We weren't the first to notice that the Redtails of North Jersey seem to be getting into Valentine's Day mode about a month ahead of time, but we did get our camera ready.

   These two Redtails decided to hang out together on a high-tension wire tower by Disposal Road for a few minutes  before flying off in tandem toward Valley Brook.

    We saw this Northern Mockingbird in Harrier Meadow on Thursday, and a little birdy told us this guy was wearing a band.

   Sure enough, we found a band on its right leg.

   Since the bird was spotted less than 200 yards away from where NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse banded 15 Northern Mockingbirds this past fall, we think this guy might be a local yokel.  Just a guess.

   Click here to see the totals for the Fall 2009 banding project.

    Click here for deja vu.

   Chris Takacs and Dale Jankowski have seen Black-crowned Night Herons by the Marsh Discovery Trail in DeKorte Park — a nice winter find.

   These birds are considered a threatened species in New Jersey.

   Click here to learn more about their status and other threatened and endangered birds  in NJ.

  We photographed this one today –  tucked away with a buddy.

      The New Jersey Outdoors Blog had a nice post about looking for the Northern Shrike on Disposal Road, and how tough it can be to see it. 

   We especially liked this line: "It's a shame the day was such a wash, but the Meadowlands is definitely one of the hidden gems of New Jersey."

   Link is here.

   Just a reminder that our Third-Tuesday-of-the-Month Bird Walk with BCAS is next Tuesday a free two-hour guided field trip to Laurel Hill County Park in Secaucus.

   We’ll look for Ravens, raptors, waterfowl on the Hackensack River, and any other birds we can find. We meet at the big parking lot by the Laurel Hill ballfields at 10 a.m. 

    Or meet at the first parking lot in DeKorte at 9:20 (but don't dawdle or you might miss the trip).

   The walk is run by the N.J. Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society.

   To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com
or 201-636-4022.

    Because we have posted so many Northern Shrike reports over the past month on this blog, we thought we would make Wednesdays a "Shrike-free Zone."  

   We will no longer  post shrike updates on Wednesdays for as long as the shrike hangs around.

     Thank you for your understanding.

  Ken Habermann reports: "Went for a walk Saturday afternoon in Losen Slote Creek park in Little Ferry. I wasn't even really actively birding. Just getting some exercise. Still, I'm glad I brought the binoculars.

   "There was a nice mix of at least 5 Fox Sparrows, several Song Sparrows and numerous White-throated Sparrows. Also present were several Red-winged Blackbirds and 4 or 5 Carolina Wrens as well as at least 40 American Goldfinches feasting on gray birch catkins.

   "Nice surprises were a very vocal Brown Thrasher, a rather cooperative Gray Catbird and a male Eastern Towhee. This was topped off by a minor territorial dispute between a Red-tailed Hawk and a male Northern Harrier just as I was leaving."  (Thanks, Ken!)

   Julie McCall reports: "Spent a few hours around DeKorte and Disposal Road Sunday, reaping the rewards of a new pair of binoculars.  I didn't get the shrike but Disposal Road brought me Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Mockingbird, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Downy Woodpecker.

    "The smallest bird of the day:  a Ruby-crowned Kinglet foraging in the shrubs in the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve."  (Thanks, Julie!)

      The Meadowlands Commission is happy to announce that free copies of our new and improved DeKorte Park Guide and Map are available at the Meadowlands Environment Center.

  Two minor changes may be of particular note to birders.

   First, we have now included Disposal Road on the map, so those looking for, say, a certain Northern Shrike or raptors can find them more easily.

   Second, we have included a second name for the "Kingland Tidal Impoundment." That huge expanse is now also referred to as "The Shorebird Pool," as it was popularly called back in the day.

   The map also includes all the major trails, and distances, in case you want to see how far you've walked.

   Click the following hypertext to see a copy of the map:  Download OnlineTrail Guidemap

   If you want great views of Northern Harriers, Disposal Road continues to be the place.

  We got this shot one afternoon last week, parked alongside the road.

   The hawk appeared from over the crest of the former Kingsland Landfill, the hunted on the hillside.

   More on harriers here.