It seems that stress is a daily part of life for folks living here in New Jersey, whether it’s concern over the economy, our health, world affairs or just contemplating what might happen tomorrow. It’s to the point that feeling overwhelmed and under stress has become almost the norm for us.

Our kids are feeling it too. Peer pressure, concern over school and worry about the future has our children over anxious and feeling  overrun. But there may be a simple answer or even a cure for what ails our over frazzled lifestyle. It doesn’t come in a bottle with multiple side effects or in a new self-help book that you can buy on late night TV. Rather, the answer will cost nothing but a little time and it’s waiting just outside your door. It’s called nature.

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CALLING ALL MEADOWLANDS AREA SCHOOLS (and any others that may be interested)!

Bergen County Audubon Society sponsors a great FREE environmental education curriculum program called Audubon Adventures through the National Audubon Society for grades 3-6. Developed by professional environmental educators, Audubon Adventures presents standards-based science content about birds, wildlife and their habitats.  Audubon Adventures can be easily integrated into the existing curriculum areas of science, social studies, mathematics, language arts, and creative arts.  The program comes in the form of a printed kit and will be mailed to your school. The school will also receive membership in the National Audubon Society.

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The Bergen County Audubon Society will be happy to know that the plants they donated to the NJSEA for use at Mill Creek Marsh are growing quite well and doing their job in attracting butterflies and pollinators. Mickey Raine was out at the Marsh this past weekend and reports that he saw an abundance of Cabbage White Butterflies as well as bees and Milkweed Beetles.

Check out the flock of Least Sandpipers in formation above that Mickey Raine caught last week at Mill Creek Marsh. Mickey also spotted a terrapin and several spawning carp, below.

Heron Gull – Alice Leurck

Join the Bergen County Audubon Society next Tuesday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to noon for a guided nature walk at Mill Creek Point Park and the Secaucus High School Boardwalk. They’ll be looking for for Osprey, shorebirds, herons, egrets and other birds of interest. The boardwalk is above a wetlands mitigation area and a great opportunity to see improved marshland.

Information: greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

Roy Woodford came upon a baby Least Bittern Sunday at the Kearny Marsh. Roy writes:

Very early on Sunday morning, I turned a corner at the Kearny Marsh and, much to my surprise, I found this little guy was sitting about 2 feet from my head. This is by far the smallest/youngest Least Bittern I’ve ever seen … it wasn’t more than 6 inches  long from the tip of the bill to the feet.

I had to back up to get a few shots … and then quickly left him alone.

Tom Stephenson

There’s an interesting article in yesterday’s Record about the debate concerning whether to clear cut trees in forests to simulate young-growth forests. Supporters say the move will create a better habitat for at-risk species like the Golden-winged Warbler. Critics point out what they say are many flaws. The artricle centers on a proposed cutting plan in the Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Sussex and Morris counties. Read the stories here and here.

Jimmy Macaluso sent these photos of the Osprey nest on one of the radio towers as seen from Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus yesterday. Jimmy wasn’t the only one who spied the nest. There happened to be a Pontoon Boat tour that day, as seen below. The boat tours are a great way to see birds from a unique vantage point. The two-hour guided trips take riders along the Hackensack River and through its marshes. You can get the registration form and schedule here.

Check out today’s Google homepage graphic, an ode to renownked birder Phoebe Snetsinger, whose 85th birthday would have been today. Snetsinger saw and documented more than 8,000 bird species by the time of her death in a car accident in 1999, the most ever at the time.

Mickey Raine got this great shot of the art of pollination as seen last week at DeKorte Park. Wonderful photo!