We rarely get skunk photos, but here’s one from Dennis Cheeseman taken this week at River Barge Park. Dennis also sent along photos of a Semipalmated Plover and Magnolia Warbler at DeKorte. Thanks Dennis!

Courtesy M.E. Raine

Join the Bergen County Audubon Society for a guided nature walk next Tuesday (Sept. 19) at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst! The walk goes from 10 am to noon and meets outside the Meadowlands Environment Center.

They’ll be looking for shorebirds, ducks and fall migrants such as Flycatchers. For more information email greatauk4@gmail.com or call 201-230-4983.

Steve Ceragno got a cool shot of a Tennessee Warbler at Mill Creek on Sunday, a bird not spotted here on a regular basis. He also shared a photo of a Red-tailed Hawk greeting him on Disposal Road. Good work, Steve!

Sora

Good birding at DeKorte this morning. Chris Takacs reports that among the species sighted were 4 Soras, 2 Adult, 2 juveniles, along Marsh Discovery Trail; numerous sandpipers including Semi-palmated Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, Semi-palmated Sandpiper; Peregrine Falcon and American White Pelican

peregrine falcon

The New Jersey Meadowlands has been my home for almost all my life. Growing up birding and exploring this very special place has given me a wonderful, unique childhood and blessed me with the love of nature that will be with me always.

To say the least it has meant so very much to me that I have had the honor and privilege of helping to pass on what I love by leading nature walks in the Meadowlands for going on 10 years. Bergen County Audubon Society’s partnership with the NJ Meadowlands Commission and now the NJSEA has allowed us to introduce people to the wonders of the Meadowlands like never before.

The comeback of New Jersey Meadowlands is one of the most amazing environmental success stories in the country – from a place which was once left for dead and suffered some of the worse environmental abuses that could be imagined to today have become one of the best urban birding places in the United States. An achievement very much worth celebrating. On Saturday, October 7th Bergen County Audubon Society and the NJSEA will hold the Meadowlands Birding Festival, an event long overdue.

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This series of photos demonstrates the Monarch butterfly tagging ID process that took place at DeKorte last Friday afternoon by Aleshanee Mooney. The tag includes an identification number and email/phone number for the Monarch Watch program which participants can contact to receive or give information regarding monarch migration.

Scientists and naturalists who recapture the butterflies use data to determine the pathways taken by migrating monarchs, the influence of weather on the migration, population trends and other important information

Sandy Komito and Elaine Raine

We had a very special visitor in the Meadowlands last weekend. Sandy Komito, who saw an at the time record 748 bird species in the 1998 Big Year, a record that stood for 15 years, was visiting our great blog photographers Mickey and Elaine Raine. They took in DeKorte Park and Mill Creek Marsh as well as Cape May and other birding locations in the state.

Komito was the inspiration behind Owen Wilson’s category in the movie “The Big Year” (2011). The Big Year is a competition among birders to see who can see and identify the greatest number of species of birds in North America (north of Mexico) in a calendar year.

Below are photos of Snowy Egrets that Mickey took at Mill Creek Marsh.

Thanks to Mickey Raine for a series of great photos of various species. All were taken this past weekend at DeKorte except for the mallard family above. That photo was taken in June but too cute not to include here! We’ll have more from Mickey soon.

American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch

Osprey

Osprey

Osprey

Black-crowned Night Heron

Ron Shields got great photos of the rare-for-the-Meadowlands Buff-breasted Sandpiper at the Kearny Marsh last Friday. Great shots, Ron!

Courtesy M.E. Raine

Join the Bergen County Audubon Society for a guided nature walk next Tuesday (Sept. 19) at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst! The walk goes from 10 am to noon and meets outside the Meadowlands Environment Center.

They’ll be looking for shorebirds, ducks and fall migrants such as Flycatchers. For more information email greatauk4@gmail.com or call 201-230-4983.