The Meadowlands Commission and Bergen County Audubon Society are holding a two-hour walk at Harrier Meadow in North Arlington this Sunday at 10 a.m.
We will also go to nearby Disposal Road to look for Bald eagles, Northern harriers and other raptors.
Full details follow.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is distributing signs in three languages — English, Spanish and Portugese — letting folks know that fishing and crabbing along the Hackensack River and in Newark bay is catch-and-release only.
The River is making a great comeback from the bad old days of rampant polluting, but this is a reminder that it still has a ways to go.
This week's "Focus on the Meadowlands" feature on the wildnewjersey.tv blog features:
* A Common Milkweed seed in Harrier Meadow
* Unexpected beauty atop the old Erie Landfill
* The orange crown of — you guessed it — an Orange-crowned Warbler, photographed at the Meadowlands Commission's bird banding station at the base of that landfill.
(All three photos were taken within 20 minutes of each other a week ago.)
The link is here.
The Meadowlands Commission and Bergen County Audubon Society are holding a two-hour walk at Harrier Meadow in North Arlington this Sunday at 10 a.m.
We did a quick scouting trip at lunch today and saw a Bald Eagle and Great Blue Heron fly side by side in the distance.
As we headed out, we got a shot of the eagle flying by again (left). Eagle sightings at common these days in Harrier Meadow. On Sunday, we will also see if any raptors are working along nearby Disposal Road.
Other birds of note that we saw in Harrier today and might also see on Sunday were Osprey, N. Harrier, Greater Yellowlegs, Belted Kingfisher (heard only), Ring-tailed Pheasant (heard only), Red-tails, and ducks including Hooded Mergs and Gadwalls.
Full details follow.
A big thanks to Deedee Burnside for IDing the skipper in the Tuesday Teaser — a Peck's Skipper. A tough ID from the photo.
The William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park begins a new month of programming tonight with free public access for three hours nightly, from 7 to 10 on Monday and Wednesday nights — weather permitting, of course.
Dress for the weather; with the dome open, you are basically outside.
Each evening at least two major objects in the night sky will be viewed, plus one or two other celestial objects or events depending on the observing conditions.
For more information about free public viewing nights and to check out the observatory's website, click here.
For a South Bergenite column by the NJMC's Jim Wright about the observatory, click here.
Roy Woodford got this shot of a Gray Ghost (male Northern Harrier) along Disposal Road on Sunday. (Thanks, Roy!)
Supporters of environmental preservation in the Meadowlands can highlight the importance of wetland and wildlife protection and help make a difference with Meadowlands Conservation license plates.
The plates, sold online and at State Motor Vehicle Commission offices, benefit the open-space preservation efforts of the Meadowlands Conservation Trust.
The plates feature a tranquil scene of a Great Egret and a Diamondback Terrapin in their marshland home along the Hackensack River, with Laurel Hill in Secaucus rising in the background.
The MCT was created in 1999 by the State Legislature to acquire and preserve environmentally-sensitive open space and wetlands in the Hackensack River Watershed, one of the most important urban wetland systems in the nation.
The MCT has preserved more than 800 acres of open space since its inception, including the Richard P. Kane Natural Area, the largest contiguous parcel of open space in the Meadowlands. The 587-acre parcel includes parts of Carlstadt and South Hackensack.
In case you visit DeKorte and are wondering what's going on in the parking lot by the Science Center and Observatory, we have just begun construction on a solar carport canopy project, which will generate a 121 kilowatts of electricity.
Construction will continue through the end of the year. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Regina Geoghan photographed this skipper last month at the Jill Ann Ziemkiewicz Butterfly Garden — but what kind?
Can anyone help? (Thanks, Regina!)