For all of us who have grown up or have lived anywhere  in New Jersey for any length of time,  we all know far too well how much natural surroundings we have lost over the years.

Today our preserved natural areas have become a quiltwork of fragmented fields and forests that have become surrounded by suburban overdevelopment and landscaped with foreign plant species. This has stressed our birds, butterflies and pollinator population to their limits, with little left with for their battle for survival.

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Marsh Wrens are a noisy bunch. Stephanie Zussman caught this guy chattering away this past Sunday at DeKorte Park. Thanks Stephanie!

Join the NJSEA and Bergen County Audubon Society for our most highly-anticipated family event of the summer! Spread the word and stay tuned for full details on a great day of butterfly walks and talks led by the BCAS, a Butterfly Costume Contest and Scavenger Hunt for kids, and more!

Wild Blue Flax

In today’s installment of this week’s Meadowlands Visits series, we spotlight an array of colorful flora and fauna taken recently by Mickey Raine at Mill Creek Marsh and Mill Creek Point Park. Enjoy!

Wild Blue Flax

Yellow Flag Iris

Killdeer

Baltimore Oriole

Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren

Blackpoll Warbler

Thanks to Dennis Cheeseman for sending these great photos that he took during a lunchtime stroll around DeKorte!

Blackpoll Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Female American Redstart

Common Yellowthroat

Here’s today’s Installment of our weeklong series, Meadowlands Visits, chronicling a series of recent excursions to the Meadowlands by Mickey Raine. Tune back in tomorrow for more!

Each day this week we’ll be posting photos from Mickey Raine spotlighting a variety of wildlife during his recent visits to the Meadowlands. Today we’ve got Forster’s Terns and Great Egrets from DeKorte Park. Check back tomorrow for more egrets and gulls from Mill Creek Marsh. Thanks Mickey!

Check out an exhibit on “Rare Wildlife Revealed” at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum In July. The show, which runs through July 30, features paintings by James Fiorentino and is presented in concert with the Conserve Wildlife Foundation. There’s a video on the exhibit here

For more info visit the museum website

BCAS President Don Torino had a great letter to the editor in yesterday’s Record. Words of wisdom to start your week:

As a person that leads local nature walks almost every weekend I can attest first hand to the wonderful positive effects being a part of nature and in nature has on everyone who just manages to spend a few hours a week walking our local parks and nature centers.

We are blessed to have great places like the Meadowlands, Teaneck Creek and many more oases that are close to home, sometimes in walking distance to many people who live in the most densely populated state.

We need to keep connected to and utilize our nature preserves so that we better understand how to protect them in the future and in doing so we can lead happier and healthier lives  for ourselves, our families and for future generations.

Here’s a turtle just a bit bigger than the one in the last post! Thanks to Mickey Raine for this great shot and more taken recently at Mill Creek Marsh, Mill Creek Point Park and DeKorte Park!

Great Egrets

Great Egrets

Double-crested Cormorant

Greater Yellowlegs

Least Sandpipers

Mute Swans