Our next free walk with Bergen County Audubon is Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 10 a.m. at DeKorte Park.
There should be an excellent assortment of ducks by then, and — who knows? — maybe we'll see a rarity or two.
We'll walk on the Marsh Discovery Trail and check out the tidal impoundments for the wintering waterfowl and any straggling yellowlegs and Great Egrets.
Full information follows.
The year 2011 marked the dedication of a new riverside park in Carlstadt, lots of great nature sightings, and the continued partnership with Bergen County Audubon Society — more than 40 events that included a Kearny Marsh Cleanup, a Losen Slote Creek Park clean-up, a couple of free talks by "Meadowlands" children's author Tom Yezerski and the third Annual Kevin Karlson Shorebird Day.
We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2011, month by month.
Here are some highlights from February:
February 3: Winter Sunset, Valley Brook Ave.
February 4: Of Heath Hens and Passenger Pigeons
February 10: Dark-morph Rough-leg on Disposal Road
February 15: Mill Creek: Common Teal, Gray Ghost, Plus
February 17: Pheasants and More
February 23: 'New' Disposal Road Raptor
Two years ago this week (Dec. 11), a Northern Shrike was seen in Disposal Road across from the Carillon. The bird stayed until St. Pattie's Day, 2010.
We did a quick inspection of Disposal Road this afternoon, to no avail, but keep your eyes out. You never know. Sometimes lightning does shrike twice.
Link to the first report is here.
The year 2011 marked the dedication of a new riverside park in Carlstadt, lots of great nature sightings, and the continuing partnership with Bergen County Audubon Society.
We hosted more than 40 events that included twice-monthly free walks, a Kearny Marsh clean-up, a Losen Slote Creek Park clean-up, a couple of free talks by "Meadowlands" children's author Tom Yezerski and the third Annual Kevin Karlson Shorebird Day.
We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2011, month by month.
Here are some highlights from January:
January 5: Rough-legged Hawk Plus on Disposal Road
January 6: Amazing Lunar Eclipse Sequence
January 11: Long-tailed Duck at Laurel Hill
Januray 19: New, Improved DeKorte Duck Map
January 21: Snowshoeing at DeKorte
January 23: Great Winter Walk: Rough-leg, Plus
January 25: Bald Eagle on Ice at DeKorte
Don Torino's latest column for wildnewjersey.tv is about the Christmas Bird Count, and why so many people enjoy braving often-frigid days in search of every bird they can find — including the Peabody-Award-winning White Throat (above).
Link is here.
Yesterday's Teaser was a (first-winter) Connecticut Warbler.
Could be our toughest teaser yet…
Congrats to Julie McCall for IDing the bird. Impressive!
(And thanks again to Jim Kuehlke for the photo!)
More on Connecticut Warblers here.
Saw Mill Creek Mud Flats, DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst, 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse just phoned to say he just saw an Orange-crowned Warbler at Mill Creek Marsh.
As you enter from the shopping center gate, go to where the tail splits — to the left or straight ahead. That is where the OC Warbler is being seen.
Who's this warbler? It was photographed at the NJMC bird-banding station earlier this fall by Jim Kuehlke.
Answer tomorrow.
Had a small raft of Canvasbacks on Monday at lunchtime in the Saw Mill Creek mud flats section of DeKorte Park. First raft we've seen this season — coinciding with some ice along the edges of the Shorebird Pool.
Also has Ruddies, Buffleheads, N. Pintails and N. Shovelers.