Ron Shields captured several male Ruddy Ducks in the process of reaching full breeding plumage yesterday at DeKorte. These beautiful photos were taken from the Marsh Discovery Trail.

Mickey Raine sent this awesome sequence of photos taken at DeKorte yesterday culminating in a Snowy Egret swallowing his afternoon snack. Mickey has a way with words and it’s always a pleasure to share the narratives he sends accompanying his photos. Mickey writes:

I was so glad to have gone to DeKorte Park in the Meadowlands yesterday (Monday April 11). Over the weekend, a couple of the early arriving Snowy Egrets offered a nice twilight hunt performance at Mill Creek Marsh, working their way in and around the ancient cedar stumps with such precision striking as they searched for their finned dinner. The late day tone in the sky added to the aura of the landscape, making it quite attractive to watch for some time.

It was approaching 3 pm at DeKorte yesterday when my peripheral vision caught rapid movement to the right, just where the first inlet, if you will, exists.  Sandwiched between the tall dense reeds, the elongated pool of water provides a wonderful spot for private fishing, and if the hunter possesses the superb skills and agility of the Snowy Egret, then visitors may very well be in for a spectacular demonstration of master hunting.

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Thanks to everyone who came out to yesterday’s great Birding for Beginners program and to the Bergen County Audubon Society for their superb job in running the event. We had 85 people attend the program, which began with a talk on basic birding techniques, identification and optics. Participants then broke into groups for a walk around DeKorte Park, where eagles and Red-tailed hawks were among the birds seen.

In addition to the pics below, check out page L-2 in today’s Record for a photo that their photographer took at the event.

The BCAS will be back at DeKorte Park next week for two free programs: A guided nature walk of the park on Tuesday, April 19, from 10 am to noon; and an Earth Day Celebration on Friday, April 22, that includes a talk on raptors followed by a walk in the park. The Earth Day event runs from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. For more information email greatauk4@gmail.com or call 201-230-4983.

Bald Eagle

Double Crested Cormorant

Red-tailed Hawk

Mickey Raine got these fantastic shots of a Snowy Egret on the hunt at Mill Creek Marsh on Saturday at dusk. Also included are his photos of the Meadowlands radio towers. Enjoy!

Thanks to Chris Takacs for the catchy headline. Why O Canada! for this feasting Peregrine Falcon? Chris explains:

Friday morning, 4/8, Andrew Marden and I found a Peregrine Falcon at River Barge Park. She was giving the Ospreys some trouble, chasing one of them around. She found a pigeon for breakfast and took it to the Kayak dock. She had a band that looked unfamiliar to me, so I reported it to banding lab. Mike Girone, our local Peregrine enthusiast, shared this photo to some places and came back with some banding information.

“Morgan” is her name and she was banded on May 26, 2015 at 23 days old and 820 grams or 1.8 lbs. She was banded in Toronto, Canada! The nest is located at 150 & 250 Ferrand Drive, near Don Mills and Eglinton in Toronto and hosted by Amexon Property Management Inc.

A website http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/w/c/sightings/toronto-don-mills-and-eglinton/page/3/ has provided a bunch more information on this bird.

Don’t miss your chance to learn all you need to know to start birding and enjoy a nature walk in DeKorte Park at our Birding for Beginners program this Sunday, April 10, from 1 to 3 p.m.

The program begins in the Meadowlands Environment Center, where Bergen County Audubon Society President Don Torino will discuss bird identification, field guide basics and optics. Then we’ll traverse the beautiful, one-square-mile park looking for spring arrivals.

You can register for the free event here.

The Meadowlands Environment Center is located at 2 DeKorte Park Plaza in Lyndhurst.

For more information email greatauk4@gmail.com or call 201-230-4983.

Jim Wright was out at Laurel Hill Park and posted an update on the Celery Farm and Beyond Blog about the Ospreys nesting there along with some other tidbits. Check it out here.

Do Not Disturb!  (Credit: Rich Brown)

A while back I had a well-intentioned person contact me regarding a newly discovered eagles nest.  “Don, the eagles are so excited to see me they are showing off by flying around the nest and screeching,” they said. As I tried my best to keep from creating my own ear-piercing sounds of stress I managed to calm myself down for a few seconds and asked the caller to PLEASE get away from the nest area.

I attempted to explain that he was stressing the birds out and could possibly cause them to abandon the nest. His answer was “No, they really like us.” Now, besides this person being in violation of the Bald Eagle protection act , the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and various other state and federal laws, a simple understanding of the birding ethics rules may have just stopped him from committing this infraction to begin with. So I thought it was a good time to remind all of us that the first rule of birding. much like the Hippocratic Oath, is to do no harm.

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Yes, I was listening to The Beatles last night. In any case let’s start the day with some amazing Northern Flicker shots by Ron Shields!

Here are some more photos from Mickey Raine that he took this past Friday at Mill Creek Marsh, including a Greater yellowlegs, an Osprey in flight and the view from the marsh of the New York City skyline.