The Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society are sponsoring a second birding-by-boat excursion this summer on the Hackensack River.

The two-hour event starts at 10 a.m. and leaves from River Barge Park at 10 a.m. Details follow. Continue reading →

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.

We just learned more about the young Peregrine Falcon that we photographed in Lyndhurst last Friday. Art McMorris, Peregrine Falcon coordinator for Pennsylvania Game Commission, reports:

Peregrine Falcon 70/AR Black/Green was banded as a nestling at a building in downtown Reading, Berks County, PA, on May 31, 2013. She fledged around July 3 – so she made the 100-mile trip to Lyndhurst just 5 weeks after fledging.

I’m especially happy to hear about her re-sighting because this bird had an early-stage trichomoniasis infection when I banded her. She was taken to a rehabber and treated for the infection, and returned to the nest 3 days later.

Always great to hear of one of our young falcons that’s doing well in the world, and it’s especially great to know that this one survived an infection that most likely would have killed her if left untreated.

(Thanks, Art, and thanks to Kathy Clark of the N.J. Division of Endangered and Non-game Species, and to Mike Girone for their help in learning more about this awesome young bird.)

The original post on this bird is here.

We had another great Kevin Karlson Shorebird Day last weekend, with more than 100 people attending either the walks, the shorebird ID talk, or the photography workshop with Kevin’s colleague, Lloyd Spitanik. We also saw more than 50 species of birds, Hummingbird and Snowberry Clear-winged Moth, and 12 species of butterflies. Thanks to all who participated!

The full list of birds and butterflies follows, thanks to Denise Farrell and Julie McCall! Continue reading →

We tried to tell this beetle that he was on a Butterfly Bush but he would not listen. What kind of beetle is he?  (Insert Fab Four joke here.)

We have been getting a wide variety of unusual bird sightings for the past 11 days or so, beginning with a briefly seen American Avocet in DeKorte Park.

Since then we have had reports of a Glossy Ibis, Caspian Tern, Stilt Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpipers, Wilson’s Phalarope (above), and more near or in DeKorte Park, so keep an eye out.

The Caspian Tern and White-rump were seen on the guided walks on Saturday’s Kevin Karlson Shorebird Day.

We learned over the weekend that the young banded Peregrine that we saw on Friday was a female from Pennsylvania. We’ll post more details as they become available.

Last week, we posted a Regina Geoghan pic of a butterfly we couldn’t ID.  Steve Buckingham has come to the rescue.

Looks like a Hackberry Emperor. I see them each year out at the Water Gap, High Point or the Appalachian Trail.  Seems kind of unusual to see one in the Meadowlands since they are typically forest dwellers.

(Thanks, Steve, and thanks, Regina for the new pic above).

*TWKO (that we know of.)