Our next free guided walk with Bergen County Audubon is on Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon, and it’s a terrific Tuesday two-fer — a walk in Harrier Meadow, plus a bird-banding demonstration there by NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse.

Harrier Meadow — where we recently saw that wing-tagged Great Egret — is usually closed to the public, and Mike’s bird-banding demos are always the best. Mike banded the mystery warbler pictured earlier this month  — the same day we saw the tagged egret.

Details — and ID of mystery warbler — follow. Continue reading →

Marc Chelemer posts:

Chris Takacs’ find Thursday of a Stilt Sandpiper and a Sora at DeKorte’s Shorebird Pool brought me back to that location.  [Not only did I see the Phalarope, but] the Stilt Sandpiper was present in beautiful fresh plumage, especially the bright rufous primaries…visible even in the limited light. The voracious bird occasionally lifted its head enough out of the water to show the droopy bill.  After at least four misses of this species at Forsythe and even more misses elsewhere, it was nice to see this First-of-Year species.   (Thanks Marc and Chris!)

Patrick Carney writes:

I was  in Mill Creek Marsh on Saturday and I came across both an Orange-Crowned Warbler and a Bobolink!

The Orange-Crowned Warbler was found at around 8:45 towards the very beginning of the trail, and the Bobolink was found flying around the general area of the first fork in the trail around noon. A good bird at the start, and at the finish!

Thanks, Patrick! Sorry for the delayed reporting — still catching up on e-mail during a hectic week.

Yesterday evening was too a bit too hazy for an eye-catching Tribute in Lights in Lower Manhattan as part of the Sept. 11 commemoration, but you could see the twin beams from Lower Manhattan, just south of the new One World Trade Center.

The memorial wreath stood vigil at DeKorte Park’s World Trade Center Memorial Cove.

Roughly 18 folks came to see the lights from DeKorte Park — a few of us were lucky to also see a Black Skimmer working the Shorebird Pool after dark, and three raccoons crossing the shallows to one of the islands.

We could not confirm whether the phalarope was here to see the lights, but it was still here this morning.

Rob Fanning saw the Wilson’s Phalarope in the Shorebird Pool at DeKorte as of 8:20 a.m. today. It has been confirmed as a Wilson’s after some wavering yesterday — difficult bird to ID at a distance on a hazy day with back-lighting. Earlier post give some idea of location.

(Thanks to Judy Cinquina for spotting the bird originally.)

Jim Wright, who maintains this blog for the Meadowlands Commission, also writes a twice-monthly column for the South Bergenite. His latest is on DeKorte Park:

More than 10 months ago, Superstorm Sandy ripped through the Meadowlands, leaving a wide swatch of destruction.

One of the region’s hardest-hit natural areas was the N.J. Meadowlands Commission’s DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, which suffered roughly $2 million in damage.

Most of the square-mile park has made a remarkable rebound since then. Early fall — with its cooler temperatures, changing foliage and migrating birds — is a perfect time to see for yourself. Continue reading →

Mike Girone writes:

I was on Saw Mill Creek Trail late Saturday afternoon and observed a juvenile Peregrine wearing only a silver federal band (no color auxiliary band on this one).

I believe this brings the count up to 5 in the banded juvie Peregrine department! It had a huge (full) crop, and spent almost 2 and a half hours loafing on the tower.

When it flew off, it headed west along the trail and dove down, flushing an unbanded juvenile Peregrine!

The two chased each other up and down the trail and out over the tidal flats, with the unbanded falcon vocalizing angrily! The duo eventually split up near the Carillon on Disposal Rd, with the unbanded falcon claiming a set of towers. One of the pair later nailed a pigeon.

Link is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/80696806@N06/sets/72157635472155930/ .

Not recommended for folks who love pigeons  (which, unfortunately for the pigeons, are a link or two down on the food chain).  Thanks, Mike!

Laura Frazier reports:

Saw a nice black throated green warbler at the entrance to Saw Mill Creek Trail last Friday around 6 p.m. Also saw a belted kingfisher that was way to quick to get a shot, as well as a lone ruddy duck that has been hanging around for at least 2 weeks.

Thanks, Laura! Sorry for the delayed posting.

Lisa Cameron of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission designed the World Trade Center Memorial Cove in DeKorte Park and also created this brief slide show about the memorial. (Click on the slide show to start; click “pause” if it moves along too quickly for you.)

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission rededicated its World Trade Center Memorial Cove on Wednesday, Sept. 11, in Lyndhurst. The memorial site, located in DeKorte Park, provides a clear view of the lower Manhattan skyline, including the new One World Trade Center.

The World Trade Center Memorial Cove sustained significant damage from Superstorm Sandy and has been reconstructed. It was recently reopened to the public.

The Memorial Cove consists of a free-form wooden deck with two projecting piers, suggesting shadows of the fallen towers. The piers are proportioned after the World Trade Center, and each one has 110 boards representing the 110 floors of the towers.

The memorial also includes a steel silhouette of the towers and a spot from which visitors can view where the towers stood against the Manhattan skyline. The NJMC’s 9/11 Memorial was originally dedicated in March 2003.

Flooding from Superstorm Sandy ripped the deck and projecting piers from their supporting pilings, requiring the entire deck to be rebuilt. The dedication plaque and serpentine benches were salvaged and reinstalled.

Plantings at the site have been redesigned, using mostly native species, to add color and to attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

The quote on the plaque is from the 19th century American orator Robert Ingersoll. It reads: “In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing.”