Coming Tuesday:
More shots of the nifty Harbor Seal seen at River Barge Park earlier this week — plus an extended interview with the director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.
It's everything you ever wanted to know about Harbor Seals.
Dennis Cheeseman just photographed this American Wigeon at Mill Creek Marsh.
Reminds us of that old Guess Who song with a similar name (it was also sung by Lenny Kravitz, for those keeping score at home). But we digress. (Thanks, Dennis!)
Map of wigeon's location in Marsh follows.
Today's featured photographer is Dave Rotondi.
Dave writes:
I'm originally from Hoboken. I moved to Lyndhurst in 1998 and then Rutherford in 2000.
It wasn't until 2009 that I stumbled upon DeKorte Park by accident one night when I decided to take a drive down the road past Medieval Times. I wound my way down Valley Brook Ave. to the entrance of a then-closed DeKorte.
The next morning, I drove back and and walked all of the trails, and within 2 hours, I was hooked. I always noticed the birds around my neighborhood, but in growing up in Hoboken yielded only the usual suspects of city life: pigeons, sparrows, robins, and the occasional cardinal or hawk.
In my first 2 hours in DeKorte, I must have seen 30 different species of birds– you couldn't keep me away after that.
More of Dave's commentary, and two more photos — of a Cedar Waxwing and a White-throated Sparrow — follow. (Thanks, Dave!)
Due to the nasty weather forecast for late this afternoon and this evening, the bonus American Woodcock Walk scheduled for tonight (Monday, March 18) has been canceled.
Check this blog Tuesday morning after 8:15 regarding Tuesday's Harrier Meadow walk. The weather does not look promising.
Carol Flanagan passed along a link to a Wired.com article about a plan to bring the Passenger Pigeon back from extinction.
Here's a sample: "The technical challenges are immense, and the ethical questions are slippery. But as genetic technology races ahead, a scenario that’s hard to imagine is becoming harder to dismiss out of hand.
"About 1,500 passenger pigeons inhabit museum collections. They are all that’s left of a species once perceived as a limitless resource. The birds were shipped in boxcars by the tons, sold as meat for 31 cents per dozen, and plucked for mattress feathers.
"But in a mere 25 years, the population shrank from billions to thousands as commercial hunters decimated nesting flocks. Martha, the last living bird, took her place under museum glass in 1914."
The link is here.
Note: A taxidermy Passenger Pigeon is part of a display in DeKorte Park's Meadowlands Environment Center.
Then download the following information about the slips available and up for bid at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's marina at River Barge Park in Carlstadt: Download 2013 Boat Slip Full RFP
There are three categories of bids (with $500, $1,200 and $1,800 minimums for a season's rental), determined by the depth of water in the slip. Bids will be accepted until 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 23.
Coming Next Week:
More shots of the nifty Harbor Seal seen at River Barge Park earlier this week, plus an extended interview with the director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine — everything you wanted to know about Harbor Seals.
We have an added attraction for Monday night's Woodcock walk. A North Arlington resident recently donated the remains of a woodcock that flew into a relative's window, in hopes that it could be used for educational purposes.
We will bring the frozen bird with us on Monday night in case anyone is interested in seeing what a woodcock looks like up-close. As you may know, these birds are often seen (and heard) around dusk, and "good looks" at the bird can be hard to come by.
We don't want to creep anyone out, but we thought it would be better for folks to look at the bird and appreciate its beauty than to dispose of the bird. (You don't have to look.)
All other birds seen on the walk will be alive (we hope!).
On Tuesday, we asked if anyone could ID this crane, seen off Valley Brook Avenue.
Beth Goldberg basically suggested that it was Dirt-hill Crane, which sounds like a winner to us.
The crane is being used as part of the closure work on the Avon Landfill, one of six landfills being closed as part of the Kingsland Redevelopment Plan.
Closure activities include installing leachate removal systems and installing a perimeter barrier. It is anticipated that the work will be completed in late 2014.
Want to hear (and hopefully see) American Woodcocks peenting and possibly displaying?
The Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society are holding a free bonus walk next Monday (March 18) at Laurel Hill in Secaucus.
We'll meet in the ballfields parking lot at Laurel Hill at 6:45 p.m., or you can meet in DeKorte Park's visitor's parking lot and follow the NJMC's Jim Wright — he'll be leaving DeKorte promptly at 6:15 p.m. The walk should end a little after dusk. Dress for the weather — it can get especially cold and windy along the river!
We will also look for the Laurel Hill ravens, the Black-crowned Night Herons and any other interesting birds we can find.
Directions to Laurel Hill are on the left-hand side of this blog.
Check meadowblog.net for last-minute weather updates. You will have to sign a standard liability release that is good for NJMC/BCAS events throughout the year (if you haven't done so already). To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-230-4983.
(And a thanks to Chris Takacs for the Woodcock photo above!)