A big Nature Blog welcome to first-time poster Lior Abitbol! Lior shared this photo of our friendly Red-throated Loon at DeKorte from yesterday. We look forward to more contributions from Lior!

Thanks to all who came out to enjoy Harrier Meadow yesterday morning! A great walk by all accounts. Here are some photos of a Cedar Waxwing, Black-crowned Night Heron and a couple of Tree Swallows courtesy of Dee DeSantis. Don’t miss the next Bergen County Audubon Society Meadowlands walk on Tuesday, June 20, from 10 am to noon at DeKorte Park as they look for late spring migrants, nesting birds and shorebirds.

The parking lot of DeKorte’s administration building got shockingly late year snow flurries  last Wednesday afternoon- well, not really. If you’re wondering what all the white stuff was,the answer is seedlings from nearby Cottonwood trees that are embedded in the cotton fluff. As the weather gets warmer, the seeds, and the fluff, fly. Interestingly, Cottonwood trees are poplars, and not related to cotton plants.  Thanks to the NJSEA’s own Mimi Sabatino for the photos!

Read more on “Cottonwood Snow” here and here

Jersey City resident John Dunstan will host a free screening of his latest nature film, “Wildlife of Liberty State Park,” at the park this Sunday, June 4, at 2:30 p.m. According to an article in the Jersey Journal, the film spotlights wildlife that inhabits the park beyond the standard geese and butterflies. “In the film, my observations over a period of years are owls, wading birds, insects, black skimmers, woodpeckers and more, all in this tremendous setting,” said Dunstan.

For more information, read the article here

It’s a beautiful day to go birding, and you’ll want to head out to DeKorte: Chris Takacs spotted a Red-throated Loon in the shorebird pool at 7 a.m. this morning. Hopefully he sticks around! It is likely the same Loon seen in early May. It’s been seen recently in Saw Mill Wildlife Management Area and along the Hackensack River.

Northern harrier marsh hawk

Join the Bergen County Audubon Society on a Nature Walk of Harrier Meadow in North Arlington this Sunday, June 4, from 9 to 11 a.m. It’s a great opportunity to explore an amazing preserve that’s normally closed to the public. They’ll be looking for spring migrants, flycatchers and shorebirds. For more information email greatauk4@gmail.com or call 201-230-4983.

Snowberry Flowers

No, it’s not a new breakfast cereal or soft drink. It’s not even a new-found superfood. But Snowberry truly is a super native shrub. It’s easy to grow, adaptable to most any backyard, looks beautiful, is deer resistant, benefits pollinators and birds, and even some very special moths.

Symphoricarpos albus, or Snowberry, is a plant I have had in my backyard for many years. Its beautiful white berries, pink and white flowers, and tough as nails tolerance for rough conditions have made it one of my personal favorites. And more recently we at Bergen County Audubon have been introducing it to more and more wildlife habitat projects including (with the help of  Gabrielle Bennett-Meany of the NJSEA ) to DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst this past week.

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