We have seen (and photographed) so many nifty rare birds in the Meadowlands since we started this blog last July that we thought they deserved their own category. 

   Click here and scroll down to see some of the posts we've had on the Black-necked Stilt, Peregrine Falcons, the Glossy Ibis, Snowy Owls, Long-eared Owls, Rough-legged Hawks, White Ibis and Tricolored Heron.

   If you look at the column on the right side of this blog, you'll see a vertical listing called "Categories."

   You can click "Tuesday Teaser," for example, and see all the Tuesday Teasers we have done since we started doing them last September. "Reptiles and Amphibians" directs to turtles galore. And "Flora" gets you — you guessed  it — plants and flowers.

    We are officially envious of photographer Ron Shields, who took these hard-to-get photos of the Black Skimmer earlier this week (either Monday or Tuesday) during the evening from the Nature Trail just beyond the first gazebo at DeKorte Park. 

    Ron writes: "Two skimmers caught me by surprise and flew by me before I could react with my camera.  Isn't that usually the case?  Luckily, one bird made a return visit a few minutes later and I captured these images as it flew by me from left to right. 

   "I used a Canon 5D with a 400mm f5.6 lens handheld.  Lighting was tough given the time of day and overcast sky."

   Click "Continue reading…" to see more of Ron's Black Skimmer shots.

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A colleague phoned us to say that a turtle was crossing Disposal Road by the Amvets Carillon in North Arlington. She was afraid it would get hit by a car.

   We found this guy about a third of the way across Disposal.  We moved him out of harm's way, closer to the nearest tidal impoundment, but not before taking a few photos for posterity.

These guys are usually seen sliding into the water, 50 feet away.
    Click "Continue reading…" to see more photos.

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We had a great bird walk this morning, and saw the Black-Necked Stilt in three tidal impoundments — after a bit of hunting.
   The little guy really gets around.

   We saw him again late this afternoon, and we are set for
an early morning walk on Thursday, meeting at Harrier at 7. 
    We are also seeing Blue-wing Teal, Harrier, Gadwall, Ruddy, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Greater Yellowlegs and other good birds at Harrier.

   E-mail us if you are interested in this walk, and we'll send you directions.

     The small group of birders who came out at two o'clock on Tuesday had some good views of the Black-necked Stilt, and (strength in numbers) several other solid birds as well, including Northern Harrier and Blue-winged Teal.
      We will be meeting at the entrance to Harrier Meadow in North Arlington at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday for another "winging it" bird walk. RSVP us here if you can attend.
     Click "Continue reading.."  for the entire 12-bird highlight reel.

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  This baby Killdeer is one of many racing around Disposal Road in Lyndhurst.
  Jokes about "Killfawn" aside, please drive slowly If you are using this road.

   We saw the Black-necked Stilt at Harrier Meadow in North Arlington again this morning.
   We are hoping he sticks around, but there is no guarantee. With that in mind, we are going to set up a walk for this afternoon and another 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
    E-mail us if you are interested. I will repost this same post as I get more information.