We’ve got room on our pontoon boats for a free tour of the Hackensack River, this Tuesday, June 4, and yours truly will be narrating! The tour leaves from River Barge Park in Carlstadt and goes from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The
guided, leisurely, two-hour trips are a great new way to see the Meadowlands
up-close, revealing a whole new environment including acres of preserved
wetlands and a thriving ecosystem, all framed by a spectacular view of the
Manhattan skyline.
Pontoon boats feature comfortable seating for 12. Trips are for ages 10 and up. Group tours are available upon request.
We’ve got a great event coming up and we would love your participation!
In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Bergen County Audubon Society Partnership with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (formerly New Jersey Meadowlands Commission), Jim Wright will be giving a short, illustrated talk on Sunday, July 7, and he’s looking to incorporate your photos into the presentation.
Jim, a former agency staffer, started the partnership with BCAS President Don Torino back in 2009. The very first walk was Sunday, July 5, of that year.
Please send 5 to 7 of your favorite photos submitted to the blog over the years to Jim at wrightjamesb@gmail.com and he will incorporate at least 1 into his slide show. We’re looking for a variety of photos. Feel free to send a combination of birds, other wildlife, scenic and landscape photos.
The talk will take place on Sunday, July 7, at 12:15 p.m. in the Meadowlands Environment Center Auditorium in DeKorte Park. It will be preceded by a BCAS guided nature walk of the park from 10 am to noon.
Join the Bergen County Audubon Society this Sunday (June 2) for a guided walk of Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus, a fantastic place for birding! The walk goes from 10 am to noon. For more info contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.
The Memorial Day weekend turned out to be a great time to get out into nature and get some great photographs at DeKorte Park. Thanks to Dave McClure for sharing this array taken Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
Join the Bergen County Audubon Society this Sunday (June 2) for a guided walk of Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus, a fantastic place for birding! The walk goes from 10 am to noon. For more info contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.
Check out this awesome photo of a stealth-like Common Tern soaring into the Meadowlands sky and more great photos taken by Joe Koscielny during this past Tuesday’s Bergen County Audubon Society DeKorte Park walk. We’ll have more from Joe in a bit!
As it always seems to happen spring finally appears
like it’s here to stay. Like all nature lovers I have been enjoying the spring
invasion of warblers, the magnificence of the first Mourning Cloaks and
watching the House Wrens compete for nesting places. But what I have been truly
looking forward to is with the arrival of spring is to continue my stimulating
and thought provoking springtime conversations with my Groundhog.
Yes, you heard correct. One of my favorite spring
activities is to sit in my comfy garden chair in my butterfly garden and carry
on deep philosophical conversations and debates with my fuzzy backyard buddy.
The groundhogs and I discuss age old questions such as the meaning of life,
national politics and sometimes even gossip about the neighbors (groundhogs
know a lot about what is going on in the neighborhood).
We ramble on about our tough day at work and about
our more serious family matters like the kids. My groundhogs seem to have a
tough time keeping the young ones organized at times. Nevertheless we very much
enjoy the newly emerged flowers in the garden and they may even sample a few
when I am not looking, just to let me know which ones they prefer.
And still many other times we don’t talk very much at
all. We just sit and enjoy the garden and relax; that is what good friends do
sometimes. Words are not needed when you understand each other.
Groundhogs are also very good listeners. I could go
on and on about the events of the day and he just sits back, nods his head in
agreement and listens, especially if I happen to leave a strategically placed
big carrot near my chair. I am not entirely sure if he really is deeply
concerned about my issues but I believe that if more people talked with
groundhogs there would be very little need for the psychiatric profession … and
they don’t need a referral or co-payment before they can help you out.
Now I realize
there are people who like to talk with other creatures of the garden besides
groundhogs. I have a friend who loves
talking with trees, others with squirrels and still others think that talking
with their wildflowers helps them grow. But many others love bantering with
birds also. Some folks enjoy chatting with Chickadees or like to have a tête-à-tête
with a Tufted Titmouse, which works for them just fine. But some birds are much
better conversationalists than others.
Cardinals don’t hang out too long or talk much and
Blue-jays just want to speak when there might be a peanut in it for them. Crows
talk a lot but only to each other and Mockingbirds talk all night long. Robins
just seem to eavesdrop on your conversations and we are probably just keeping
owls awake by talking too loud during the day. Mourning Doves seem to listen
well but Red-winged blackbirds always seem like they are having too much fun to
care. As for Carolina Wrens, they just talk really loud but not to me.
Conversing with groundhogs
in my garden is one of my great pleasures in life. No matter what happens in
the world or in my life the groundhogs, birds and butterflies are there,
dependable and trustworthy, just as all
nature is, always there just waiting for us to connect to it. This spring get
outside and take in all the surprises and miracles of nature, and tell all the groundhogs
I said hello and I will do my best to look out for them.
A huge thank you from the NJSEA to Spectrum for Living for the ornate bird houses donated to the Authority last week. Each year several Spectrum for Living locations work on designing wonderful, unique birdhouses. They also donated additional houses that the NJSEA installed in DeKorte Park.
This year’s designed bird houses above, left to right: Most Nautical: Teaneck ATC; Most Architectural: Carver ATC (Westwood); Most Colorful: Edison ATC; Most Creative: North Haledon ATC; Most Natural: Westwood ATC; Overall Winner: Ringwood ATC.
