This plant and sign are noteworthy because:

A. They were named by Yosemite Sam.

B. The plant stinks.

C. The plant and sign are part of our new sensory garden in DeKorte Park.

D. B and C.

E. D.

F. None of the above.

Losen Slote has been brimming with birds lately (Just read Ramon Gomez's report from Thursday here), and we are doing a free guided walk there tomorrow (Tuesday) from 10 a.m. to noon.

Details follow.

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Ron Shields writes: "I've attached some images from a remarkable spectacle at the Kearny Marsh earlier this month.  A young Peregrine captured in flight what I think is a rock dove practically above my kayak. 

"It then flew to a nearby mudflat to subdue its victim. That gave me the opportunity to drift extremely close to the action.  You can see
the results.  Talk about being in the right place at the right time…"

Full sequence follows.

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Nifty article about "The Nature of the Meadowlands" by Adriana Rambay Fernandez in today's editions of the Hudson Reporter!

The link is here.

Yesterday at DeKorte Park, Dennis Cheeseman found several Brown Creepers (above) in the grove of trees between the Transco Trail and the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve.

He also had a Red-breasted Nuthatch (right) and lots of other good birds. (Thanks, Dennis!)

NJMC staff also had a Belted Kingfisher and Northern Flicker along the Transco Trail, and plenty of egrets and yellowlegs in the Shorebird Pool…

… in casing you are wondering where to go birding this weekend…

Can you ID this beauty, photographed at the NJMC's bird-banding station? This was our first-ever of this species at the station.

Jim Wright, who keeps this blog, also writes a twice-monthly column for The South Bergenite. His latest column is on photographer Marco van Brabant:

Next week marks the arrival of “The Nature of the Meadowlands,” the lavishly illustrated book about the region’s remarkable environmental comeback.

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of creating the book for the Meadowlands Commission was working with two extremely talented nature photographers, Marco van Brabant and Ron Shields.

Marco specializes in landscapes, and Ron in wildlife shots. Both see the Meadowlands with an artist’s eye, and both have helped me see the region in new ways.

I’d like to write about each of them because of their fresh perspectives, beginning this week with Marco.

Marco finds beauty in “urban” landscapes. He took the photos on both the front and back of the dust jacket, and both show the sweeping vistas of the Meadowlands.

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Julie McCall writes:

"It's time for "Help Julie Name that Bird," Round 2. Spotted Thursday from Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus. I don't have a whole lot of ocean birding experience, but I feel pretty confident these are scoters.

"It's the Surf/White-winged part I'm having difficulty with. I've gone through several guides, and waffled back and forth, but I'm leaning toward Surf Scoter. Both species occur in the Meadowlands "Rare"-ly in the fall, according to the checklist.

"Would anyone like to weigh in? The tipping point for me is a post David Sibley did on IDing scoters by shape…"  (Rick Wright says these are likely Surf Scoters.)

(Great bird, great job!)

Last Friday Mickey Raine took these sunset shots at DeKorte. (Thanks, Mickey!)

Another, larger image follows.
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