Monthly Archives: June 2013

The Observatory’s July Schedule

IMG_5829The William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park has an exciting month of programming in July.

Free public access is from 9 to 10:30 on Monday and Wednesday nights this month — weather permitting, of course — including Wednesday, July 3.

Dress for the weather; with the dome open, you are basically outside.

Each evening at least two major objects in the night sky will be viewed, plus one or two other celestial objects or events depending on the observing conditions.

For a recent South Bergenite column by the NJMC’s Jim Wright about the observatory, click here.

For more information about summer Observatory programming, click here.

Visit DeKorte Park This Weekend — & Drive Slowly

IMG_9812DSCN9113-001All sorts of trails have reopened at DeKorte, our flowers are blooming,  and we are seeing Forster’s Terns and Black Skimmers and other nifty birds and dragonflies in the park.

But the swallows are flying low over the roadways in the park, so please drive slow.

And don’t forget to wear sunscreen and bug spray, hydrate often, and visit our awesome gift shop in the Meadowlands Environment Center.

Thanks!

What You Might See in July

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To see what we might see in the Meadowlands next month, we thought we’d give you some highlights from July 2012 (click on the text to link to the post):

July 3: Sphinx Moths and Butterflies Galore

July 12: Marsh Wren & More

Dennis the menaceJuly 16: Dennis the Menace

July 23: Butterfly Day: The Full List

July 26: First Ever Moth Night

July 27: More on the DeKorte Tagged Egret

July 27: More Meadowlands Moth Night

DeKorte Park’s Teal Pool “Loop Trail” Is Open Again!

DSCN9097The Meadowlands Commission is pleased to announce that 1.25-mile loop trail from the administration building to the Saw Mill Creek Trail to the Carillon on Disposal Road and back to the administration building is now officially open again.  The Lyndhurst Nature Reserve is also open again, and the Kingsland Overlook trail has been redone as well.

Map follows. (Lyndhurst Nature Reserve is in green. Loop goes from green line to red line (Saw Mill Creek Trail) to yellow line (Transco Trail). Continue reading →

Pizza Land Today

DSCN9099“The Sopranos” have been part of Meadowlands lore since the opening credits of the first episode. Here’s how this North Arlington Pizzeria looked this afternoon, on the day of James Gandolfini’s funeral, with several candles in the window under a photo of the actor.

The fourth episode of Season One was entitled “The Meadowlands.”

Owners still have not decided how to spell their restaurant, as one word or two.

Our Latest South Bergenite Column: Black Skimmers

IMG_0469-1Jim Wright, who maintains this blog for the Meadowlands Commission, also writes a column for the South Bergenite on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. His latest is on this year’s bumper crop of Black Skimmers.

Now is the time of year to see an amazing bird called the black skimmer in the Meadowlands, and this is a year when they seem to be incredibly plentiful.
Considering that these large black-and-white shorebirds are an endangered species in New Jersey, the frequent sightings being reported across the Meadowlands are all the more impressive.
Last week alone, these birds were seen fishing in DeKorte Park and the Clay Avenue Wetlands in Lyndhurst, in Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus, and along the Hackensack River from Carlstadt to Kearny.
But these guys, with their bright red and black bills, don’t fish like most other avian anglers.  Herons and egrets, for example, wade in the water and grab fish with their pointy bills. Belted kingfishers hover, then crash into the water to seize their prey. Ospreys hover as well, then dive into the water and grab the fish with their talons.
Black skimmers, on the other hand, live up to their name. They skim. Continue reading →

Roy Woodford’s Latest

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Attached are a few shots from this week.
I found a pair of Eastern Kingbirds (one is pictured above) in the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve.  They were very active and didn’t mind my presence at all.  I only got a few shots though … they don’t sit still for long.
The almost ubiquitous Killfawn of Disposal Road was found near the puddles behind the abandoned trailer.  If you stay in your car, they’ll basically walk right up for a close up (I had to remove the teleconverter).
The Indigo Bunting was found near the retention pond on Disposal Road.
Pix of Killfawn and bunting follow. (Thanks, Roy!) Continue reading →

Mosquito Larvicide Being Applied in Hudson Co. on Friday

Passing along, for whatever it’s worth:

Please be advised,  Hudson County Mosquito Control  will be applying mosquito control larvicides by helicopter flying at low altitude over areas of Hudson County on Friday 6/28/13.

Areas will include water areas of the Kearny Marsh near the Keegan Landfill , Mill Creek , Laurel Hill, 1-A Landfill, The front area of 1-E Landfill,   Etc.

In the event of inclement weather or other flight restrictions the flight will be rescheduled for the next available date.