eBird has a nifty story by Rick Radis on the history of Common Ravens in New Jersey — including the Ravens of Laurel Hill.

(The photo above was taken on Valley Brook Ave. in Lyndhurst this summer.)

The link is here.

Marco van Brabant, one of the principal photographers for "The Nature of the Meadowlands," writes:

"Attached some pics ofsunsets from Friday evening,

"I had stopped at DeKorte late afternoon, unprepared, not dressed warm enough.  It was cold, but I saw the air was very clear, and there were good clouds on the horizon, so I thought I just had to make stop there. 

"The sun started to set and colors started to change, but what was most striking was the colors became very intense, as it shows here on the pictures, where they seem over-saturated because of bad editing, which would have been my own words, had I not seen the sky with my own eyes."

Two more of Marco's photos follow. (Thanks, Marco!)

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The Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society are pleased to announce the first-ever (that we know of) open-to-the-public event for birding and photography atop of the former Kingsland Landfill adjacent to Disposal Road.

The event is from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, with a rain date of Thursday, Oct. 25, same hours. 

The landfill, remediated last year, is a prime-time spot for raptors. We counted 12 American Kestrels perched atop or along Kingsland last Friday, and Peregrines and Merlins and Northern Harriers are seen frequently. We are talking about terrific, prolonged views at times. (Plus umpteen Pine Siskins the past week or so.)

A couple of recent posts by photographers will give you an idea of what's being seen from down below on the legendary Disposal Road. 

Links are here and here.

Note: There's no guarantee the raptors will be flying that day but it's worth a shot.  And could also be cold and windy, so be forewarned.)

More information (including how to register) follows.

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Later today, on this blog, the Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society plan to announce a nifty a first-ever weekday event that may prove appealing to birders and nature photographers.

Due to the location and logistics of the event, we are limiting it to the first dozen people who e-mail us after the announcement is posted.

The event will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. next Wednesday not far from DeKorte Park. Raindate will be Thursday from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

So pay attention to the blog or sign up for our RSS feed right away if you think you might be interested!

We had a great walk at Losen Slote Park in Little Ferry on Tuesday morning.

Lots of cool birds (45 species) and plenty of friendly folks, including many youngsters, all on a perfect fall day.

Bird highlights included three thrushes (Am. Robin, Swainson's and Hermit), Bald Eagle, Blue-headed Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Towhee and Purple Finch.

The full list follows — thanks to Denise Farrell!

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Disposal Road continues to be a great place to get great, prolonged looks at raptors. Consider:

Mike Girone reports that one day last week …

"Arrived just after 3:30 p.m., and immediately spotted a juvenile Cooper's Hawk hunting over Harrier Meadow.

"Walked to the Carillon and saw an American Kestrel hunting from a wire next to the retention pond.

"Then spotted an incoming young (1st year?) Bald Eagle (above), that passed quite low over the Carillon, heading south"

More pix and the rest of Mike's report follow.

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Better later than never, wanted to post a report of Brants by Laurel Hill in Secaucus on Monday, courtesy of Ramon Gomez, for folks who need them for their year list, their county, list, their Meadowlands list — or folks who just want to see 'em.

(Thanks, Ramon!)

Ray Duffy reports: "I got a Vesper Sparrow on the east side of the retention pond last night around 6 p.m.  Obvious eye ring, and I got a glimpse of the white on the tail as it took off. 

"Lots of sparrows in the area, I think the White-Crowned Sparrows were singing a bit, too."(Thanks, Ray!)

Adriana Rambay Fernandez of the Hudson Reporter wrote a nifty story about our new book.

The link is here.

Highlights from yesterday's Losen Slote Park walk in Little Ferry included a Bald Eagle, Red-breasted Nuthatch and some awesome thrushes. Also saw this Green Darner warming itself (above).

Will post full list later this week. A big thanks to all the wonderful folks on the walk — more than two down total…