Several good birds were seen over the weekend, including this sora along the Marsh Discovery Trail in Lyndhurst on Saturday.  Photographer Kevin Watson got this distant shot.
   After three marbled godwits were seen at Harrier Meadow on Friday, Birder John Workman reported 4 juvenile moorhens at Kearny Marsh the same morning, and birder Ray Duffy got a photo of one there later that day (Click here).  Duffy also had a Caspian tern over Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus on Saturday.

   No recent white ibis sightings, but stay tuned.

Birder Michael Britt reports:

I birded DeKorte for about 4 hours today…no White Ibis for me [but three Kestrels].

    Click "Continue reading…" for his full report.

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  We did see three marbled godwits (thanks to birder Fred Weber), a semi-palmated plover, two peregrine falcons, an osprey, and a diamondback terrapin (below) — among other sightings on two trips to Harrier Meadow today.
   The Meadow will be open to the public on a limited basis during the Meadowlands Festival of Birding, and we are in the process of setting up some guided tours of the site.
   Click here for more on Harrier Meadow and birding festival.

   In mid-July, we reported that Meadowlands Commission naturalists had installed perches in the tidal impoundment by the Marsh Discovery Trail in Lyndhurst, in hopes that egrets would perch there when the water levels were high.

   Although the egrets were a little slower on the uptake than we had hoped, we are now happy to report: Bingo.

    Birder Ray Duffy of Secaucus went with NJMC Naturalist Michael Newhouse to see the white ibis yesterday afternoon to no avail, but as reported, he did see two female bobolinks (one pictured at right).
   Later, he walked around the Marsh Discovery trail and the Saw Mill Creek trail south along the powerline trail. He found a Caspian tern out of the mudflats.

  Click "Continue reading" for his full report.

 Coming up: Report on white ibis hunt today

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    Meadowlands Commission Naturalist Michael Newhouse reports: 
   Yesterday, Kate Ruskin of New Jersey Audubon spotted a juvenile White Ibis in Harrier Meadow [see description of this North Arlington site in next post].
   Commission staffers saw the bird again this morning. 
   This area is restricted to the public, but if anyone would like to try for the bird during working hours, please contact me at 201-460-1095 or email me at michael.newhouse (at) njmeadowlands.gov

Click "Continue reading" to see a list of other birds seen at the site this morning.

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  Birder Ray Duffy went to four sites in Secaucus on Thursday — Mill Creek Marsh, Schmidt’s Woods, Laurel Hill County Park and Mill Creek Point.
  Ray reports: " I found a pectoral sandpiper this afternoon at Mill Creek Marsh, my first for  Hudson County. I also saw an indigo bunting. 
   While crossing town to visit Schmidt’s Woods, I stopped at the Huber Street viewing platform for the marsh and found a Savannah Sparrow. 
  "I found four laughing gulls at Laurel Hill County Park with a large flock of seagulls hanging out near the river behind the new Xchange development.
   "I found a yellow-billed cuckoo at Schmidt’s Woods."

Click "Continue reading … " to see Ray’s report.

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     "I visited  DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst Wednesday afternoon from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
   "It was high tide, so not many peeps around. 
   "I did see about 11 spotted sandpipers hiding in along the marsh discovery trail. 
    "Highlight bird was a male Belted Kingfisher, the first one I’ve seen at the location since late March.
   "Here’s one of my kingfisher pics."

      Click "Continue reading" to see Ray’s bird list.

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