbird Clear-winged Moths, skippers, and a Viceroy.
Here are two views of the tiny Pearl Crescent, about the size of a dime. This species can also be seen on the cover of Jeffrey Glassberg's excellent "Butterflies Through Binoculars, Boston-New York-Washington Region."
Let's hope all these guys hang around for Butterfly day this Sunday at DeKorte. 
This month, instead of a Third-Tuesday walk, we are having a Third-Tuesday guided birding cruise on the NJMC's pontoon boats.
Due to a few last-minute cancellations, we have several slots available. If you are interested, please call Gaby at 201-638-7054 to reserve space and get directions. The cruise costs $15 — a bargain.
Last year we saw a Peregrine Falcon, Diamondback Terrapins and more. (Link to post on last year's cruise is here.)
We are also trying to set up another cruise for August, so stay tuned. You can book a cruise at another time, too — download the summer schedule here:
Tomorrow's (Tuesday's) two-hour cruise — sponsored by the NJMC and Bergen County Audubon Society — leaves from the new docks at River Barge Park in Carlstadt at 10 a.m. All three pontoon boats are filled. Please bring water and sun block.
Directions to River Barge Park are on the left-hand column of the blog, or click here for map. Allow a little extra time if you have not been there before.
Other upcoming events follow.
Sandy Sorkin saw this Spotted Sandpiper at DeKorte on Sunday — his first for the year. (Thanks, Sandy!)
In the past week or so, Elaine Raine got some photos of a butterfly and moth that we hadn't photographed yet this year at DeKorte — a Hummingbird Clear-winged Moth and a Summer Azure.(Thanks, Elaine!)
We also saw a Cicada Killer on Friday but did not manage to photograph it before it zipped away.
Don't forget that Butterfly Day is this Sunday at DeKorte Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
We have seen this happen a couple of times now at DeKorte Park: a Forster's Tern perches on a Tree Swallow box, then gets agitated when a Tree Swallow tries to fly in to feed the young.
This scene went on for several minutes late last week, until the tern decided to fly away.
(This happened in Shorebird Pool, at a bit of a distance even for a 400mmm lens.)
John Workman hit a bonanza at DeKorte early Saturday morning — including two Glossy Ibises and shorebirds galore.
His full report follows. (Thanks, John!)
