The next free guided nature walk brought to you by the N.J. Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society is this Sunday at 10 a.m. at DeKorte Park.
Details follow.
Continue reading
Monthly Archives: January 2014
DeKorte Creeper
Dennis Cheeseman writes:
My last shot in DeKorte Park in 2013!
New Year’s Walk: Full List + Pix
Had a great New Year’s Day guided walk at Mill Creek Marsh.
As promised, here’s the full list – plus a gallery of photos by Joe Koscielny. (Thanks, Joe!)
Full list follows. Continue reading
Observatory Schedule for January
The William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park has an exciting month of programming in January.
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 Monday, Jan. 19, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a state holiday.)
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.
What to Expect in January
We always think a good way to predict what’s ahead is to take a look at what happened during the same month the previous year. Here are some highlights.
Jan. 9: O! Opossum! (Photo by Chris Takacs)
Jan. 17: Horned Larks Still @ Laurel Hill
Jan. 26: Marco Van Brabant’s Spectacular Sunrise
Jan. 29: Redpolls, Red-shoulder @ Losen Slote
Meadowlands Mystery Rock Demystified
On Monday, we asked readers to tell us what kind of rock this was, and where it was found.
The answer follows. Continue reading
Our Next Free Walk: DeKorte This Sunday
The next free guided nature walk brought to you by the N.J. Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society is this Sunday at 10 a.m. at DeKorte Park.
Details follow. Continue reading
Monk Parakeet Article in The NY Times
A recent article in The New York Times is about Monk Parakeets in New York, not Ridgefield, but a lot of useful information…
Here’s a sample:
They are natives of central and southern Argentina, where steamy summers are common and snowy winters have prepared them well for life in the five boroughs.
In New York City, the monk parrot has generated volumes of urban mythology. It is one of many animals reputed to have colonized the Northeast through broken shipping crates and other misadventures at Kennedy Airport, but its current presence in Belgium, Britain, Israel, Spain, Chicago, Cincinnati, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and of course New York City implies a less romantic explanation.
Monk parrots were popular pets in the 1970s, easily trained and cooperative. So a global pandemic of smashed shipping crates is less likely than occasional releases — intentional and not. Though there may have been occasional shipping mishaps, pet owners are probably at least as responsible for this parrot’s spread.
The link is here.
A Nifty New Year’s Day Guided Walk
Had a great walk at Mill Creek Marsh this a.m.
Twenty-seven of us enjoyed a beautiful morning and some brief looks at an Orange-crowned warbler — one of 27 species we saw. (Thanks to all who participated!)
Shoveler pictured at right, apparently defying gravity.
Full list later in the week.
American Eagle Airlines
Roy Woodford took this shot over the weekend on Disposal Road. We thought it would be a nice photo to kick off 2014, which just might be the Year of Disposal Road. (Thanks, Roy!)