To help you get a feel for what might be in store for the Meadowlnads for the upcoming month, we thought we would provide links to our top blog posts from August 2009:
August 3: Hummingbird Moths Are Here
August 5: Skeetkill Marsh, Mid-Summer (Above)
August 19: Cedar Waxwing at Harrier Meadow
August 31: More Cormorant Antics
Stephanie Seymour reports: I went to DeKorte from around 8 to 10:30 am this morning.
No luck with Skimmers or my nemesis Least Bittern, but saw some great Forster's Tern action.
I am almost sure I saw 2 Least Terns as well, but since I can't be 100% sure I decided against counting them on eBird.
Also, there were easily like 300 or 400 or maybe even 500 little Least Sandpipers, but eBird makes a fuss if you report those numbers. So I decided to be WAY conservative and say 150.
Saw a gorgeous male Baltimore Oriole, 2 Warbling Vireos, and a few Yellow Warblers all in the same area (take path from second back parking lot into a little tree oasis and that's where all these were).
Full report follows. (Thanks, Steph!)
Striking images of the Meadowlands’ marshes, sunsets, and flora and fauna captured by photographer Marco Lips will be on display at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s Flyway Gallery through August.
The exhibit, “Quintessential Meadowlands,” opens on Tuesday, July 6 and runs through Friday, Aug. 27.
Environmental Reporter Jim O'Neill's story on shorebird migration featured the Meadowlands. The story ran in The Record today. It's a good read. Link is here.
We checked in on the osprey nest in Carlstadt yesterday evening to find the family in fine fettle.
In the photo above, four Ospreys are visible — although the nestling behind the red screening is admittedly hard to see.
The nest has been registered with the New Jersey Osprey Project. It is officially Nest 042-B-001.
Here is a link to a South Bergenite column on Ospreys this spring.
On the "jump" is a photo with an arrow pointing to each Osprey. Nos. 1 and 2 are the nestlings; 3 and 4 are the proud parents.
No. 1 is hardest to see, hence the enlarged number.
The big Butterfly Day at DeKorte Park may be over, but there are still plenty of butterflies around. Please stop by and see for yourself. Best time is a sunny day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
If you missed today's noontime Marsh Discovery Trail walk — and the three Least Bittern sightings — don't despair.
The Meadowlands Commission and Bergen Audubon are leading a free walk on the trail at 10 a.m. on Sunday, and we will be looking for these guys. (Click here for more info.)
All three Leasts were perched midway up the phrags, which was a switch — we typically see them at the water's edge or in flight.
Also seen on the walk: Osprey, Ruddy Ducks, lots of Forster's Terns, Black-crowned Night Heron.
(Thanks to Dennis Cheeseman for the group shot, and thanks to Chris Takacs for the bittern shot. I had guaranteed that we would get good birds today because I did not take my camera.)
The NJMC's Jim Wright writes the "Nature Next Door" column for The South Bergenite." His latest column, on shorebirds, follows.
Save the date: 
Well-known bird photographer and author Kevin Karlson will offer a full day of free programs at DeKorte Park, home of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC), on Saturday, Aug. 21.
The event, sponsored by the NJMC and the Bergen County Audubon Society, will kick off with a shorebird walk along DeKorte’s Shorebird Pool at 8:30 a.m. Another free walk is slated for 10:30 a.m.
Also on tap: an hour-long mini-seminar on Bird IDs at 1 p.m. and a preview of Kevin's new book on Cape May at 2:20 p.m.
Stay tuned for a big announcement regarding Kevin Karlson Day.
To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-636-4022.
Brian Thompson of WNBC filed this report last week on remediation efforts at the Richard P. Kane Natural Area in Carlstadt and Little Ferry. Hundreds of acres of Phragmites have been cleared in order to make way for native marsh grasses.