Welcome to the first in a series of Tuesday Teaser’s devoted to Losen Slote Creek Park, the site of our fifth annual Super Bird Sunday Walk on Feb. 2.

Between now and then, we will offer a different Losen Slote-based Teaser presented by the Bergen County Audubon Society. To participate, just e-mail your answer to the Teaser each week to Jim Wright at jim.wright@njmeadowlands.gov by each Tuesday at midnight, with “Teaser” marked in the subject field. The person with the highest number of correct answers will win a prize of note.

Today’s Teaser is pictured above. What is it?

Another clue follows. Continue reading →

We just heard that the Meadowlands Commission’s coffee-table book, “The Nature of the Meadowlands,” was chosen as a staff pick this month by the Glen Rock Library.

The link is here.

(Thanks, Glen Rock Library!)

We had great weather and a nice turnout for Sunday’s Disposal Road/DeKorte Park bird walk — the final First Sunday of the Month for 2013.

Disposal Road raptor action was predictable but entertaining — Redtails, Harriers and Kestrels, with lots of sparrows on the way.  Of note saw our first mini-raft of Canvasbacks, a sure sign that winter is around the corner.

Full list follows, along with a shot of that Red-Tail that posed so patiently for us along Disposal Road. Turns out he had a feather in his mouth. Not sure if it was his, or his meal’s. (Insert joke here.) Continue reading →

With a huge help from the folks at Bergen County Audubon Society, we are about to embark on a new Tuesday Teaser-palooza — this one dealing with all things Losen Slote (Creek Park, that is), the site of our fifth annual Super Bird Sunday walk (Feb. 2).

We are not sure what the prize should be, but this contest — henceforth known as Tuesday Teaser-o-rama (we prefer mildly annoying names for our contests) — will be a more well-rounded challenge because it will deal with all sorts of nature, not just birds.

So stay tuned.

Each Monday, we post the upcoming events for the Meadowlands Commission and the Meadowlands Environment Center  through the upcoming weekend.

This week’s events are a talk on Horseshoe Crabs, an introduction to astronomy for children (sold out), and a program on historical maps of the Meadowlands.

Details follow. Continue reading →

The William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park has an exciting month of programming in December.

Free public access is from 7 to 10 on Monday and Wednesday nights this month — weather permitting, of course.  (Note: The observatory will be closed on Christmas.)

Dress for the weather; with the dome open, you are basically outside.

Each evening at least two major objects in the night sky will be viewed, plus one or two other celestial objects or events depending on the observing conditions.

For a South Bergenite column by the NJMC’s Jim Wright about the observatory, click here.

For more information about Observatory programming, click here.