Trying to find something on the blog — an upcoming walk, a certain photographer’s photos, posts on Muskrats, sightings of a favorite butterfly?
Don’t forget that you can search 5 years of blog posts by using the Google search engine in the upper-right part of the blog. Let the searches begin.
JerseyBirds reported an American White Pelican at Forsythe on Wednesday, and Natalie Gregorio reports that an American White Pelican was seen flying over Cape May this morning. (Thanks, Natalie!)
Goodbye, George. We hardly knew ye.
Congratulations to Sura Polne, who came closest to predicting the date when George the Pelican would be last seen in DeKorte Park.
The rare pelican was first seen on July 6 on our First Sunday of the Month walk. We started the contest in mid-August. He was last seen on Friday, Oct. 17. The above photo is the last photo of George in DeKorte Park that we know of. (If you listen closely, you can hear the sad violin music accompanying the photo.)
George stayed at least 104 days — he may have been there earlier and we just did not see the little (when you are far away) guy. He was named after the crime novelist George Pelecanos.
Here are the winners (drum roll, please):
Continue reading
Ron Shields photographed this Brant at DeKorte Park yesterday. Can you guess what day the Brant will leave? Just talk amongst yourselves…. (Thanks, Ron!)
Photo by Don Torino
Don Torino’s latest column for wildnewjersey.tv is about the environmental destruction caused by illegal all-terrain vehicles — including in Losen Slote (Creek) Park.
Here’s the opening:
“The preservation and protection of open space and wildlife habitat have always been dear to the citizens of New Jersey.
“Despite our deep concerns we still continue to be up against unchecked over development and a source of funding to purchase the remaining critical habitat that remains in the Garden State.
“But there is another less talked about threat to many of our already precious preserved wild places — illegal off-road vehicles.”
The link is here.
Whither George the Pelican? 
The “When Will George the Pelican Leave?” Contest appears to have reached a conclusion.
George was last seen and reported to eBird last Friday.
A winner will be announced tomorrow.
More on the contest here.
Lots of folks saw these funky fungi on Tuesday’s walk, but no one was quite sure what they are. They had developed quite an attachment to a decaying birch.
Our next free walk with the Bergen County Audubon Society is Sunday, Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. in Harrier Meadow, North Arlington.
We had a great walk at Losen Slote (Creek) Park yesterday, featuring a Hermit Thrush convention — apparently they are not hermits after all…
Fourteen folks saw more than 30 species, including three kinds of wobblers, a cameo appeareance by Pine Siskins (they are moving through the region these days) and a Sharpie (they are moving through the region these days as well).
Full list follows. Continue reading
