Mickey and Elaine Raine write:

Mill Creek Marsh had many birds out on Sunday, but we were most pleased with seeing the Northern Pintail out of the water for once.

The Northern Pintail was alone, no companion or others of its kind present, and it first stood out on the ice before eventually taking flight.

The late day sun was perfect and the tones came out beautifully.  Even in the shaded area in which Elaine saw this young male Mallard, the air had a special quality about it, so the rich colors on it could still be appreciated–not as seen in better lighting with more vibrancy and details, but quite pretty, anyhow.

As we were about to depart, the Great Blue Heron came flying right by us.

(Thanks, Mickey and Elaine!)

Ron Shields, the dean of Meadowlands nature photography, is presenting a talk and slide show on “The Birds of the Meadowlands” today (Jan. 14) at the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park at 2 p.m.

For a sampling of Ron’s photos, click here.

(More info on the talk follows.)

Continue reading →

Thanks to the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute and its continuous weather monitoring station, you can now get a weather report localized for DeKorte Park.

The link is here.

Louis Balboa’s Disposal Road Bald Eagles photographs s we posted yesterday included a pair of younger raptors, including the one above. How old do you think it is?

P.S.: Louis also took a photo of a banded Bald Eagle two years ago that enabled us to determine where the eagle was from. The link is here.

Our Third Tuesday of the Month Walk for January is the amazing Laurel Hill County Park in Secaucus, which abounds in both natural history and local history. Never know what you’ll see at Laurel Hill — Common Ravens, Redtails, Peregrines and more. The walk begins at 10 a.m.

Full information follows.

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Louis Balboa writes:

“I  got some eagle shots on Disposal Road on two days last week. Here are a few.”

(Thanks, Louis!)

Ron Shields, the dean of Meadowlands nature photography, is presenting a talk and slide show on “The Birds of the Meadowlands” this Wednesday (Jan. 14) at the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park at 2 p.m.

For a sampling of Ron’s photos, click here.

(More info on the talk follows.)

Continue reading →

Dennis Cheeseman writes:

Haven’t been to Losen Slote Park in Little Ferry in awhile, but I got out there on Thursday and must say I like how the trails have been more clearly marked now.   This will make it easier when the vegetation grows back to navigate around.

There were a few eagles hanging around there on Thursday.   I think they were checking out the pond.

Lots of sparrows and woodpeckers about in there also.    Attached are a few pics —  not my best but it hard to hold still when it is 15 degrees out there and the wind is howling.

(Thanks, Dennis!)

Dennis asks, btw, if nearby Mehrhof Pond part of this challenge. The short answer is no.

Thinking of visiting DeKorte Park or nearby Disposal Road this weekend?

To see what’s being reported at DeKorte on eBird Hotspot Explorer, click here. (Hint: lots of ducks.)

To see what’s being reported along Disposal Road on eBird Hotspot Explorer, click here.