One of the early surprises at the banding station was a Gray Catbird with a crossed bill.

As far as we know, these are fairly rare. More on the subject here.

The Meadowlands Commission is pleased to announce that bird-banding season by the former  Erie Landfill is now underway.  They have already banded some cool birds and a couple of surprises. Stay tuned.

The opening-day banders were (left to right above, sort of) the NJMC’s Mike Newhouse, volunteer Chris Takacs, the NJMC’s Amanda Iveson and the NJMC’s Drew McQuade. (Thanks, all!)

NCAA Football likes to time its first games of the season to our opening day of bird-banding, so we are guessing that there’ll be a few college football game tonight. And that there’ll be bands.

Chris Takacs photographed this Black-billed Cuckoo along the Transco Trail on Tuesday. (Thanks, Chris!)

Jim Wright, who keeps this blog for the N.J. Meadowlands Commission, also writes a twice-monthly column for the South Bergenite. His latest column is on some nifty birds seen of late in DeKorte Park.  (Roy Woodford provided the Least Bittern photo above):

An American white pelican, an American avocet, a least bittern, and thousands of imperiled sandpipers: This has been a wild month for bird-watching at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst.

Actually, the story begins way back on July 6, when a rare American White Pelican was seen flying above the park’s Saw Mill Creek mudflats. Folks on our first Sunday of the Month walk got nice looks at the bird — seen maybe once a year in the Meadowlands the past few years. Continue reading →