Dennis Cheeseman caught George, everyone’s favorite American White Pelican, coming in for a water landing today at DeKorte Park. This is a great sequence!

Junco

As we lose more and more natural places to development our backyards become that much more important to the survival of many birds and other wildlife. Our small and seemingly insignificant backyards now become stepping stones for migratory birds and an oasis for birds that will depend on your yard to make it through the harsh winter months.

In winter countless migratory birds that travel here all the way from northern Canada will be calling your backyard home.  There are some important things we can do to welcome them and help them survive our long New Jersey Winter.

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A view of the NJ Meadowland’s DeKorte Park during lowering tide as a large group of Great Egrets gather to feed.

Thanks to Regina Geoghan for sharing these Great Egret photos she took during a visit to DeKorte yesterday. As Regina says, it was “such a treat to see all of these Great Egrets gathering together during the daytime. Just wonderful!!!’

A collection of images of a gathering of Great Egrets at DeKorte Park in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Bald Eagle

As promised, here are more great photos taken by Dee De Santis at the Meadowlands Festival of Birding earlier this month while on board one of the Hackensack Riverkeeper pontoon boat trips. Thanks Dee!

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Thanks to Dee De Santis for these photos of the seemingly ubiquitous Double-crested Cormorants that she saw at the Meadowlands Festival of Birding while on board one of the Hackensack Riverkeeper pontoon boat trips. More of Dee’s Birding Festival boat photos to come.

The NJSEA sends a big thank you to the Bergen County Audubon Society for its donation of $500 to be used toward enhancements and improvements to DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst!

The BCAS has donated more than $25,000 to the agency over the past 10 years for improvements to DeKorte and  Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus, among other Meadowlands parks and natural areas.

This year the BCAS has donated a total of $10,000 for vegetation enhancement of the Kingsland Overlook in DeKorte. The ongoing project includes the removal of invasive species and replanting with native trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses that will attract a variety of wildlife.

Thank you again BCAS for all you do for the Meadowlands!!!

The NJSEA’s own Gabrielle Bennett-Meany just taped a segment of Comcast Newsmakers, talking about the Meadowlands’ natural resources and DeKorte Park. Gaby did a great job and is a wonderful ambassador for the Meadowlands! Check out the video here

Join the Bergen County Audubon Society tomorrow (Oct. 17) from 10 am to noon for a guided walk of Harrier Meadow in North Arlington. The beautiful 70-acre natural area is normally closed to the public. We’ll be looking for for fall migrants, waterfowl, shorebirds and more.

For more info contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

Maybe it’s that I am getting older or maybe it’s just that I seem to enjoy reminiscing more these days about the special birds and people that I have enjoyed over life’s journey. Whatever the reason might be, lately I have begun to think much more about the importance of keeping up my birding journal.

Now I must confess that I am not much of a list person even though I know in some birding circles that is frowned up to say the least. Maybe it’s because I am just not that organized of a person, but creating an actual bird life list seems to me personally as just that, a grocery list of birds and not much else.

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Based on the weather conditions and forecast, tonight’s (Oct. 11) viewing session at the William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst has been cancelled. The next open public viewing night is Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 8 to 10:30 pm