A story on NJ.com reports that Big Brown Bats are showing some resilience to white-nose syndrome, due in part to their size, their range of hibernation spots and their ability to hunt during warm winter days, according to MacKenzie Hall, lead biologist of Fish and Wildlife’s endangered and non-game species program. But the overall news is still sobering: cave dwelling bat species continue to be devastated by the disease, Hall said, including little brown bats whose numbers were reduced by 98 percent in New Jersey.

“Tired” Turtle

Participants in Sunday’s Bergen County Audubon Society Nature Walk at DeKorte Park saw 35 species of willdlife, including a Red-winged Blackbird, Canvasbacks, a “tired” turtle and a Great Egret/ Thanks to the BCAS’ Joe Koscielny for these great photos! Scroll to the bottom of this post for a complete list of species, and we’ll have a second batch of photos from Joe in the noon hour.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-winged Blackbird

Killdeer

Black ducks and Pintails

Canvasback and Ruddy Ducks

Great Egret

35 species total

By range we mean the old abandoned golf driving range by River Barge Park. Our own Angelo Urato took these cool pics of a couple of Osprey this morning, including the pair striking a pretty neat pose above. Thanks Angelo!

If you’ve come to DeKorte lately you’ve likely seen one of our favorite spring migrants flying around the impoundments. Tree Swallows are beautiful, small, magnetic blue birds that migrate to the Meadowlands by the hundreds every spring. This afternoon NJSEA staff was out on the water installing crucial nesting boxes for our esteemed visitors.

The Tree Swallow is a secondary cavity nester, which means it must have the use of dead trees to nest in, and it must have a hole that has been excavated by a primary cavity nester.  Loss of habitat and competition for nest sites from other bird species are part of the reason why we provide these vital nest boxes for these birds.

Click read more below for a complete primer on Tree Swallows

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Some 50 people came out for yesterday morning’s Bergen County Audubon Society Nature Walk at DeKorte Park and an additional 50-plus for the afternoon’s Birding for Beginners program and walk. And yes, the weather cooperated!

Birding for Beginners featured a great talk by BCAS President Don Torino on the joys of birding including tips for beginners about how to identify birds, including by shape and size, and what to look for when buying binoculars. Don also stressed that birding is for everyone; no need for neophytes to be intimidated. His passion for birding was inspiring and I highly recommend that anyone who missed the talk make plans to attend a future program.

We’ll have plenty of pics from yesterday to come, so check back often.