We have been getting reports of yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers and Short-billed Dowitchers this week at DeKorte Park.
We saw a Least Sandpiper and a Spotted Sandpiper (literally) on the Marsh Discovery Trail yesterday.
Regina Geoghan reports seeing a hundred peeps at Mill Creek Marsh at low tide yesterday. (Thanks, Regina!)
Jim Wright, who keeps this blog for the N.J. Meadowlands Commission, aslo writes a column twice a month for The South Bergenite. His latest, on taking a pontoon-boat cruise of the Hackensack River and its marshes, follows.
If you are looking for a great local escape this summer, consider a guided pontoon-boat cruise of the Hackensack River and its marshes are the answer. These cruises are a great way to see nature up-close.
“So, far this has been an exciting year for our guided cruises, especially with the grand opening of River Barge Park in Carlstadt,” says Naturalist Gabrielle Bennett-Meany, the dean of the NJMC pontoon-boat narrators. “Ospreys are nesting in several locations along the river, and you can see them from the boat — and there is an active marsh-restoration project by the Hackensack River, right next to the new park.”
In fact, this summer has been a record season for osprey nests in the Meadowlands. In 2006 and the decades before, the region had no nesting pairs of this threatened species — the result of the overuse of the pesticide DDT. Fast-forward to last year, when three pairs nested along the river.
With Butterfly Day just over a week away, we thought we'd post this photo from Regina Geoghan — with a link to her other DeKorte butterfly shots
The link is here. (Thanks, Regina!)
If you plan on taking a walk on DeKorte Park's Marsh Discovery Trail any time soon, please look out for an aggressive male Red-winged Blackbird.
It will perch near you and berate you, and if you don't move on quickly enough, it will whiz over your head from the back and scare the wits out of you (if you have any left).
The bird is simply protecting its turf and youngsters in a nearby nest — just like last year.
Link to post on last year's aggressive Red-winged Blackbird is here.
Our latest "Focus on the Meadowlands" post for the wildnewjersey.tv blog features this dragonfly up-close, an awesome Orange Sulphur butterfly and a pair of Great birds.
The link is here.
Sandy Sorkin was kind enough to share some of his latest photos from DeKorte Park. That's a Marsh Wren above and an Orchard Oriole hiding in plain sight below.
Pix of Killdeer and Painted Lady follow. (Thanks, Sandy!)
Writer Dana Jennings has a nifty article today in The New York Times today about the Meadowlands.
Writes Jennings: "Monet had his haystacks, Degas had his dancers, and I have the New Jersey Meadowlands from the window of my Midtown Direct train as I travel to and from Manhattan.
"…the Meadowlands never disappoints. Its shifting weave of light, color and texture hone and enchant the eye. The sure and subtle muscle of the Hackensack River is sometimes just a blue mirror, but when riled and roiled by wind and rain it becomes home to slate-gray runes. The scruff, scrub and brush are prickly and persistent, just like certain denizens of New Jersey."
The link is here.
This butterfly is a Pipevine Swallowtail, seen at DeKorte on the July 1 Butterfly Walk — for the first time this year.
With Butterfly Day just 11 days away, we have compiled a Butterfly Checklist for DeKorte Park, combining our 
observations over the past four years with the North American Butterly Association's checklist for DeKorte Park (Thanks, NABA!)
The list is below — copy and paste to make your own checklist.
You can also download our free "Butterflies of DeKorte Park" brochure, featuring photos of the most common butterflies seen in the park.
(We know, enough with the Monarchs already!)
Link is here.
We saw this at toward the end of our July 1 "Butterflies for Beginners (and Experts)" event at DeKorte Park.
Yes, it's a swallowtail, but what variety? (Side view below.)
