Chris Takacs writes:

Sunday at the Meadowlands was a very birdy day. I started around 9 a.m. as I drove down Disposal Road. Another wonder showed up there. A Grasshopper Sparrow was on the road near the retention pond.

"I found Ron Shields and showed him. He has some nice shots, too [one is above]. Not much else was happening on Disposal for the morning other than some of the usual sparrows along the roadside.

"Ray Duffy called me around lunchtime to inform me there was a Light-Morph Rough-legged Hawk being harrassed by Red-tailed Hawks over Kingsland landfill. I was home so I came down and saw it flying off the landfill heading north.

"I made a drive down Valley Brook to check  a spot I had Horned Larks and Snow Buntings Saturday evening, and the birds were back. A dozen and a half Horned Larks and 6 Snow Buntings. Snow Buntings were on the wires overhead.

Once word got out we had 12 cars along Valley Brook looking at the buntings and Horned Larks. Ray Gilbert relocated the Rough-legged Hawk flying out by the turnpike very high. Larry Scachetti caught a glimpse of a Lapland Longspur with the Horned Larks and we all got scopes on it and eventually most people saw it. It's the bird on the right below.

Our problem with the larks and buntings was the constant harrassment by a Pheasant, Kestrel, Merlin, 4 Northern Harriers (2 Gray Ghosts), and Red-tailed Hawk.

The larks never sat still very long. One poor Snow Bunting became dinner for the Merlin later in the afternoon. Many good shots of the Merlin were had.

So the list goes like this from this small spot on Valley Brook

4 Northern Harrier
2 Bald Eagle

1 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Rough-legged Hawk
Ring-necked Pheasant (male)

Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull
1 American Kestrel
1 Merlin

18 Horned Lark
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Lapland Longspur
8 Snow Bunting
6 American Tree Sparrow
12 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
6 White-crowned Sparrow

(Thanks, Chris!)