Birding photographer Dave Rotondi took a sequence of photos of a Great Egret having a meal in DeKorte Park recently.
(That's a female Common Merg in the foreground.)
Thanks, Dave.
Click "Continue reading…" for the full sequence.
Category Archives: Birds
Tree Swallows Are Back — and Nest Boxes Are Going Up
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission has begun its annual nesting box program for tree swallows this week, and the beautiful iridescent-blue birds are grabbing up the boxes as soon as they are placed along the edge of wetlands.
In some instances (see photo at right), 
the birds have flown into the nesting boxes while the boxes were still on the boat.
Tree swallows are a popular bird for many people, not just for their iridescent beauty and graceful speed, but also because they love to eat insects. It has been estimated that a family of tree swallows can eat hundreds upon hundreds of midges, mosquitoes and other insects in a day.
With the help of local scout troops, families and other groups, the Meadowlands Commission has erected some 250 nesting boxes in marshes throughout the 30.4-square-mile district.
Last year, Meadowlands Commission naturalists used GPS devices to help keep track of tree-swallow activity in all of the nesting boxes.
COMING SOON: Tree Swallow Video
Click here to read Bergen Record Environmental Writer Jim O'Neill's nifty story today about the Tree Swallow Project.
"Continue reading…" for more info and pics.
Redtail Rescue
NJMC Naturalists Michael Newhouse (above) and Gabrielle Bennett-Meany rescued a Red-tailed Hawk near Disposal Road in North Arlington late Tuesday afternoon.
An NJMC staffer had seen the hawk, noted that it did not fly away when approached, and called the naturalists.
Newhouse and Meany saw that the young hawk was emaciated and possibly dehydrated, and the NJMC's Brett Bragin brought it to the Raptor Trust in Millington for rehab.
We will let you know of the Redtail's progress.
We hope to release the Redtail in the Meadowlands in a couple of weeks.
More info on the Raptor Trust is here.
Birding for Beginners
The Meadowlands Commission is partnering with Bergen County Audubon Society for its major March birding event.
"Birding for Beginners" will be held on Sunday (March 29) from 1 to 3 p.m. at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst.
You can learn how to get started birding, learn about optics, and how to identify birds. We will begin indoors and then venture outside to use our new skills.
Registration is required for this free event.
Please contact Don Torino at Bergen County Audubon Society at 201-636-4022 or email here.
Stay tuned for other upcoming events, including a Skeetkill Marsh clean-up in March.
Duck Heaven
It may be Friday the 13th, but it doesn't take any luck at all to get great views of waterfowl at DeKorte Park and environments these days.
The tidal
impoundments have been home to a bevy of birds these days — not only Northern Shovelers (one is pictured at left) but also Green-winged Teal, Canvasbacks, Pintails (below, flying), Gadwalls, Common Mergs (female is below), Black Ducks, Mallards, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergs and more.
The Marsh Discovery is now open again for its entire length.
We mention this in case you are looking for something to do this weekend. The birding at DeKorte Park and elsewhere near the Hackensack River is great.
Just don't forget your camera.
First Great Egret of the Year
DeKorte Park, March 12, 9:45 a.m.
The Killdeer Are Back
And they are all over the Meadowlands, including Disposal Road (above) in North Arlington.
More on Killdeer here.
APB on Eurasian Collared Dove
Birder Chris Takacs of Lyndhurst has issued an all-points-bulletin:
"Anyone birding the DeKorte area this weekend, please check those Doves you see around the park.
"Wednesday afternoon I saw a probable Eurasian Collared Dove sitting in my driveway. I'm only 2 houses from Schuyler Ave., I saw it briefly.
"The bird was longer, chunkier and lighter colored than the MODO's it was adjacent to. Although I've seen the bird 1000+ times, mostly in Florida, it caught me off guard and off course my camera was in my car.
"Checking NJ records, this could be a first Bergen County sighting and the first in NJ north of Sandy Hook."
More on this bird here.
Changing seasons
We are seeing some changes in bird activity in the Meadowlands — lots more Red-winged Blackbirds, for example, and far fewer Rough-legged Hawks (above).
In the DeKorte impoundments, we saw the usual raft of Canvasbacks, many Mallards, several Buffleheads, a few Black Ducks and some Northern Pintails.
The Coots of Kearny
We did this very short (34-second) video for tonight’s talk at the Kearny Library. We made the video a week or two ago at the Gunnell Oval. The water segment was videoed at the nearby Kearny Marsh.
We don’t see American Coots out of water too often, but there they were — walking around by the ballfield, acting almost like chickens.
These red-eyed little birds are often mistaken for ducks, but as you might see from the video, their feet are not webbed.
If you scroll down the blog to this week’s Tuesday Teaser, you can see what a coot’s foot looks like and click on a link for more info about these odd birds.