Great Egret

The Great Egret, the iconic bird of our Meadowlands,  has returned once again to welcome all who visit special places such as DeKorte Park and Mill Creek Marsh. The Egrets, Herons, shorebirds, raptors and the over 200 species of birds seen in the Meadowlands have become the symbol of a healthy environment, one that has returned from the brink, like many of the birds it now embraces.

I love to watch the faces of newcomers when a Great Egret glides low overhead for their very first time. I know it is something that will stay in their hearts forever. But that experience  almost didn’t become a reality. In fact, birds like those we cherish in the Meadowlands today were almost gone forever if it were not for a law passed 100 years ago: the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

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American Robin

Following Sunday morning’s BCAS Harrier Meadow walk, Dee De Santis “hopped” on over to DeKorte Park and got these great photos of a variety of species. Thanks Dee!

American Robin

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

House Sparrow

Mallard

Mallard

Tree Swallows are back and out in full force. Thanks to Mickey Raine for these wonderful photos taken on Saturday at Mill Creek Marsh, along with mallards, a Green-winged Teal and Northern Shovelers.

A snowfall in April covers the ground with daffodil bulbs popping through and beginning to bloom at Richard W. DeKorte Park in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Thanks to Regina Geoghan for these beautiful photos outlining the juxtaposition of our current weather situation, taken yesterday at DeKorte!

Collage of Spring buds at DeKorte Park

Thanks once again to Joe Koscielny for his great photos from Sunday’s BCAS walk at Harrier Meadow, including this Cedar Waxwing strking a profile pose, plus some Greater Yellowlegs! The next Bergen County Audubon Society Meadowlands Nature Walk is Tuesday, April 17, at Losen Slote Creek Park in Little Ferry. The park contains one of the few remaining woodlands in the Meadowlands District.

The walk goes from 10 am to noon. For more information contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

Killdeer

Killdeer and Tree Swallows are among the spring migrants making their way back to the Meadowlands. Thanks to Mickey Raine for these photos, as well as a Red-tailed Hawk and an Osprey, from Sunday’s BCAS walk at Harrier Meadow! We’ll have a final batch of Harrier photos tomorrow morning.

Red-tailed Hawk

Osprey

Thanks to Joe Koscielny for this great sequence of an Osprey snatching a snack during yesterday’s Bergen County Audubon Society walk at Harrier Meadow! We’ll have a couple more batches later today and tomorrow morning.

More snow today, but let’s concentrate on the great weekend. We received a number of fabulous shots, and we’ll begin with some scenics from Mickey Raine’s early morning visit to Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus, just as the moon was sinking. Later today we’ll have photos from yesterday’s Bergen County Audubon Society Harrier Meadow walk.

Northern Flicker

Northern Mockingbird

Song Sparrow