EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, Disposal Road is closed to all vehicular traffic — including weekends.

A substantial construction project is under way along the road for the foreseeable future and ALL access to the construction area, whether vehicular or on foot, is prohibited.

The portions of Disposal Road outside of the construction area may be accessed by foot, but please be advised that construction vehicles and equipment move throughout the site and that if you choose to enter Disposal Road by foot, you are doing so at your own risk.

Please use Valley Brook Avenue to access DeKorte Park. You can access Disposal Road on foot by parking in DeKorte Park and taking the Transco Trail. Disposal Road is a private, unmaintained road that is closed to vehicular traffic.

We appreciate your cooperation.

Ron Shields writes:

I checked out the duckage  at DeKorte Park earlier  this week and was extremely impressed.

The Canvasbacks (19 in number) huddled close to shore allowing for some good photo opportunities despite the conditions.  (Thanks, Ron!)

Trying to find something on the blog — an upcoming walk, a certain photographer’s photos, posts on Muskrats, sightings of a favorite raptor?

Don’t forget that you can search 5 years of blog posts by using the Google search engine in the upper-right part of the blog. Let the searches begin.

Dennis Cheeseman got these shots (and the accompanying I.D.s) during a recent winter precipitation event at Mill Creek Marsh. (Thanks, Dennis!)

Next up for Dennis: snowy owls and snowy egrets, no doubt.

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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On Tuesday, we asked readers to I.D. the owls who coughed up these four pellets in the Meadowlands.

We said we are certain of two of the three pellet producers, and have a hunch who the other coughivore was.

The first pellet is from a Barn Owl. We saw it this week, flying away from the drop zone.

Middle photo: We think these two pellets are from a Long-eared Owl.

Right-hand Photo: Snowy Owl pellet, found by Ray Gilbert last winter along the Transco Trail.

Just got this important message and wanted to pass it along:

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, Disposal Road is closed.

There is a substantial construction project under way along the road and we do not want to compromise your safety or the well-being of the construction crew.

Please use Valley Brook Avenue to access DeKorte Park.

We appreciate your cooperation.

Will try to find our more info tomorrow (Thursday).

Jill Homcy writes:

it was a great day in Ridgefield Park last week. I saw Alice the Bald Eagle perched above the nest one day, and the next day Al was actually in the nest.

Several of us  saw them flying and, later in the day, combining efforts to chase off a juvie that was perched on the nest tree when they arrived home at about 2 p.m.

(Thanks, Jill!)

Ron Shields photographed this old Red Fox last month in the Meadowlands.

We think the photo needs a caption….

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

Here’s a small sampling of his work.  (More info on the talk follows.)

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