Don Torino, one of the leaders of our Bergen County Audubon Society/N.J. Meadowlands Commission walks, has a new column on wildnewjersey.tv about the Sweetgums of Losen Slote Creek Park and the amazing birds they have been attracting.

Here's the beginning:

"Last Sunday, birders from all over New Jersey descended upon Losen Slote Creek Park to see if they could get a look at some White-winged Crossbills that were generous enough to stop over and give us local folks a thrill.

"As a multitude of binoculars gazed skyward, I could hear a nice young lady cry out, 'There they are on the itchy balls!'

"I couldn’t help but laugh. I hadn’t heard  the tree referred to by that name for a very long time. Of course, the tree that she was so happily denoting is a Liquidambar styraciflua, the Sweetgum tree."

The link is here.