Daily Archives: December 4, 2013

Nelson’s Sparrow@Mill Creek Marsh on Tuesday

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Dennis Cheeseman reports seeing an elusive Nelson’s Sparrow yesterday around lunch at Mill Creek Marsh. He saw it in the second cul de sac — see map below.  (Enter from Bob’s Discount Furniture parking lot and take the first right, then follow map.)

This is where Chris Takacs saw an Orange-crowned last month.

Dennis also got a nice Hoodie shot at MCM yesterday, which follows. (Thanks, Dennis.)x marks the spot Continue reading

Don Torino’s Latest: Are You as Smart as a Kinglet?

“A Golden-crowned Kinglet is much smarter than me when it comes to navigation,” writes Don Torino.
Photo Credit: Patrick Carney

Don Torino of the Bergen County Audubon Society, who co-leads many of our walks, also writes a weekly column for wildnewjersey.tv. His latest is about avian intelligence.

Here’s a sample:

As I sat myself down on nearby bench and stretched out my tired legs on a beautiful cold crisp Meadowlands morning, my tired eyes were drawn to an ever so slight movement in a close by shrub.

Before I knew it, a delightful tiny Golden-crowned Kinglet burst out of the foliage and decided to use my shoe as its crow’s nest for finding its next meal.

As I froze in place trying to make this almost magical experience last as long as possible, I thought of how far this little visitor had traveled on such a perilous journey to honor my hiking boot with its presence.

The link is here.