By Don Torino
Guest Columnist

There are those wonderful places in life that we never get tired of, the places that bring joy to our heart, lift our spirit and help us feel more alive.

They remind us who we are, where we came from and where we are going. They provide us with a journey and a destination to that special place where we feel ourselves, and know it is where we truly belong. For me a boat ride in the Meadowlands is my special destination.

A ride on the Hackensack River brings me back to those very special places that remind me and give me faith that sometimes things really do get better. Continue reading →

Regina Geoghan got some great butterfly photos today at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, the site of this Sunday’s Sixth Annual Butterfly Day. Top to bottom: American Lady, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail.

We invite everyone to join us from 10 am to 3 pm for a free, fun-filled day of butterfly talks and walks and a full slate of kids activities including a scavenger hunt, face-painting, butterfly crafts, coloring, and a costume contest (for kids 12 and under). For more info and to register click here.

A Common Gallinule made its way to the DeKorte Park Shorebird Pool yesterday. Chris Takacs reported seeing the colorful bird from the Shorewalk both yesterday morning and evening. Here’s more about the Common Gallinule from  allaboutbirds.org:

The most widely distributed member of the rail family, the Common Gallinule inhabits marshes and ponds from Canada to Chile, from northern Europe to southern Africa, and across Asia to the Pacific. Vocal and boldly marked, the species can be quite conspicuous, sometimes using its long toes to walk atop floating vegetation.

Thanks to everyone who came out to DeKorte Park last night for Moth Night! Some 175 visitors attended the event, which included a talk by moth expert Elena Tartaglia and great mothing at Jill’s Garden and on the Kingsland Overlook Trail.

We’d like to share your moth photos from last night.

Please email to brian.aberback@njmeadowlands.gov with name of species if you know, and we’ll post throughout the day! To get things started, this post includes some awesome photos from Patrick Carney. They are, from top to bottom, a Praeclara Underwing, a Lunata Zale and a Chickweed Geometer

Don’t forget about our Third Tuesday Nature Walk on July 21 from 10 a.m. to noon in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. This walk has a special focus on birds and butterflies. We’ll look for swallows, herons, and other birds of interest as well as butterflies and plants that attract them.

For those who have never participated in a NJSEA-BCAS nature walk, all experience levels are welcome. The walks are guided and we have spotting scopes so that you can see the birds and mallards up-close. Once you’ve been on one walk, you’ll be hooked! To register click here.

Harbor Heron photo courtesy of Jim Wright

Please drive slowly and be on the lookout for turtles while driving down Valley Brook Avenue and into the DeKorte Park complex. Chris Takacs saw this Eastern box turtle just outside the gate to DeKorte early Sunday morning.

Eastern box turtles are identifiable by their tall, dome-like shell that varies in color from yellow to orange to olive on a black or brown background. Although essentially terrestrial, these turtles sometimes soak themselves in mud or water. During hot, dry weather they burrow beneath logs or rotting vegetation, but brief summer showers usually bring them out of hiding, often in numbers.

Monday, July 20, 8:30 – 9:30 pm
DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst

Join us tonight to learn about these amazing, lesser-known cousins of butterflies. Representatives of National Moth Week will give a presentation on these spectacular yet misunderstood creatures. Industrial-strength lamps and white sheets will be set up and “sugaring” will be used to attract moths. This free, family-friendly event is co-sponsored by the Bergen County Audubon Society. Register here.

A report from Chris Takacs from this past Wednesday (sorry the dealy!): I found 8 Saltmarsh Sparrows in a high marsh area of NJ Meadowlands. Last year we believe we had 1 or 2 nesting pairs here. Looks like there are more this year. This area has some habitat work done to it in the last few years. Removal of phragmite and other upland plants allowing more high marsh plants to come into their own in this habitat, This may be why these sparrows are nesting here. Cheers to NJMC and former employee Mike Newhouse.

Don’t forget about our Third Tuesday Nature Walk on July 21 from 10 a.m. to noon in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. This walk has a special focus on birds and butterflies. We’ll look for swallows, herons, and other birds of interest as well as butterflies and plants that attract them.

For those who have never participated in a NJSEA-BCAS nature walk, all experience levels are welcome. The walks are guided and we have spotting scopes so that you can see the birds and mallards up-close. Once you’ve been on one walk, you’ll be hooked! To register click here.

Harbor Heron photo courtesy of Jim Wright

A Forster’s Tern has something to say to a Least Tern, who looks less than impressed. At DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. Photo courtesy Dennis Cheeseman.