Dennis Cheeseman pulled off a rare feat this week — nice photographs of both a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a Great Blue Heron at DeKorte Park on the same day.

The Ruby-crown is probably the smallest bird in the park (it weighs less than a quarter ounce), and the GBH, well, they don't call it "great" for nothin'. It weighs more than 336 times as much. Sorry about the bad math when I first posted (Thanks, Rick!)    :- ) 

You can see kinglets and photograph Great Blues on many days, but getting pics of both — especially the hyper-active kinglet — is a challenge. (Thanks, Dennis!)

Jim Wright, who keeps this blog, also writes a twice-monthly nature column for The South Bergenite. Here's his latest, an interview with "Meadowlands" author Thoms F. Yezerski.

The last time we checked in with children’s author/illustrator Tom Yezerski, his marvelous book “Meadowlands, A Wetlands Survival Story” had just been published. Since then, the former Rutherford resident’s book has been named a notable book of 2011 by both The New York Times and the New York Public Library.

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission is pleased to host Tom’s first gallery show of the paintings from the book, including a talk and signing by Tom, followed by a reception, on Sunday, Feb. 5, in the Flyway Gallery in DeKorte Park.

We caught up with Tom again recently to talk about subjects ranging from having his first show in the Meadowlands to his advice for aspiring illustrators.

How is the book doing?  Very well. The book has gotten great reviews from as far away as Los Angles, which gave it national attention.  All the kids I have shown it to seem to love the animals and the comeback story.

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