The Record had a nice story in today's edition about Tom Yezerski's talk and book signing at DeKorte Park yesterday.

Link is here.

Tom's book "Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story" and a signed, limited edition print of an illustration from the book are available at the Meadowlands Environment Center.

Chris Takacs' awesome DeKorte Bittern video from Saturday is here. (Thanks, Chris!)

Julie McCall reports:

Before or after yesterday's walk:

* About 50 Snow Buntings continuing atop the landfill.

* After a lot of standing around, I finally saw the American Bittern around 4pm.  (notes below)

* A Green-winged Teal, the Eurasian  remix, was hanging out with its brethren between the MDT and the railroad tracks

* An immature Bald Eagle was nice enough to drop by

* American Tree Sparrow between Disposal Road and the Transco Trail

* A handful of Red-winged Blackbirds seen from the Marsh Discovery Trail

Bittern notes:  various birders said that yesterday it worked its way from the "Ruddy blind"and along the phrag edge all the way toward the main entrance. Today, it was seen in mid-afternoon by several birders, and then finally I saw it the same location.   If you look at the Bittern Locator Map posted to meadowblog the other day, the bird was seen against the phrag edge above the "L" and the "A" in "Kingsland."   (Thanks, Julie!)

One of the latest entries on the Smithsonian Magazine blogs is a nifty column about all the neat stuff you can see when you take the train from New York to Washington, D.C. — including the Meadowlands.

Says the magazine: "The New York Jets and Giants play football at the Meadowlands near the mouths of the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers. Passing by on the train you wouldn’t know that the 20,000-acre wetland is infamously polluted, the perfect place for Tony Soprano to dump dead bodies. Instead, you see high reeds and water channels visited by Snowy Egrets and Peregrine Falcons—indications that the natural wonders of the region may get a second chance, thanks to an ambitious plan mounted by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission."

We at the NJMC would like tothink the natural wonders are getting a second chance already. :- )

Link to entire story is here.

We have some tallies from January from eight folks competing in the Meadowlands Big Year.

Congrats to all for competing. We hope you are having fun close to home, and seeing lots of great birds.

Keep in mind that some birders are in the Meadowlands all the time, and others get here occasionally, so their birdage may differ.

(These are unofficial numbers, and obviously change all the time.)

If you're name's not on the list, please e-mail Jim Wright at jim.wright (at) njmeadowlands.gov. It's not too late to participate!

Here is the leader board:

1. Chris Takacs:  67 (lives in district; counting birds within district
        boundaries, not district towns)
2. Julie McCall: 66 species (lives in district)
3. Mike Newhouse 66 (NJMC, setting a target number for competitors)
4. Jim Wright  54 (NJMC staff, ineligible)
5. Doug Morel: 53 (out of district)
6. Ray Duffy: 51  (lives in district)
7. Ramon and Lillian of West New York: 40 species (out of district)
8. Dennis Cheesman: 31 (out of district)
9. Rob Fanning 27   (out of district)