Roy Woodford took this Horned Grebe shot yesterday at DeKorte, along with a nifty Snowy Egret shot.
Another Horned Grebe shot and the Snowy Egret shot follow. (Thanks, Roy! And thanks to all who submitted grebe pix!)
Monthly Archives: April 2012
Glossy Ibis at Mill Creek
Liberty Valance writes:
"Last night while Jeanie and I were walking around MCM about 6:30 we spotted this unusual bird in the area by the turnpike bridge …my first thought was…is this the Little Blue Heron???
BUT the bill was longer and curved…then I realized that it might be an IBIS…we were so excited and I did have the camera….so we took as many photos as we could.
The Glossy Ibis was busy having it's evening meal and wasn't bothered by us. It did move to the other side on the pond though…it is really interesting to watch…it puts it's head completely under water to get at the things it's eating!
(Thanks, Liberty and Jeanie, and thanks to Mickey Raine for editing the pix!)
Horned Grebe at DeKorte!
NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse reports a Horned Grebe at DeKorte Park, near the beginning of the Marsh Discovery Trail. Full breeding plumage. We hope someone can take a photo — pic above is by Ron Shields, from last year).
And we hope the bird stays till Sunday and our Earth Day walks!
Don’t Forget Earth Day at DeKorte Park
We have a great free, family-friendly lineup at DeKorte Park this Sunday:
10 – 10:25 a.m. "Rebounding Raptors of the Meadowlands," slide show and talk by Jim Wright, who keeps this blog. Meadowlands Environment Center.
10:30 – noon. Bird walk along the Marsh Discovery Trail and Transco Trail, looking for Ospreys, other raptors and other birds. Starts inside the Meadowlands Environment Center.
12:20 – 12:50 p.m. "Meadowlands, a Wetlands Survival Story," slide show, talk and book signing with the acclaimed children's author Tom Yezerski. Meadowlands Environment Center.
1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. "Birding for Beginners," slide show and talk on birding optics. Meadowlands Environment Center.
1:30 – 3 p.m.: 10:30 -noon. Bird walk along the Marsh Discovery Trail, looking for Ospreys and other birds. Starts inside the Meadowlands Environment Center.
In case of rain, we'll go to Plan B.
Ron Shields’ Latest Pix
Here's a sampling of Ron Shields' latest pix — a Savannah Sparrow and a Black-crowned Night Heron.
(Thanks, Ron!)
Forgot to mention…
Spectrum for Living also donates some "ordinary" Tree Swallow nesting boxes each year. We love the little perches outside the opening, and so do the Tree Swallows.
More on Those Amazing Nest Boxes
Here are several more nifty Tree Swallow nesting boxes, the first of which we posted about yesterday.
The boxes were part of the annual delivery of Tree Swallow boxes from Spectrum For Living, an adult community for the disabled. Spectrum has 6 centers, and each center presents a next box for the contest.
(Thank you, Spectrum for Living!)
More nest box pix follow, including the "Cold Beer" sign on yesterday's box.
A New Meadowlands Butterfly Competition!
The Meadowlands Commission and Bergen County Audubon Society are pleased to announce a brand-new butterfly competition to see how many species you (or you and your family) can identify in the Meadowlands this year.
Best wa
y to start is to pick up a free DeKorte Park Butterfly Guide at the Meadowlands Environment Center and check off the butterflies as you see them.
Surprisingly, we have already seen many butterfly species in the Meadowlands already this week. They like warm sunny weather, so there you go.
The individual and family that have found the most species by Oct. 31 will be declared the winners.
Their prize will be their choice of one of several beautiful butterfly-related prize from our Tideland Treasures Gift Shop.
Don't hesitate to photograph the butterflies you see. You never know — we see a new-for-the-Meadowlands species or two each year to add to our list.
Biggest rule of the competition: Have fun!
E-mail Jim wright at jim.wright (at) njmeadowlands.gov if you have questions/suggestions.
Vesper Sparrow, Snapping Turtle, Milk Snake (not shown)
Chris Takacs had a trifecta in the Meadowlands this week — a rare-for-here-this-time of-year Vesper Sparrow (endangered in N.J. when breeding), a large Snapping Turtle and a Milk Snake. (Thanks, Chris!)
More on Vesper Sparrows here.
Photos of Milk Snake follow.
Now That’s Birding For Beginners!
Marie Longo got this shot of two fledgling birders on last Sunday's Birding for Beginners walk. (Thanks, Marie!)
Our next class, brought to you by the Bergen County Audubon Society and the Meadowlands Commission, is Sunday at 1 p.m. The topic is optics, and the brief talk will be followed by a 90-minute walk. If it rains, we'll go to Plan B for the walk.