The NJSEA would like to give a huge thank you to the Bergen County Audubon Society for its donation yesterday of three bird feeders for use at DeKorte Park. The beautiful structures, made of recycled plastic, are badly needed for birds such as Cardinals, Blue Jays and Red-winged Blackbirds to find food this winter and could not have come at a better time given the current freezing temperatures. Many, many thanks to BCAS! (Pictured are a freezing BCAS President Don Torino and the NJSEA’s Gaby Bennett-Meany, who oversees DeKorte Park).
The great
conservationist John Muir once wrote, “Going to the woods is going home.” No
one that has ever found solace and comfort in any wild place would ever
question the sense of that simple, beautiful sentence.
For me, since childhood, my strength and the
understanding of who I am has always come from the times I have spent going
home to the fields and woods of our
Meadowlands.
I have always felt more comfortable with a cold Meadowlands
wind in my face than at any awkward social event. Whether it is a meeting or
any indoor gathering my eyes always drift to the windows and my thoughts to the
fields of sun and grass that I know that are waiting for me to come home to.
The sounds of the Red-wings and the screech of the
Red-tail welcome me and bring me comfort as much as any homecoming ever could.
No need to wipe my feet at the front door and there is always a family reunion
conducted by the natural wonders of the meadows ready whenever I need remind
myself of who I am and what’s important.
I have always shied away from “get-togethers” and
never done too well at formal dinners. There is no need for jackets and ties
and formal attire while I watch an Osprey or Harrier overhead. Home is where we
feel we can be ourselves, no need to ever put on an act. It never matters what
we do for a living or what our social status is or is not.
When you are home it matters not what car you drive,
how many Facebook friends you have, or what letters you put after your name.
Our home in nature accepts us for what
we are, not what we pretend to be. Home is where we feel most comfortable,
where we feel love and peace, a place that renews our souls and rekindles our
spirit. There is no place that can do that more than going home to the natural
world.
Now I probably spend more time than I should away
from my actual home . When surrounded by four walls I get restless for the winds
and waters of the meadows. Nature becomes part of us, engrained in our DNA as much as any bird or butterfly. We are family
members of the ecosystem, as all living things are.
My time spent outdoors keeps me going and saves me, giving
me the strength to get through the day and through life. It is my hope that
everyone finds themselves in nature. In doing so we will all find our way home.
The weather may not be great, but there’s great birding at DeKorte Park all year round. Thanks to Dave McClure for these photos of a Black-capped Chickadee and a Red-tailed Hawk taken at the park yesterday!
Join the Bergen County Audubon Society next Tuesday (Feb. 5) for a guided walk of Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus. The marsh trail is a wonderful place for birding and they’ll be on the lookout for Northern harriers, Northern shovelers and Green-winged Teal.
The walk goes from 10 am to noon. For more info contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.
Due to the overcast conditions, the William D. McDowell Observatory public viewing session tonight (Jan. 23) has been cancelled. The next public viewing night is Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 7 to 10 p.m.
Some great news about Peregrine Falcons in a story by Scott Fallon on northjersey.com Fallon reports that “State researchers and wildlife advocates documented a record 40 nesting pairs in 2018, after the species had been wiped out in New Jersey beginning in the 1960s, officials reported this month. Twenty-eight pairs produced at least 75 chicks last year.”
There’s also a Meadowlands angle. According to the story: One of the most successful breeding nests in 2018 is the one found on the Route 3 bridge over the Hackensack River, where four peregrine falcons were born in 2018.
The freezing cold was no match for Dennis Cheeseman, who got these great photos of a Wilson’s snipe at DeKorte at lunchtime today. We salute you, Dennis!
