Roy Woodford: Mill Creek Point Flycatcher

Flycatcher 2 RoyRoy Woodford writes:

Stopped by Mill Creek Point Saturday morning.  I haven’t been there in a while.

I’m glad I did … There was a very cooperative Willow Flycatcher singing like crazy about 50 feet up the boardwalk.

Never put the camera away when the clouds come out … Cloudy days often yield the best even lighting and the backgrounds become so smooth.

(Thanks, Roy!)woodford flycatcher

 

Watch Fireworks Tonight @ River Barge Park

1-IMG_9867

River Barge Park in Carlstadt will be open tonight for all Bergen, Passaic and Hudson County residents who’d like to see the Secaucus Fireworks Display.

Bring your own lawn chairs and (just in case) bug spray.

The fireworks start at 9:15 p.m. The park’s rowing dock will be open if you’d like to sit down by the river (the marina will be closed).

Directions to River Barge Park are on the right-hand column of this blog.

The park will stay open until a half-hour after the last firework goes off. All this is dependent on the weather, so keep your fingers crossed.

We Need Your Big Year Totals

DSCN9973Get out your binoculars — and send us your Meadowlands Big Year totals as of June 30!

The goal is to see as many different bird species as possible in the 14 towns of the Meadowlands District over the course of 2013 — and also to have fun birding.

To ensure a level playing field, all birds must be seen in areas open to the public, or on guided walks or banding events in such places as Harrier Meadow or the back of the Kingsland Landfill.

The idea is to promote birding in the Meadowlands, and to give area birders a competition that does not require as much travel (and gasoline consumption) as, say, a New Jersey Big Year.

To make this as fair as possible, we  have two divisions: Meadowlands residents and non-Meadowlands residents.

More details follow. Continue reading

This Sunday: Two Great Free DeKorte Guided Walks

DSCN9112The Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society are teaming for two great walks this Sunday.

At 10 a.m., we celebrate the fourth anniversary of our first  First-Sunday walk with a walk around DeKorte Park, looking for Black Skimmers, Forster’s Terns, orioles, dargonflies, butterflies and more.

We hope to check out the newly reopened Lyndhurst Nature Reserve as well. Full details below. (Bring sunblock, bug spray and water).

If you can stay for the 1 p.m. Butterflies for Beginners Talk and walk, bring a lunch and sit outside or in the Marshview Pavilion and enjoy the sights.

At 1 p.m., we”ll start our Butterflies for Beginners event with a talk in the MEC auditorium. then walk around DeKorte park to see what little treasures we might find.

Should be a great day. We hope you can join us!IMG_9847

More info on both events follows. Continue reading

The Observatory’s July Schedule

IMG_5829The William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park has an exciting month of programming in July.

Free public access is from 9 to 10:30 on Monday and Wednesday nights this month — weather permitting, of course — including Wednesday, July 3.

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

For more information about summer Observatory programming, click here.

Visit DeKorte Park This Weekend — & Drive Slowly

IMG_9812DSCN9113-001All sorts of trails have reopened at DeKorte, our flowers are blooming,  and we are seeing Forster’s Terns and Black Skimmers and other nifty birds and dragonflies in the park.

But the swallows are flying low over the roadways in the park, so please drive slow.

And don’t forget to wear sunscreen and bug spray, hydrate often, and visit our awesome gift shop in the Meadowlands Environment Center.

Thanks!