The Meadowlands Commission, the MEC (and Bergen County Audubon Society) sure have a lot on tap next month — from free walks to birding for beginners classes to an owl show to art classes to a free Earth Day concert.

Details follow. Continue reading →

Dave Rotondi wonders what kind of feather this is — found in Jersey City.

Any ideas?  (No need to ID the plastic bottle cap.)

Mike Girone passed along this Snowy Owl pix he took last weekend along Valley Brook Avenue.

(Thanks, Mike!)  Maybe it’s a farewell to winter shot.

Mike Brandao took this shot of an Eastern Coyote from Disposal Road last week.

(Thanks, Mike!)

The NJMC’s Eagle-eyed Snow Owl-spotter Drew McQuade saw this guy sitting on a bench enjoying the waterfowl along DeKorte Park’s Marsh Discovery Trail this afternoon. (Thanks, Drew!)

Allan Sanford took this pic of a Great Egret and Black-crowned Night Heron side by side in the Shorebird Pool in DeKorte Park earlier this week.

Spring arrives tomorrow. No, really!

(Thanks, Allan!)

We had a nice brisk walk in Harrier Meadow yesterday. With at least 20 sets of eyes, we saw some pretty cool birds, beginning with a Snowy Owl on the way to the natural area.

Other highlights included American Woodcock, American Wigeon, American Robin, and American Tree Swallow.  (Do we sense a them here?)

Also: Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Northern Harrier and Northern Cardinal.

Full list follows. Continue reading →

Doug Morel saw a Long-tailed Duck at DeKorte over the weekend and passed along these two pics. Photographed from near the T where the Saw Mil Creek Trail meets the recently restored Lyndhurst Nature Reserve Trail.

(Thanks, Doug!)

Don Torino, Bergen County Audubon Society president and friend of this blog, has a new column on wildnewjersey.tv — titled ‘In Search of Spring.”

Here’s a sample:

In ancient mythology and literature, a quest is a search for a special reward.

As I looked out my window and saw that there was still snow lingering in my yard and thought about all the trials and tribulations we all have been through this winter, what better quest to undertake than one that is in search of the most beautiful reward of all, Spring?

Although the official start of Spring is just days away, I worried that this year the search for Spring might be just a fruitless journey, like looking for Atlantis or maybe even like searching for a Sasquatch or Yeti. But no, way back I seem to remember a time called Spring and somewhere out there it still might be found.

The link is here.

Highlights of today’s Third Tuesday walk included a distant Snowy Owl (above) on Disposal Road on the way to the walk. We also had nine species of ducks, a few American Woodcock and several raptors.  A big thank you to the many folks who attended.

Full list tomorrow.