The Bergen County Audubon Society is holding two great events this May!

Sunday, May 3 is the BCAS’ First Endangered Species Day, at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. There will be talks, walks, kid’s activities and more. We’ll be on the lookout for the Meadowlands’ many endangered, threatened and species of special concern including Peregrine Falcons, Northern Harriers, Red-shouldered Hawks, Osprey and more. Time and schedule to come.

Then, on Saturday, May 16, the BCAS is hosting a talk by writer, naturalist and artist Julie Zickefoose. Julie is the author of several books focusing on birds. Her latest book, “Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest,” is the product of 13 years of deep involvement and close observation of nestling birds. For more information on Julie click here Time of the talk is to be announced.

Enjoy nature before settling in for the big game this Sunday (Feb. 2)!

The Bergen County Audubon Society is leading a walk at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst during which prizes will be awarded to the first people who identify birds with the same names as National Football Leauge teams: Falcon, Cardinal, Raven, Eagle, Seahawk (osprey), Giant (great) egret  and Giant (great) blue heron.

The walk runs from 10 am to noon. For more information contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

By now we are all well aware of the sad news about declining bird populations. A recent study says that we have lost 3 billion birds since 1970-  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/vanishing-1-in-4-birds-gone/?__hstc=161696355.e61e69055bd54162f371a4ae6ab97ff1.1576695100379.1576695100379.1579463581305.2&__hssc=161696355.1.1579463581305&__hsfp=645916085#_ga=2.25959294.2119829697.1579463579-1431456943.1576695097 . That is one out of every four birds that no longer exist in our State, communities and backyards. And make no mistake; these are not some rare, exotic birds that you only see on trips around the world. These are our very own finches, sparrows and raptors that have been in steep decline for decades.

Although there are many complex reasons for this heartbreaking news, we have to understand that many of the habitats that birds need to survive have either been destroyed or have been degraded so badly that they cannot support the biodiversity need to sustain avian life.

If we are to start searching for the culprits and better yet for solutions, we only need to open our back doors and take a closer look outside. There, in a miniature version of our overall natural habitat, we will find our ecological disaster staring us back in the face.

The first thing we may see when we take a closer look are the non-native and even invasive plants that dominate suburban homes. These plants, which look green and lush, give us a false sense of a healthy backyard. But in reality they totally fail to be of any benefit to our birds, butterflies and pollinators. And since migratory birds depend on our backyards as migratory stepping stones they are forced to stop in place with no food that would otherwise give them the strength to continue on their long arduous journey.

Imagine you are driving along the highway and pull over to a rest stop. All the signs say Stop food and fuel but then you realize they are actually devoid of food and gas. Obviously you will not be going too far from that point on. It’s the same with our birds. Add to that the loss of available nesting places such as dead trees which are immediately removed sometimes for safety reasons but many times for neatness and appearance purposes and multiply that with the lack of available clean water sources that for the most part have disappeared from many suburban towns and you begin to see the bigger picture of what has happened not only to our local bird populations but to birds all over. And now the dire situation is being worsened by climate change.

Case in point: Hurricane Sandy, which devastated my local community and took its toll on the good folks that lived there. But the real damage to the environment came later as more trees were cut down as people, entire communities and insurance companies became afraid of falling trees on and near homes. As a result I no longer get birds like Chickadees and Nuthatches to my backyard as the local environment cannot sustain them. Multiply that by the surrounding towns and you have a recipe for bird disaster.

And if that is not enough birds are dying from pesticides, window strikes and feral cats right in our own backyards. I know it is tough for us to hear but it’s not hard to grasp that what is happening in and around our yards is happening nationwide on a much larger scale.

Some will say that I am over simplifying the problem.  So yes, absolutely we need to tackle climate change, save the rainforests in Central and South America, stand up to save, protect and restore natural habitats in our town, State and Nationwide, but we also need to remember ecology begins at home and a good place to begin to bring back our bird populations is right in your own backyard.

But this report should not bring us down. Rather it should inspire us and be a rallying cry for a new beginning because there are many things we can do today right now to turn the tide and help our birds have a better future. There are a few simple things you can do right now.

1. Landscape with native plants! They’re the true foundation of a healthy, vital habitat and will help the birds through the stresses of climate change and provide the right food at the right time for our birds. They are just as if not more beautiful as any exotic plant you can buy so you can have a magnificent yard and help the birds at the same time.
2. Stop using garden pesticides and herbicides (not healthy for the birds or your family).
3. Put up some good quality nest boxes and leave those old dead trees if you can -housing is at a premium not only for people but for birds too.
4. Provide some clean water – something as simple as a small birdbath will help birds that need water to drink and keep their feathers clean. Just remember to change it often and keep the bath clean. Or if you have the resources put in a backyard pond.
5. Protect birds from hitting your windows -if you have this problem there are easy cling on decals that can be placed on your windows to drastically cut down on this tragedy.
6. Keep cats indoors-for the safety of the birds and the cats please keep them inside, safe and happy.
7. Urge your elected officials to preserve and protect natural areas where you live – tell them we need to use bird friendly glass on all our buildings and to cease the use of unnecessary pesticides and herbicides. Our local, State and federal governments will need to work together so future generations will enjoy the birds like we do.

Let me know what you are doing or have done to make your backyard and local community more bird friendly. You can e-mail me at Greatauk4@gmail.com

Students from Harrison’s Washington Avenue School and Harrison Middle School last month had a fun, up-close experience learning to prepare healthy meals on the Meadowlands Environment Center’s Mobile Food Lab.

The program, taught in a converted school bus, encourages healthy eating habits and a curiousity among students in food science and nutrition. The Harrison students learned about the Sense of Taste, the Sense of Smell, created a bird’s nest salad, constructed a Garden in a Bottle and Tested for Vitamin C in Liquids. As you can tell from these videos and photos they had a great time! Thanks to teacher Karen Cristalli for sending these great videos and photos!

For more information on the Mobile Food Lab and how to bring it to your school click here

Join the Bergen County Audubon Society next Tuesday (Jan. 21) for a guided walk through Losen Slote Creek Park and the Mehrhof Pond Wildlife Observation Area, both in Little Ferry. The walk goes from 10 am to noon.

Losen Slote Creek Park is one of the last lowland forests in the Meadowlands and the nearby Mehrhof Pond Wildlife Observation Area is a great place for bird watching. For more info contact Don Torino at 201-230-4983.

Thanks to Dennis Cheeseman for these awesome photos taken throughout the week at DeKorte Park!

Although I have always thought New Year’s Day to be a sort of silly holiday where the only thing that is celebrated is the changing of a number on a calendar, I honestly can’t help reflect on the year past and most of all anticipate what wonders of nature wait for me around the next birding trail in the coming year.

Birders more than anyone else I know enjoy talking about the birds of days gone by as much as the anticipation of the birds of the coming season. Those very special birds seen with special people in wonderful places will always be part of who we are until we are birding in the big nature preserve in the sky, and perhaps even after that. I am as guilty as anyone else. As soon as there is a lull in the bird activity on a field trip I usually look around just to say to someone, “I remember the time when….” 

But assuming that I have more fields to wander and birding trails to meander it is time to think ahead. So just in case they are listening I would like to give a shout out to all the birds, new and old, I will see in 2020.

If you are life bird for me be sure I spot you with a special friend along. For as magnificent as it is to see a bird I have never seen before I want someone next to me to share it with. After all there is not much sense in having such a spiritual experience if there is not someone who, when you see each other, even after years have passed, that you can sit with and recall that day when that bird was right there seemingly just for us to see. 

Of course it does not have to be an old friend. It could be a new birding friend or someone that just wandered up the trail at the right time. No matter, the experience will bind you both together as long as the love of nature stays in your soul.

I don’t want you to make it easy! Well, maybe sometimes. I want to see a new bird when the Meadowlands’ cold winds are whipping, when the snow and ice cover the trail, and when the rain drops obstruct my binoculars. At least then I will have made sense of my freezing hands and toes and soaking wet feet and it will be only then that I will be sure that all is right in the world.

Of course there are those times when easy would be good, like when I am exhausted sitting on a bench ready to go home and that special bird lands on a tree right next to me. Or when there is a rare bird report and I drive all the way there, get out of the car and actually see the bird! A few of those would not really be bad.

To all the birds of 2020 I have seen in the past, do not worry, I have not forgotten you. You have played a major part of who I am and helped make my life a wonderful and special journey. Please keep allowing me to see the Chickadees hanging upside down over my head and the Blue Jays taking peanuts from the backyard feeder. I will always need to see the Canvasbacks wintering at DeKorte Park, the Egrets gathering on migration and the Killdeer scurrying along the ground. The goosebumps I get from seeing a Bald Eagle or Peregrine Falcon will never stop coming and an Osprey on the nest will always help me understand and remember the good things that we can all accomplish.

And to all the birds I promise I will get myself off the couch even when I am not feeling that great to come out for a visit. After all, I know that all my wonderful experiences could not be had sitting inside. So even as the back gets sore and the old legs don’t work as well I will be out there not only for myself but also for the folks that can no longer make it. I will be sure to let them know that I saw all of you and you are doing well.

And finally it is not enough to let you know how much I look forward to birding in the New Year. After all, there is a big responsibility that goes along with that. Just to let you all know I will do what I can to protect and preserve the places you need to survive.

I know too well that we are at the crossroads and what we do or fail to do will mean whether future generations get to have you as part of their lives the way we all have for so many years. So just to let you know it is my hope that 2020 will be a new beginning, when we all join together to be sure  that everyone gets to live in a safe environment and learns to love, cherish and most of all visit with the birds, the same way I have been blessed to, for many years to come

 Happy New Year! See you in the Meadowlands.