Tis the season for low-flying Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows, so be careful in and around DeKorte Park this weekend.  Please drive slowly!

The South Bergenite has a nice story on the front of its Neighbors section this week about Alek Corradini, who has done so much work at Skeetkill Creek Marsh this year.

The link is here.

Photo by Bill Stripling

The Meadowlands Commission is pleased to host a free screening of a Bergen County Audubon Society event, the PBS documentary "Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air," on Thursday, May 30 at 7 p.m. in the Meadowlands Environment Center auditorium.

The event will also include information on how to get involved in Audubon’s new citizen science program, Hummingbirds At Home. 

In the meantime, would love to post a photo of a hummingbird taken in the Meadowlands if anyone has a good one….

More information on Thursday night's documentary follows.

Continue reading →

Mill Creek Marsh just might be the best place to photograph Snowy Egrets, with those wonderful yellow feet atop those old Atlantic White Cedar stumps. Took this on Tuesday's walk.

Due to the fact that we have not seen the Little Blue Heron today, and the possibility of heavy rains, we are canceling today's 4 p.m. walk at Harrier Meadow.

Always great to see Alice, one of our wonderful local Bald Eagles. Dennis Cheeseman took this shot at Losen Slote Park in Little Ferry on Tuesday.

How do we know it's Alice?  It's double-banded, it has that missing feather (or it doesn't have that missing feather), and it appears to be looking out for Al (her mate).

If you turn the blog over, you can see the transmitter on her back. (Thanks, Dennis!)

We plan to look for the Little Blue Heron this afternoon from 4 to 5 p.m., weather permitting.  Did not see the bird this morning yet but lots of heavy machinery out there, including Hurricane Sandy repair work.

Please call Jim Wright at 201-469-7349 after 3 p.m. if you plan to attend…

Jim Wright, who keeps this blog, also writes a twice-monthly column for the South Bergenite.  His latest is on DeKorte Park's recovery from storm damage:

The past half-year has been trying for all of us who love DeKorte Park.

Late last October, Superstorm Sandy walloped our region and knocked the park for a loop, wrecking boardwalks, destroying trails and causing extensive electrical damage.

I am happy to report that after an unprecedented repair effort – including cleanups by volunteers — the park is now open again to the public, free of charge, seven days a week.

The recovery efforts have been difficult and expensive, but they have been fruitful. Our gardens are in bloom, and our wonderful butterflies are returning.

Iridescent blue tree swallows are nesting throughout the park, and majestic ospreys, which catch fish in the park’s tidal impoundments, are nesting again nearby. Many trails have reopened. Our educational programming is moving full steam ahead, and our observatory is open for free viewing by the public every Monday and Wednesday night.

The rest of the column, and a status report on our trails, follow.

Continue reading →

Chris Takacs reports seeing a Little Blue Heron this a.m. at Harrier Meadow, where he fills feeders. That's his photo, above. (Thanks, Chris!)

The Meadowlands Commission and Bergen County Audubon Society are leading a walk at Harrier Meadow at 4 p.m., weather permitting,  if the bird is still around on Thursday morning…

Will post either way by 10 a.m.   If the bird's still there and you want to participate in the walk, call Jim Wright at 201-469-7349.

Note:  

* Do not show up unannounced; the walk will be scrapped if no one rsvps.

* Harrier Meadow is closed to the public, and Hurricane Sandy repair work involving heavy equipment is underway. Do not trespass.

For shorebird junkies, and interesting post from Don Freiday on Short-billed (and Long-billed) Dowitchers. 

From what Don writes, I'm guessing the dowitcher at the left (photographed last week in Harrier Meadow) is a Short-billed.

"In New Jersey, in May, they're ALL Short-billed Dowitchers.

Now I know that's an exageration, but only by a whisker, and yet there have been a high number of reports of Long-billed Dowitcher this spring.

"Having NEVER seen a Long-billed Dowitcher (LBDO) in May in NJ, I have to ask myself, is there something wrong with me?"

The link is here.