Monthly Archives: May 2013

Meadowlands Red Phalarope Photo

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Ray Duffy took a photo (above) and some videos of the Red Phalarope seen in the Meadowlands during the World Series of Birding.

Here are the video links:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rayduffy/8733472789/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rayduffy/8734593330/in/photostream/

It is listed as "rare" on the Birds of the Meadowlands checklist. Did not see it on a lunch-hour visit to Harrier Meadow today…

More on Red Phalaropes here.

Thanks, Ray!

 

A Terrific Mother’s Day Walk in Ridgefield

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Our fifth annual Mother's Day walk in Ridgefield was a big hit — more than 40 bird species (including lots of warblers and an appearance by Alice the Bald Eagle  — we could see her antenna in some of the photos).

IMG_9662A big thanks to Karen and Bruce Riede from the Ridgefield Environmental Commission for hosting the walk.

The walk was sponsored by the environmental commission, Bergen County Audubon Society and the Meadowlands Commission.

We'll post more pix and the full species list later this week.

 

The Marsh Hawks Win! The Marsh Hawks Win!

Pledge sheet-1-page-001For the second year in a row, the Meadowlands Marsh Hawks have won their division in The World Series of Birding.

The team racked up a record-setting 145 species — or 84 percent of the possible birds — in less than 24 hours. 

The team's previous best was 139 species, set last year.

Congratulations to the Marsh Hawks — NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse and his teammates, Chris Takacs and Mike Wolfe — and congratulations to all the other teams that participated and raised money for worthy causes.

Full results of the 2013 WSB are here.  We'll post the winning tally sheet later this week.

 

Marsh Hawks @ Work!

DSCN9536-001Saw the Marsh Hawks stepping up to the plate at the World Series of Birding this a.m. — just long enough to take this photo.

They could not spare another second in their quest to see/hear as many species as they could in Bergen County today.

Some good news: They already have seen a Black-capped Chickadee, their nemesis bird from 2012.

We will post their entire list, including the chickadee, next week.

Go, Marsh Hawks!

DeKorte Park Is Closed Today (Sat., May 11)

Because of Hurricane Sandy-related electrical repairs, DeKorte Park is closed until approximately 4 p.m. today — even to World Series of Birding participants. The park will reopen in time for the Saturday night concert at the Meadowlands Environment Center. If you need to contact Jim Wright, who maintains this blog,  use his home account — wrightjamesb (at) gmail.com. 

Valley Brook Ave. also will be closed near DeKorte Park until roughly 4 p.m. as part of the landfill-closure work. Thank you for your patience.

Don’t Forget: Ridgefield Mother’s Day Walk

This is  the Meadowlands Commission's IMG_8133 fifth annual Mother's Day Walk with Bergen County Audubon Society and the Ridgefield Environmental Commission, and it is — as they say in France — a doozie.

We'll start at the Ridgefield Nature Center, once the home of the Great Bear Water Co.

We'll check out the community gardens across the street.

We'll hop in our cars and look at the Ridgefield Monk Parakeets on the way to Skeetkill Creek Marsh.

When we're done, those who would like to see a nearby Bald Eagle Nest can follow us to an undisclosed location.

Full info follows.

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