We saw another Diamondback Terrapin crossing Disposal Road today — so please drive extra carefully to protect these species of special concern.
If you know of any specific locations where terrapins have laid eggs this spring, please e-mail NJMC staffer Adam Osborn at adam.osborn@njmeadowlands.gov so we can protect their nesting sites.
Now that NJMC Natuiralist Mike Newhouse is back from vaaction, we have all the known participants' tallies as of May 31 in the Meadowlands Big Year for 2013.
Congrats to all for competing. We hope you are having fun near to home, and seeing lots of great birds.
Keep in mind that some birders are in the Meadowlands all the time, and others get here occasionally, so their birdage may differ drastically.
If you're name's not on the list, please e-mail Jim Wright at jim.wright (at) njmeadowlands.gov. It's still not too late! Sign up now!
Here is the leader board as of May 31:
1. Chris Takacs: 177, (2012 reigning champion, ineligible for prizes
in 2013 as a result, lives in district)
2. Mike Newhouse 172 (NJMC, setting a target number for competitors.)
3. Ray Duffy, 163 (in district)
4. Jackie DeMarco, 151 (out of district)
5. Mike Wolfe, 139 species (out of district)
6. Dennis Cheeseman, 132 (out of district)
7. Jim Wright, 124 (NJMC staff, ineligible for prizes)
8. Mike Turso 114 (out of district)
9. Oliver Stringham, 110 (in district)
10. Roy Woodford 108 (out of district)
11. Julie McCall, 105 (in district)
12. Rob Fanning 101 (out of district)
Last month's totals and a link to last year's through-May totals follow.
Can't wait to get back to Laurel Hill County Park to see how the Common ravens are doing, and the nesting Ospreys, too. Good thing we're having a free guided walk there next Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.!
Full listing follows.
Courtesy of Nick Vos-Wein of Ramapo College and the Meadowlands Environment Center, we bring you a couple of photos of the Polyphemus moth after its release earlier this week.
Nick had found the moth's cocoon on a Gray Birch in DeKorte Park earlier this year, and released the moth after it hatched. We think it hunkered down in a grassy section of the park so it could wait for dusk. (Thanks, Nick!)
Yesterday's post on this moth — and this year's Moth Night at DeKorte — can be found here.
You can tell male Polyphemus moths from females by the males' feathery antennae. An outside photo of the moth's awesome antennae follows.
Mike Girone writes: "Thought you would like to see this. One chick was banded at the Jersey City nest last Wednesday morning (June 5th).
This chick actually did not hatch at this nest. It was fostered in from a nest in southern NJ last month, when the lone hatchling at Jersey City developed serious problems.
To read more, check out the web cam's Nestbox News here.
Link to my gallery of the banding on Flickr is here. The Jersey City pair sure has quality real estate on the waterfront! (Thanks, Mike!)
