Hope you’ve all been able to make your way around the Meadowlands parks and natural areas during these past few great weather days. Here’s some photos Mickey Raine took yesterday of a soaring Great Egret and a Marsh Wren at DeKorte.

Mickey Raine took these pics of a lineup of Forster’s terns yesterday at DeKorte Park as well as one of a Tern hovering in mid-air with a mid-afternoon snack. Happy Wednesday!

Mickey Raine captured this little Tree Swallow either testing the limits of his coordination, auditioning for a dance competition, or arriving home after a few too many pints at the local Tree Swallow tavern. Don’t worry, he ended up steadying himself just fine!

Mickey Raine sent in his photo of a Least Sandpiper taking a mud bath in Mill Creek Marsh and, as Mickey says, “looking quite pretty afterward  for whatever date it might have awaiting” – see below

We’ll have some more great Mickey photos in a little bit!

 

For the fifth year in a row, a team representing the Meadowlands will take part in the national World Series of Birding.

The World Series is the country’s largest and most prestigious birding competition and provides participants and sponsors with a fun and interactive way to raise money for critically needed conservation priorities.

Over the past 30, this event has brought birding to the attention of the media, and has raised close to $9 million for bird conservation.

Thanks to your support over the past four years we’ve been able to help complete some great projects in and around DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. These have included establishing a new butterfly garden along Disposal Road and enhancing native plantings at the Kingsland Overlook and Harrier Meadow. (These projects also received funding from the Bergen County Audubon Society).

Our local team, known as the Meadowlands Marsh Hawks, consists of Mike Newhouse, Chris Takacs, and Mike Wolfe, three top-notch birders.

There’s still time to support our local team!

For more information go to the Meadowlands Marsh Hawks Page

Mickey Raine sent the photos below from his and his wife Elaine’s trip to Mill Creek Marsh yesterday. The photos are especially interesting in that they show the birds positioning themselves to stay perched against the gusting winds.

Mickey writes: On the eastern path before the Turnpike side bridge, a pair of Yellow-Rumped Warblers were flying from tree to tree, all while trying to maintain a secure perch, but often forced to abandon because of the tremendous wind gusts.  Finally, one of the two landed momentarily, and had to adjust its body posture to fight the gusts …  We saw several Snowy Egrets by the aforementioned bridge, attempting to wade through the water, but even with their sure footedness, the struggle was apparent, and each one abandoned the plan and opted to perch atop stumps that offered better traction.

Next time you’re at River Barge Park, make sure to check out the MRI3 Mitigation Bank. Though not open to the public – it’s within the Williams Transco Station facility – the wetlands site can be viewed from the park’s eastern edge. There are trees near the river’s edge where Red-tailed Hawks have nested in recent years, and a new osprey nest nearby. The site is also visible by boat from the Hackensack River or Moonachie and Bashes Creek.

Check out photos below

There were 34 bird species seen during yesterday’s Mother’s Day Walk in Ridgefield led by the Bergen County Audubon Society. If you missed the walk, don’t fret. The BCAS leads free Meadowlands Nature Walks on the first Sunday and third Tuesday of every month from 10 am to noon at various locations. Next up is a stroll on the Mill Creek Marsh trail in Secaucus next Tuesday, May 17, from 10 am to noon.

Here’s the complete list of species seen yesterday:

Canada Goose

Double-crested Cormorant

Snowy Egret

Bald Eagle (Alice the Eagle flew overhead on Bell Drive)

Red-tailed Hawk

Killdeer

Mourning Dove

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Monk Parakeet

Blue Jay

Fish Crow

Tree Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

Carolina Wren

Veery

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Black-and-white Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-throated Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Scarlet Tanager

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

House Sparrow

Thanks to all the moms and other folks who came out to the Ridgefield Nature Center for yesterday’s BCAS walk. It was a fruitful experience, including stops at the Nature Center and Skeetkill Creek Marsh, with many very good birds seen, including a Scarlet Tanager, a Bald Eagle and a Monk Parakeet!

Join the BCAS next Tuesday (May 17) for a walk at Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus from 10 am to noon. They’ll be looking for warblers, egrets, herons, shorebirds and other birds of interest. For more information email greatauk4@gmail.com or call 201-280-4983.

 

I’d like to take the time to reiterate how very grateful we are for everyone who contributes to and visits the blog. As the blog is 100% interactive, we’d love to hear from and receive submissions from everyone. So tell your friends about us! And while we’re always looking for wildlife and landscape photos, you don’t have to be a photographer to contribute.

In addition to photos, we’re looking to post your artwork, observations, essays, poetry and any thoughts related to nature in the Meadowlands. So join the Meadowlands Nature Blog family. Send your submissions and any questions you may have to brian.aberback@njmeadowlands.gov.

Have a great weekend!!