This is  the Meadowlands Commission's fifth annual Mother's Day Walk with Bergen County Audubon Society and the Ridgefield Environmental Commission, and it is — as they say in France — a doozie.

We'll start at the Ridgefield Nature Center, once the home of the Great Bear Water Co.

We'll check out the community gardens across the street.

We'll hop in our cars and look at the Ridgefield Monk Parakeets on the way to Skeetkill Creek Marsh.

When we're done, those who would like to see a nearby Bald Eagle Nest can follow us to an undisclosed location.

Full info follows.

Continue reading →

A mom's work is never done.

For a similarly amazing shot by Ron Shields from last year, click here. (Thanks, Ron!)

The NJMC's Jim Wright, who keeps this blog, also writes a nature column twice a month for the South Bergenite. His latest is on the Meadowlands Marsh Hawks team and their big competition this weekend:

This Saturday, before the crack of dawn, the Meadowlands Marsh Hawks will again take flight, competing for the third year in a row in the prestigious World Series of Birding.

The one-day event takes place only in New Jersey yet it draws some of  the best birders in North America. The Marsh Hawks will again compete in the “county” division, with a goal of seeing 140 species in Bergen County.

Last year, the Marsh Hawks — NJMC naturalist Mike Newhouse, Lyndhurst resident Chris Takacs and Mike Wolfe of Hackensack — won first place in their division with a total of 139 birds.

The birds they saw or heard included such rarities as — horned grebe, clapper rail and pileated woodpecker, but they did not see a Black-capped Chickadee. Go figure.

Continue reading →

The Meadowlands Environment Center is hosting a unique concert this Saturday night featuring a composer who is very serious about using birdsongs as her muse.

The Birdsong Project Trio, led by pianist Diane Moser, performs at 8 p.m. at the MEC.

Moser, a Montclair resident, spent five weeks in the summer of 2008 at the MacDowell Colony for artists in New Hampshire, listening to birds to create compositions based on Robins, Sparrows, Chickadees and the natural soundscape.

More information follows.

Continue reading →

Mike Girone reports that the Jersey City Peregrine Cam is up and running at 101 Hudson Street. 

The cam is made possible by the state Endangered and Non-game Species Program, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, and Mack-Cali, the owners of the building. (Thanks to all!)

The link is here.  More information on the nest, via Nestbox News, is here.

We love our Meadowlands Peregrines — in fact, it's the NJMC bird of the year for 2013 (and subject of an NJMC T-shirt to boot!)

Jim Wright, who wrote "The Nature of the Meadowlands" for the Meadowlands Commission, will be giving two free talks (featuring images from the book) next week in East Brunswick and North Arlington.

Both events are open to the public.

News article on the East Brunswick event is here.

A recent Star-Ledger review of the book is here.

More information on the two events follows.

Continue reading →

The NJMC's Beverly Schmidt reports, "Upon entering Mill Creek Marsh Park this past weekend, I encountered what I believe to be a new species of Meadowlands mammal.  It very shy, did not appear to be aggressive."

Dennis Cheeseman later photographed the animal as it tried to hide in a tree… It did not appear to be hungry. In fact, it appeared to be stuffed.

We know this sort of thing happens all over — just seems like the Meadowlands has more than its share…

Dennis' photo follows. (Thanks, Beverly and Dennis!)

Continue reading →

We have been seeing these in several places in the region, especially DeKorte Park, but typically have seen them from a moving vehicle.

Photographed this one (its cloak slightly tattered) yesterday in Harrier Meadow while checking on the saplings…

What's unusual about this photo by Marco Van Brabant??

The butterfly!  As Jantet Terchek incredibly answered, it's a Mourning Cloak!  (Congrats to Janet — never thought anyone would get the butterfly, let alone the species….)

Close-up of same follows.  (Thanks, Marco!)

Continue reading →