Northern Pintails
Joe Koscielny of the BCAS sent these photos from yesterday’s Super Bird Sunday walk at DeKorte. Great shots in this MVP gallery. Enjoy!
Herring Gull
Hooded Mergansers
Northern Shovelers
Buffleheads
Canvasbacks
Songsparrow
Pied-billed Grebe
Some 60 nature enthusiasts took advantage of a nice brisk morning to enjoy DeKorte Park before settling in for the big game. Cardinals, “Giant” great blue herons and “woodpackers” were spotted on the football themed walk, along with our resident Lapland Longspur and some Pied-billed Grebe. We’ll have more photos later.
Our next walk is Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus. We’ll keep an eye out for ducks, raptors and wintering birds. For more info email greatauk4@gmail.com or call 201-230-4983.
Great, interesting story on northjersey.com about NJ Audubon members traveling to South America to study the three decade decline in Semipalmated Sandpipers, which show up in the Meadowlands by the thousands each May. The tiny shorebirds endure an arduous journey south in the fall when they travel 3,000 miles non-stop to the shores of French Guiana and Suriname. Read the story here
Get some fresh air and enjoy nature this coming Sunday before settling in to watch the big game. The BCAS/NJSEA Annual Super Bird Sunday walk takes place on Feb. 5 at DeKorte Park from 10 a.m. to noon. We’ll be looking for falcons, of course, as well as other birds that are also an NFL team name: Cardinal, Raven, Eagle, Seahawk (osprey), Giant (great) egret and Giant (great) blue heron. For more information: 201-230-4983 or greatauk4@gmail.com.
We’ve got great prizes for the first people to spot birds with NFL team names, including the new hawk book from the Raptor Trust and the Trust’s owl book.
The Super Bowl pits the Atlanta Falcons against the New England Patriots. No question who the guy pictured above wants to win! Thanks to Steve Ceragno for the photo.
Cool story on NJSpotlight today about Ospreys’ return to New Jersey. According to the story, “Down to only 50 nests in 1974, the state’s ospreys have recovered so much that a new report shows a total of 515 active nests in New Jersey — about equal to the historic population of the birds.” Check it out here
What did the Meadowlands look like during the Ice Age and how did its early formation as Glacial Lake Hackensack come about? You can find out at a talk next Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Montclair Public Library. The presentation by Montclair State University geology professor Greg Pope will explore the prehistoric Montclair landscape and that of surrounding areas, including the Meadowlands. For more info click here
A few weeks ago I was standing on the banks of the Overpeck being interviewed by a TV reporter concerning the future of our local celebrity nesting pair of Bald Eagles, Alice & Al. After fielding a myriad of questions concerning their history, biology and ecology of this magnificent twosome the reporter turned to me and asked, “So what do these Eagles mean to you?”
I have to admit I was caught by surprise and was suddenly at a loss for words. After getting more than a little choked up I managed to gather myself to give a quick emotional answer, “They mean everything, everything.”