Brought to you by the N. J. Meadowlands Commission as part of our 40th anniversary celebration
The event is Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
E-mail Jim Wright here to register.
Click here for earlier post with directions and more information.
Click continue reading for full schedule.
We saw this Fiddler Crab (and an entire bluegrass festival's worth) along the Hackensack River recently. (We thank Erik Kiviat for letting us tag along.)
As we are learning, there are more than one type of Fiddler Crab around. According to NJMC naturalist Brett Bragin:
"The diagnostic features to look for would be: 1) were there grooves on the carapace behind the eyes? 2) was it over 7/8" long?, 3) Did it have an oblique row of tubercles on the palm of the large claw?, and 4) did it have red joints?
"If yes, I would say it was Uca minax, the brackish-water fiddler crab (sometimes called the red-jointed fiddler crab). If not, then it was probably the mud fiddler crab (Uca pugnax)."
We are thinking the latter.
More on Fiddler Crabs here.
Click "Continue reading…" for a photo of another kind of crab — photographed this week at the Visitor Center.
In recent weeks we have run posts about a Double-crested Cormorant being rescued after getting its neck stuck in a tidegate (here) and battling an eel on the Hackensack River (here).
Thought we'd post a nice shot of one just cooling off in one of the tidal pools at Harrier Meadow today. They're not always getting into trouble.
A bit of controversy has developed over this dove, seen outside Harrier Meadow just before and after yesterday's walk.
One school of thought says that it is a released Turtle Dove. The other says it is a Eurasian Collared Dove.
More on both birds here.
Care to weigh in? Please do.
We saw this guy during a scouting mission of Harrier Meadow yesterday morning.
A naturalist friend at the Meadowlands Commission describes the Cedar waxwing as a charismatic bird.
Exactly.
Tuesday's Harrier Meadow Walk, led by Don Torino of the Bergen County Audubon Society, was a big hit despite the haze, heat and humidity.
We had 25 intrepid participants on the 100-minute walk, and several interesting birds, including several shorebirds, plenty of egrets, a Black-crowned Night Heron and a controversial dove. (More on the dove tomorrow.)
We will post a full list when it is available. To those who attended this oven-hot walk, all we can say is "well-done" — in more ways than one.
We saw this guy on the butterfly walk on Sunday, August 9. Who is he?
Click here for more Tuesday Teasers.
Click "Continue reading…" for the answer — and a link to a photo of what he looks like all grown up.
We are still seeing the pair of Peregrine Falcons on the Route 3 Bridges over the Hackensack River — to the point where they are a staple on our eco-cruises.
We have not seen the young one recently but we suspect he is not too far.
We visited Anderson Creek Marsh recently and found some exceptional birding.
We saw hundreds of peeps, a few Caspian Terns, several Yellow-crowned night herons, plus Snowy and Great Egrets and yellowlegs.
We also saw a Northern Harrier have a run-in with several terns — all in all, a good day to be on the marsh.
The marsh is located on the Hackensack River just south of Harmon Cove in Secaucus.
For more information on Anderson Creek Marsh, click here.
For more photos, click "Continue reading…"
Our first Harrier Meadow Walk for August was a rain-out. We are hoping for better weather and a ton of shorebirds on our second attempt, next Tuesday at 1 p.m.
This walk is done in partnership with the great folks at Bergen County Audubon Society.
The walk is rain or shine. Lightning cancels. In case of dubious weather, we will post on this blog on Tuesday at 11a.m. if the walk is on or not.
As always, bug spray, binoculars and sunscreen are a good idea…
Because Harrier Meadow is ordinarily closed to the public, you will need to sign a standard release to visit the site. Download it here or sign a release on Tuesday:
Click "Continue reading … " for directions and information on rsvping.
