Don Torino reports: "Went over to Losen Slote on Sunday morning, dense fog, but I could hear the Redpolls before I saw (or photographed) them. They seemed to fill the birches." (Thanks, Don!)
Monthly Archives: January 2013
Tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) Free Walk: Laurel Hill
Our next free walk is tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 15) at Laurel Hill County Park in Secaucus.
We are hoping to get our buddies, the Common Ravens (will they try to nest there again?), plus raptors, winter waterfowl, a Great Blue Heron or two, two kinds of cormorants, and other various assorted sundries that we might see along the Hackensack River or above the marshes.
We might even throw in a little history about this amazing place.
Brought to you by the nice folks at the Bergen County Audubon Society and the Meadowlands Commission.
Full listing follows.
Photographers Showcase: Roy Woodford
This post is one of a weekly series to promote nature photography in the Meadowlands and the wonderful folks who take such amazing pictures here. This week we are profiling Roy Woodford.
Roy, a frequent contributor to this blog, is one of the photographers you'll see on Disposal Road, manning a Hubble Telescope of a lens.
Roy was also the one photography-first participants in the Meadowlands 2012 Big Year competition, and he not only saw more than 100 birds but he photographed roughly half of them as well.
You can see Roy's Meadowlands Big Year photos here.
Two more of Roy's photos, with his descriptions, follow.
Ron Shields’ Latest Raptors from Disposal Road
A lot of us folks at the Meadowlands Commission ask us: Why is everyone on Disposal Road with binoculars and big cameras.
By way of an answer, Ron Shields writes:
"Attached please find some recent images of action from Disposal Road."
Bald Eagle is featured above.
Ron's images of an American Kestrel, a Red-tail and a Northern Harrier follow. (Thanks, Ron!)
Our Latest Column: Big Year Winner Chris Takacs
Jim Wright, who maintains this blog, writes a twice-monthly column for The South Bergenite. His latest column is on Big Year winner Chris Takacs:
Last year, the N.J. Meadowlands Commission sponsored a “Big Year” contest, asking top area birders to see who could see the most species in 2012.
The grand prize winner, Chris Takacs of Lyndhurst, saw an astounding 211 species — and only five more than NJMC staffer Mike Newhouse, who set the bar for the dozen entrants.
Chris, a dedicated birder, regularly helps with the NJMC Banding Project and often participates in the twice-monthly walks sponsored by the NJMC and Bergen County Audubon Society.
In the “out of district” category, we had a two-way tie. Doug Morel of Mahwah and Ramon Gomez of West New York each saw 171 species.
For their Herculean efforts, all three birders receive an autographed copy of “The Nature of the Meadowlands,” an NJMC pontoon boat ride for two and a one-year membership in the Meadowlands Environment Center public programming.
Because Chris had the highest tally, the BCAS is donating $211 — one for each species — in Chris’ name to buy native plants for a Meadowlands park or natural area.
We caught up with Chris recently to get his thoughts on the Big Year — and on birding in the Meadowlands.
How long have you been birding here?
Ever since I started birding in 2003. It's like my "backyard place" to bird. I can easily walk or bike there.
Did you have a target number for the Meadowlands this year?
My target was 200 birds. I didn't think I would make it because I was spending a lot of time birding other areas of Bergen County. But working for the banding site kept me there 35 to 40 hours a week in the fall.
What were you “best” birds?
I saw a lot of great birds here last year — whimbrel, Baird's sandpiper, white pelican, tundra swans, Hudsonian godwit, yellow-throated vireo and common redpoll. But redpoll and white pelican were probably my favorites because I had the opportunity share them with many others.
Why is the Meadowlands such a ripe area for birding?
The Meadowlands is the greenest place amongst all the development around the area. Just look at a Google Earth map, The Meadowlands is an oasis. It gives the birds a great place to rest and feed during migration along the Eastern Flyway.
Do you have a favorite spot to bird in the Meadowlands?
My favorite spot is Harrier Meadow. Just seeing the numbers of yellow-rumped Warblers (400+), Bobolinks (70+) assorted sparrows (up to 1000 birds) and shorebirds (5,000+) in a day during migration is pretty amazing.”
Advice for new birders for 2013?
Go out with binoculars whenever you have the time. Don't be afraid to ask other birders questions. Most are very willing to share ID tips and other places to bird.
Clay Ave. Hoodies and Coot
Chris Takacs writes:
"20+ Hooded Mergansers have been hanging out at Clay Ave. Wetland n Lyndhurst. Found 1 Coot there today as well." (Thanks for the report and pix, Chris!)
Save the Dates: 3 (Count ’em, 3!) Free Guided February Walks
In addition to our free Tuesday, Jan. 15, walk at Laurel Hill, we have three awesome free guided walks with Bergen County Audubon Society in February:
* Our Fourth Annual “Super Bird Sunday” Nature Walk on Sunday, Feb. 3., with valuable prizes — at a new location. (Apparently, there's a big pro-football game later that day.)
* The Great Backyard Bird Count Walk at Mill Creek Marsh (above), Secaucus, on Friday, Feb. 15.
* A free two-hour guided nature walk in Harrier Meadow on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Full details follow.
2013 Meadowlands Big Year Contest!
Get out your binoculars!
It's official: The Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society are sponsoring another Meadowlands Big Year, effective Jan. 1, 2013.
The rules are simple, even if the prizes aren't nailed down yet.
The goal is to see as many different bird species as possible in the 14 towns of the Meadowlands District over the course of 2012 — and also to have fun birding.
The idea is to promote birding in the Meadowlands, and to give area birders a competition that does not require as much travel (and gasoline consumption) as, say, a New Jersey Big Year.
To make this as fair as possible, we will have two divisions: Meadowlands residents and non-Meadowlands residents.
More details follow.
Distant Shot of Sunday’s Great Horned Owl
Tony Gregorio got a shot of the distant Great Horned owl seen by several people on Sunday's free guided walk.
The raptor was seen briefly from Disposal Road, on the Erie Landfill, mid-morning. (Thanks, Tony!)
O! Opossum!
Most of the Virginia Opossums we see in the Meadowlands are, alas, road kills (though we like to think they are only pretending to be road kills).
Chris Takacs took this shot of an opossum by the base of the closed Kingsland Landfill on Disposal Road — an increasingly popular place for mammals of all sorts, with or without prehensile tails.
More on opossums, North America's only marsupial, here.
(Thanks, Chris!)