It’s amazing what you can do with a small camera these days. Dave Blinder sent this virtual reality video tour of some of DeKorte Park’s walkways and impoundments that he shot with his 360 video camera. Check it out here . Pretty spectacular stuff. Thanks Dave!
Ruddy Duck
Photo Courtesy Ron Shields
The next Meadowlands nature walk led by the Bergen County Audubon Society takes place this Sunday, March 5, from 10 am to noon in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. Join the BCAS as they discuss the park and its wildlife and keep your eyes peeled for ducks and wintering birds. Guides will have spotting scopes so you don’t miss any of the action.
The walk meets outside the Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza. For more information contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.
Male Northern Pintail
The weather may have felt like spring last week, but it’s still winter, and wintering waterfowl abound at DeKorte. Thanks to Ron Shields for these amazing photos taken at DeKorte late last week.
Male Northern Pintail
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed grebe
Female Northern Pintail
Male Canvasback
Mute Swan
Dovetailing on Don Torino’s column yesterday that includes the importance of getting kids out into nature – if you haven’t read it yet be sure to do so – the Bergen County Audubon Society is sponsoring a wonderful new program, the Teaneck Creek Young Birders Club! See the flier above for all the info and sign up your youngster today!
Last week Bergen Audubon partnered with a local middle school for the annual “Great Backyard Bird Count.” BCAS has been working with the local schools in our area on the GBBC for about 10 years now, often having much more fun than our young students ever could.
At the conclusion of the day as we always do, we recommended that the students and their familiesshould go out to a local park or nature center and count the birds and enjoy nature together, which we have always tried to have be the ultimate goal of introducing our school children to the birds and birding.
As we ended the program after a full day of pointing out Juncos, Mourning Doves and Coopers hawks we asked everyone if there were any questions. A nice young man quickly raised his hand and asked “What is a nature center?”
Double-crested Cormorant
Here’s a final batch of photos from yesterday’s Laurel Hill walk courtesy of Joe Koscielny. Be sure to log on tomorrow morning for Don Torino’s weekly column, Don Torino’s Life in the Meadowlands. Don’s thoughtful insights are always inspiring and a pleasure to read. What’s the topic of tomorrow’s column? You’ll just have to wait and see!
Great Cormorant
Cormorants
American Coots
Peregrine Falcon
We have some great photos of Peregrine Falcons and other species to share from yesterday’s Laurel Hill walk thanks to Chris Takacs and Joe Koscielny. We’ve also included a certain cute-as-can-be non-avian species. Thanks to everyone for coming out! Our next BCAS guided walk is Sunday, March 5, at DeKorte Park from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon Nest
Great Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Basset Hound
The weather cooled off a bit from this weekend, but it was still a beautiful day for a nature walk this morning at Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus. A pair of Peregrine Falcons highlighted the day, and participants also saw Great Cormorants, Bufflehead ducks, Red-breasted mergansers and American coots. We’ll have some pics to share shortly. And of course feel free to send any photos you took over the amazing weekend, to brian.aberback@njmeadowlands.gov
Kudos to the BCAS and the more than 50 people who came out to the Teaneck Creek Conservancy for yesterday’s annual Great Backyard Bird Count, in which participants track species seen as part of a global effort to give a real-time account of the numbers of species and where they are seen. Check out the story in today’s Record here
According to a story in USA Today, it’s possible we may see less Monarch Butterflies by us this spring and summer. The reason: late season, habitat destroying storms in Mexico. Read the story here