This has been a great winter for owl-watching along Disposal Road. Not only are the Snowies still around, but earlier in the year we had some great sightings of Short-eared Owls and Barn Owls as well.

Fred Nisenholz was nice enough to share several of his Short-ear shots. (Thanks, Fred!)

Note: Next week’s South Bergenite will feature a column about Short-eared owls, featuring NJMC naturalist Mike Newhouse and one of Fred’s photos. (Thanks, Mike and Fred!)

(Also a big thank you to everyone else who sent in owl pix.)

Photo by Fred Nisenholz

Don Torino’s latest column for wildnewjersey.tv is called “Snowy Owls, Cabin Fever, and Signs of Spring.”

Here’s a sample:

As my cabin fever was beginning to reach epidemic proportions, I knew myself and many others were in dire need of a remedy for dealing with impassable trails and closed parks for the last two months.

This time we were going to beat the upcoming “Snowmageddon” and sneak in a long overdue field trip to DeKorte Park, the sure cure for what was ailing all of us.

There is something about a Snowy Owl that helps people forget. As we stood along a snow filled Disposal Road, maneuvered around icy puddles, pulled down our woolen hats over our ears we watched with wonder, some for the first time, a magnificent Snowy Owl perched for all to see on the nearby landfill.

There was no talk of tomorrow’s snow fall, no worries about the morning commute or even if our towns would have enough salt for the roads. We just took in its beauty and talked about how lucky we were to be there on this day. It’s amazing what a single bird can do for the human spirit.

The link is here.

Disposal Road is a great place to view and photograph winter raptors, but everyone should be aware that it can be a busy and dangerous roadway at times.

The narrow roadway may look to be in the middle of nowhere, but it is a major connector road next to an active construction zone.

Please park your vehicle off to the side of the road as far as possible. Do not park on a curve. And do not leave your vehicle door open on the road. 

If you see one who has parked his or her vehicle in the middle of the road or has left a vehicle door open, please ask them to move immediately — before an accident occurs. Much appreciated.

Saw a distant Eastern Meadowlark perched along Disposal Road near the school bus parking lot today just after noon.

(Thanks to Chris Takacs for pointing it out.)

Also on hand, 100 American Crows having some sort of a convention, and the usual raptors.

Stephen Buckingham writes:

Check out the action in the attached from Saturday on Disposal Road.  The little Harrier didn’t stand a chance once the big one caught her trying to eat a rodent in peace and quiet. A split second later the little one was gone and the big guy took her place (and meal).

(Thanks, Steve!  Coming Thursday: Steve’s Red-tail vs. Opossum shot.)

Five years ago, as part of the N.J. Meadowlands Commission’s Oral History Project, we interviewed lots of folks about the region in the old days. We are going to reprint the best of them here, every Tuesday, for the next 10 weeks. First up: Rich Kane, for whom the Richard P. Kane Natural Area is named.

Richard P. Kane has been a key figure in the preservation of the marshes of the Meadowlands, documenting the avian abundance of the region for several decades.

He became interested in birds in 1949 and has frequented the Meadowlands at all times of the year in search of everything from Rough-legged Hawks to White Ibis.

A long-time advocate for the New Jersey Audubon Society, Kane was instrumental in saving was a 600-acre parcel in Moonachie and Carlstadt.

The developers called it “the Empire Tract.” Rich called it the Moonachie-Carlstadt wetlands.

Today it is called neither. It is called the Richard P. Kane Natural Area, in honor of his efforts to save this amazing parcel.

Excerpts from the interview follow: Continue reading →

Joe Koscielny writes:

Attached are some shots from Sunday’s walk — a little stretch for the Snowy. Snowy was a first for me.

(Thanks, Joe — the Snowy photos give folks an idea of the distance involved, and a sense of places to look when looking for Snowies on Disposal Road.)

The William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park has an exciting month of programming in March — beginning tonight.

Free public access is from 8 to 10 on Monday and Wednesday nights this month — weather permitting, of course.

Dress for the weather; with the dome open, you are basically outside.

Each evening at least two major objects in the night sky will be viewed, plus one or two other celestial objects or events depending on the observing conditions.

For a South Bergenite column by the NJMC’s Jim Wright about the observatory, click here.

For more information about Observatory programming, click here.

We had an amazing First-Sunday Walk at DeKorte Park, with some amazing birds and lots of really nice folks.

How’s this for highlights: The walk began with a Snowy Owl perched on a pipe atop the Kingsland Landfill (seen by everyone on Disposal Road but latecomers), and it ended with a Light-phase Rough-legged Hawk over the entrance to Dekorte.

Interspersed in between were Bald Eagle (perched on 1E), Am. Kestrels, Northern Harriers and a Common Raven.

Thanks to everyone who attended!

Full list follows. Continue reading →