The Observatory is open for public viewing hours tonight (Monday).

We now have tallies through September for the folks involved in the Meadowlands Big Year competition.

Congrats to all for competing. We hope you are having fun close to home, and we hope you are seeing new species again now that the fall migration is in full swing.

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

The leader board as of Sept. 30 follows below (just to heighten the suspense).  Also posting the standings as of Aug. 31 …

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The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) will celebrate the publication of its new coffee-table book, “The Nature of the Meadowlands,” with a special book talk and signing by author Jim Wright of the NJMC and Governor Thomas H. Kean, who wrote the book’s foreword.

The signing and talk are on Monday, Oct. 15, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park.

The lavishly illustrated, 128-page book illuminates the Meadowlands’ natural and unnatural history, including its darkest days of a half-century ago and its inspiring environmental revival.

Copies of the “Nature of the Meadowlands” are now available at the gift shop in the MEC. Proceeds from the book go to the MEC's educational programs.

The book, which sells for $34.99, also celebrates the amazing landscapes and parks to be found here, including DeKorte Park, the home of the NJMC, the Kearny Marsh and Secaucus’s Laurel Hill.

Individual chapters are devoted to birds, butterflies, and mammals –with a final photo-essay section that captures the essence of the Meadowlands throughout the year.

At the Oct. 15 talk and signing, Governor Kean will speak about the environmental recovery chronicled in “The Nature of the Meadowlands” and Wright will give a slide show and talk highlighting its striking photography.

To reserve a copy of “Nature of the Meadowlands,” visit www.njmeadolwands.gov and click on “The Nature of the Meadowlands” box at the bottom of the page, call 201-460-4637, or email info@njmeadowlands.gov. 

Marco writes:

"I took a walk in DeKorte Thursday evening right after the rain. It was very humid, lots of mosquitos, but the water was pretty, with fog developing."

 A photo from a different vantage point follows (works better on laptop or tablet). :- )

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Yikes! we are now three-quarters of the way through our first Meadowlands Big Year competition, and the results so far have been terrific. 

Many of you have said how surprised you are at the number of species you've seen in the district this year — far more than you would have predicted. We are posting the totals through Sept. 30 on Monday.

The weather may not have been the best, but the birding was excellent — including the Rusty Blackbird at left.

We also had great looks at a young Yellow-crowned Night Heron and tons of Yellow-rumps and Palms — but just one raptor, a Coop.

A big thank you to all who participated.

Will post the full list later in the week — more than 40 species in all.

We just created a Facebook Page for our new book. The page lists information on several events that have already been scheduled — like the talk and signing with Governor Kean, and our appearance at N.J. Audubon's Cape May Fall Birding Festival. 

The page also includes some photos from the book and recent blog posts and news about the book.

The link to our new Facebook Page is here. Please "like" it!

Greg Grad writes: "Since you have a Tuesday Teaser theme on a blog, how about a Funny Friday photo theme?

"I'm sending you a short sequence of a Red-tailed Hawk scratching his "ear" while flying, that perfectly fits that theme." : )

(Thanks, Greg! We are always looking for new ideas — and always starting from scratch.)

Our latest "Focus on the Meadowlands" post offers a few of Ron Shields' photos that are featured in the NJMC's new book, "The Nature of the Meadowlands."

The link is here.

Brandon Caswell writes:

"I took these in mid-September on Disposal Road (where it bends around behind the NJMC buildings). 

"At first I saw the female (mostly depicted on right and higher) and shortly after the male flew in.

"They did some 'sky wrestling' and then …"  (Thanks, Brandon!)

Brandon's website is here — with some warbler pix from Schmidt's Woods.

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