Ron writes:
"A recent trip into the marsh yielded Blue- and Green-winged Teal, Wood Ducks, several juvenile Common Gallinules and a Great Blue Heron that was close enough to touch.
"All this was capped off with a beautiful sunset!"
(Thanks, Ron!)
More pix follow!
Our next free guided nature walk is Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the legendary Harrier Meadow in North Arlington 
— and it features a not-to-be-missed bird-banding demonstration by NJMC naturalist Mike Newhouse.
The 70-acre site — usually off limits to the public — features ponds and tidal impoundments and shorebirds aplenty.
Butterflies and dragonflies, too, with a little luck.
The event is sponsored by the N.J. Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society. Full listing follows.
Jim Wright, who maintains this blog for the Meadowlands Commission, also writes a twice monthly "Nature Next Door" column for The South Bergenite. Here is his latest — a look at "The Lost Bird Project."
One of the missions of the Meadowlands Commission is to protect our local environment, and understand the importance of this mission, you need only attend a special free screening of an hour-long documentary tonight in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst.
The highly acclaimed film is “The Lost Bird Project,” the story of sculptor Todd McGrain and his tributes to five North American birds that have gone extinct — the Heath Hen, the Passenger Pigeon, the Labrador Duck, the Great Auk and the Carolina Parakeet.
“Our initial goal was to simply tell the story of Todd’s efforts to place the memorials to the five birds near where they went extinct,” says Scott Anger, the film’s cinematographer and co-producer.
“But it quickly grew into an elegy to the birds and a way to connect viewers to the incredible stories behind each one. These five birds went extinct because of callous practices and a complete disregard for the natural world.”
We are expecting a very strong turnout for the free special screening of "The Lost Bird Project" tonight at 7 p.m.
If you do not have a ticket or have not rsvp'd by phone, please call 201-777-2431 to make sure seats are still available.
We advise you to allow plenty of time to get to the park, find a parking space and get a seat.
More info follows.
Our latest "Focus on the Meadowlands" post for the wildnewjersey.tv includes this photo of a Clapper Rail — taken from one of the NJMC's pontoon boats in the Saw Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area.
The link to the post is here.
Roughly two dozen folks were on hand at DeKorte Park to see the twin beams of light emanating from Lower Manhattan to mark the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Most were there with cameras, others were there just to reflect.
This has been an unofficial annual gathering that seems to be attracting more and more people.
If you have suggestions for next year, please let us know.
If you have photos of last night that you'd like to share on this blog, e-mail Jim Wright at jim.wright(at) njmeadowlands.gov.
The Meadowlands Commission is pleased to announce an official publication date of Oct. 15 for the coffee-table book “The Nature of the Meadowlands,” by the NJMC's own Jim Wright.
With a foreword by Governor Thomas H. Kean, the lavishly illustrated, 128-page book illuminates the region's natural and unnatural history — including its darkest days of a half-century ago and its inspiring environmental revival.
The book also celebrates the amazing landscapes and parks to be found here, including DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, the Kearny Marsh and Laurel Hill in Secaucus.
In addition, The Nature of the Meadowlands features dozens of striking images, including present-day nature and landscape photography, pictures of an old Secaucus pig farm, a "Sopranos" landmark, a Harp Seal in Carlstadt, an Eastern Coyote on a Meadowlands landfill, and rare Laurel Hill minerals. In short, expect the unexpected.
“The Nature of the Meadowlands” is a great resource and beautiful keepsake — and the perfect gift for the upcoming holidays.
More information follows.
We are expecting a strong turnout for the free special screening of "The Lost Bird Project" tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in DeKorte Park.
We advise allowing plenty of time to get to the park, find a parking space and get a seat.
If you arrive early, you can always mark your seat as "reserved" and visit the nearby butterfly garden, check out our excellent gift shop, or enjoy the Manhattan skyline and marsh views.
For Google Map directions to DeKorte Park, click here.
To learn more and reserve a seat, click here.
We had a Least Bittern on the Marsh Discovery Trail on the left-side as you leave the gurad-station entrance. Saw it around 5:30 p.m., on the big island before you get to the Ruddy Duck Channel.
Two photographers reported good if sporadic looks at a Sora on the right, just past the first seating area.
Pretty sure I had a Clapper Rail on the edges in the East Pool, but some loud yutes arrived and it disappeared into the reeds before we could get a pic.
The view of the twin beams of light in Lower Manhattan, seen from the World Trade Center Memorial Cove, DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst, N.J., Sept. 11, 2012.