Our backyards can become important habitats for birds like this Baltimore Oriole. Photo courtesy of Patrick Carney

The Bergen County Audubon Society is introducing a new program that the entire community can take part in. The BCAS’ Certified Wildlife Garden program will allow homeowners, communities, schools, businesses, places of worship, nature centers and others anywhere in New Jersey to have their gardens that benefit wildlife certified by Bergen County Audubon Society. Read more about the program here.

Please Note: DeKorte Park will be closed on New Year’s Day and will reopen at 8 am on Saturday, Jan. 2.

Black Swallowtail – Courtesy Alice Leurck

As reported in today’s Record, the State Assembly has voted unanimously to name the black swallowtail as the state’s official butterfly. The black swallowtail was chosen for several reasons, chief among them that it spends its entire lifecycle in New Jersey and can be found in all 21 counties, and is easy to attract to home gardens.

 
Don Torino, President of the Bergen County Audubon Society, says in the article that the black swallowtail is “a great choice, especially for a state that’s so built up, because you can find it in any backyard.”

For those who disagree with the choice, you can voice your opinion in a survey that accompanies the article. We’d love to hear from you here as well and encourage you to voice your opinion by leaving a comment.

Please Note: DeKorte Park will be closed on Christmas Day and will reopen at 8 am on Saturday, Dec. 26. The park will also be closed on New Year’s Day and reopen at 8 am on Saturday, Jan. 2.

My first quest to search out Mill Creek Point Park in Secaucus had me turning down a narrow street more suited for a horse and buggy than a car. The pocket-sized street turned into another and then another and just as I was ready to give in and do the most emasculating thing possible and ask for directions, the street began to enlarge until I glanced to my left and saw Spartina grasses moving in the marshlands like emerald waves in a sea green.

As I cruised cautiously ahead a big welcoming sign that read, “Mill Creek Point Park, ” came into view. I stopped and opened the car door and the effervescent, bubbly sounds of the Marsh Wrens filled the air from every direction. That’s when I knew I must in the right place for sure.

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Due to inclement weather, tonight’s (Dec. 23) open public viewing at the William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst has been cancelled. The next open public viewing night is Wednesday, Dec. 30, from 7 to 10 pm.

Please Note: DeKorte Park will be closed on Christmas Day and will reopen at 8 am on Saturday, Dec. 26. The park will also be closed on New Year’s Day and reopen at 8 am on Saturday, Jan. 2.

Chris Takacs got some awesome photos at DeKorte and surrounding locations Sunday while participating in this year’s Christmas Bird Count.

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the nation’s longest-running citizen science bird project, fuels Audubon science year-round. The count is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society. The purpose is to provide population data for use in science, especially conservation biology, though many people participate for recreation.

This year’s 116th count runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, so it’s not too late to join in this fun and important project. To find out more click here.

Hawk-Eye of course!  Rich Brown sent in this beautiful photo he took Saturday of a Cooper’s Hawk on the old coffer dam while crossing the Park Avenue Bridge over the Passaic River between Nutley and Lyndhurst.

Skeetkill Creek Marsh at dawn, 12/20/15

Jim Macaluso headed out to Skeetkill Creek Marsh in Ridgefield early this morning to continue his Christmas Bird Count. Jim reports that even with the tide going out he spotted “22 greenwing teal and a black duck, three mallards, fox sparrow, tree sparrows, a load of house finches and some other common birds. Really pretty at dawn there.”

Everyone is welcome to send in their Christmas Bird Count reports!

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the nation’s longest-running citizen science bird project, fuels Audubon science year-round. The count is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society. The purpose is to provide population data for use in science, especially conservation biology, though many people participate for recreation.

This year’s 116th count runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, so it’s not too late to join in this fun and important project. To find out more click here.