Our next guided walk with the Bergen County Audubon Society is next Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to noon. With a little luck, we should be seeing lots of herons and shorebirds — and quite a few raptors. On a recent scouting trip, we had great looks at an American Kestrel (above, on top of a bird blind with his lunch), a Belted Kingfisher, Black-crowned Night Herons and other nifty birds.

Wear bug spray! Full listing follows. Continue reading →

Thanks to all who responded! We’re going with Green June Bug, and a dull one at that.

Don Torino, who co-leads many of the Meadowlands Commission’s twice-monthly walks with Bergen County Audubon, has a wonderful column about Losen Slote Creek Park on the wildnewjersey.tv blog.

Here’s a sample:

As the dog days  of summer take hold  many birders and nature lovers alike find themselves with their feet up, resting under the cool shade of a tree, sipping a cold drink, and dreaming of the fall migration to come. And yet, despite our personal dormancy nature does not wait for us; life still goes on in places like Losen Slote Creek.

The unique summer flora and fauna is missed and goes unseen by the time many birders take to the field once again. An entirely different landscape exists in the woods and fields of this little urban oasis, one that is equally an amazing and exclusive event to witness  as the finches were in winter.

The link is here.