On Tuesday at 10 a.m., the Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society are sponsoring a free two-hour guided walk at DeKorte Park.
We’ll look for the Northern Shrike, and also look at waterfowl and raptors and whatever else is around.
Last year at this time, we had the Snowy Owls and a Eurasian Green-winged Teal.
To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS here or call 201-636-4022.
Ray Gilbert saw the Northern Shrike eating lunch (a mouse) at noon at the Retention Pond across from the Carillon on Disposal Road. (Thanks, Ray!)
We found the shrike again at 12:50 on the Kingsland Landfill closer to DeKorte. (Photo on the right.)
Ray also had a Bald Eagle through his spotting scope; the bird was flying across DeKorte toward 1-E.
To see earlier key shrike posts and photos, click here and scroll down.
The year 2009 marked the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's 40th anniversary and a major expansion of our nature programs. We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2009, month by month.
Here are some highlights from April.
April 3: Tree Swallow Boxes Are Back
April 8: DeKorte Park Is In Its Spring Finery
April 16: The Ravens of Laurel Hill
April 24: The Barn Swallows Are Back
We are taking a year-end break from Tuesday Teasers. Teasers resume in January.
Click here for previous Tuesday Teasers.
We had the Northern Shrike at 10:50 this morning — great views by the retention pond across Disposal Road from the Carillon.
We were in a vehicle across the road from the retention pond, and the bird flew in and perched in the tree above for about 30 seconds (above).
It then hung out on a nearby strand of barbed wire, dipped down into the tree behind the barbed wire, then flew across the pond and disappeared from view. We also had a male Northern Harrier fly overhead almost simultaneously.
If you are planning to look for the shrike, birding from your vehicle does not seem to be a bad approach. You are out of the wind, and the bird seems oblivious to vehicles.
This is the 10th day out of the past 12 that the bird has been seen.
Click "Continue reading …" for more shrike shots from this morning, including a "locating the bird" shot and a neat tailfeathers shot.
Scroll down the blog for earlier Shrike posts.
"Botha's Boots," a blog out of Brooklyn about "music, architecture and the stuff in between," had a post yesterday about our favorite place: the Meadowlands.
Read it here.
The year 2009 marked the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission's 40th anniversary and a major expansion of our nature programs. We thought we'd celebrate by looking back at 2009, month by month.
Here are some highlights from March 2009:
March 6: Of Redtails and Redwings
March 12: The Killdeer Are Back
March 13: First Great Egret of the Year
Ron Shields got some nice duck shots before the storm hit, including a couple of Canvasbacks and a pair of Hooded Mergansers. (The Canvasbacks are just starting to come in for the winter now.)
Writes Ron: "Mergansers shot at Mill Creek Marsh and the Canvasbacks photographed at DeKorte Park just before the snow."
Click "Continue reading …" for more of Ron's photos. (Thanks, Ron!)
Stephen Buckingham reports:
"I had planned to look for the shrike this morning, but had no free time until after 3 p.m. Saturday, when it was getting darker, windier and snowier by the minute.
"Nevertheless I drove down to DeKorte from Montclair in a hurry, figuring this could be my last chance to see the bird. When I arrived and parked in front of the Amvet Carillon, it was 23 degrees with the wind seeming to blow snow into my face no matter which direction I was looking.
"It took me all of five minutes walking up and down the road though, before I heard the crazy bird singing as if it were spring. Had I not heard it, there was no way I would have spotted it in the dim light and snow. "
Click "Continue reading …" for the rest of the report.
Please e-mail Jim Wright here if you see the Disposal Road shrike.
The Lower Hudson Bird Count went off yesterday despite the snow. I was with NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse, the BCAS' Don Torino, and birder/photographer Kevin Watson.
We looked for the shrike and visited Harrier Meadow, two balers, two landfills, a Hackensack River marina and a Hackensack River marsh.
Highlights included a Barn Owl, lots of Snow Buntings, a Meadowlark, a Rough-legged Hawk, and a lot of Horned Larks.
No, we did not get the Northern Shrike yesterday, but it was not for a lack of trying.
Click Continue reading for more pics (including a Cooper's Hawk and Dark-eyed Junco) and the full list.