We had a rare daily double this morning around 11:15 in Jill’s Garden in DeKorte Park. First we saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird on a Butterfly Bush and  a Trumpet Vine (above), and then we saw a Hummingbird Clear-winged Moth on another Butterfly Bush (below).

We don’t see that many hummingbirds at DeKorte. If anyone could photograph one here….

Start the fall birding season with a free, NFL-themed “Back to Football” Bird Walk at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst this Sunday (Sept. 1) at 10 a.m.

The guided, two-hour walk, sponsored by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) and the Bergen County Audubon Society (BCAS), has a special National Football League theme – and up to eight nifty prizes.

To celebrate the opening week of the 2014 season, we’re offering prizes to the first person on the walk who sees any bird species with the same name as a pro-football team: Cardinal, Raven, Falcon, Eagle, Seahawk (Osprey), Giant (Great) Egret, Giant (great) Blue Heron, and Woodpacker (boo Don Torino on that one).  All seven team bird species can be seen in the park.

The walk meets outside the Meadowlands Environment Center. Check meadowblog.net for last-minute weather updates. You will have to sign a standard liability release that is good for NJMC/BCAS events throughout the year. To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-230-4983. The Meadowlands Environment Center’s phone number is 201-777-2431.

DeKorte Park is open on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 2) but the Environment Center (restrooms, gift shop, Flyway Gallery) will be closed.

River Barge Park is open Monday with full bathroom access.