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To get a feel for what we might see in the coming month, we thought we would look back at last year at this time.
Here are some highlights from April 2011:
April 1: Really Unusual Blackbird
April 4: Wilson's Snipe!
April 21: Of Ospreys and Earth Day
April 28: Red-necked Phalarope at DeKorte
April 30: Virginia Rail at DeKorte
Join us on our First-Sunday-of-the-Month walk on April 1 as we look for Great Auks, Passenger Pigeons and Heath Hens at DeKorte Park. We might even see a Dodo (above). Did someone mention that it's April's Fools Day?
Seriously, in the spirit of the occasion, we will be putting some decoys out along the Marsh Discovery Trail, with a valuable prize to anyone who sees up to five and ID's the most correctly. (Keep in mind this is April Fools Day.)
And we will look for some real live wild birds, we promise.
The two-hour walk begins at 10 a.m. inside the Meadowlands Environment Center -- please sign in!
Continue reading "Don't Forget: April Fool's Walk This Sunday!" »
The legendary Meadowlands Marsh Hawks are back!
They are preparing for their second World Series of Birding on Saturday, May 12. They will be competing in the county-wide category, trying to see as many species of birds in Bergen County in 24 hours as they can -- and raise money for a new native butterfly/bird garden planned for the Carillon area on Disposal Road.
Last year, the Marsh Hawks raised hundreds of dollars for bird research in the Meadowlands.
For more information on supporting the Marsh Hawks, download the Pledge Sheet here: Download Pledge sheet
If you contribute $25 or more, you will have a chance to win a spiffy official Meadowlands Marsh Hawks cap and T shirt.
Or e-mail Team Captain Mike Newhouse at michael.newhouse (at) njmeadowlands.gov.
Here's to volunteers from Saint Joseph's Regional High School, who did an awesome cleanup of Harrier Meadow last week -- removing trash and clearing out weeds from a section of high marsh...
Thanks, Saint Joe's!
The correct answer to this Tuesday Teaser is C., none of the above. They are not firkins or bodkins. They are catkins.
A bit of news: The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC)’s fully revamped Tideland Treasures Gift Shop will reopen this Friday at 10 a.m. with all-new environmentally themed educational games, science kits, birding books, home and garden décor, and more.
A Grand Reopening Sale, with all items 15 percent off, takes place through Sunday, April 1. The store is located in the Meadowlands Environment Center (MEC) in DeKorte Park.
Items range from jigsaw puzzles, Meadowlands T-Shirts, solar-powered robots and mobiles to beautifully hand-painted bird baths and feeders.
All proceeds from Tideland Treasures sales go directly toward funding MEC programming. Some 15,000 students from more than 70 school districts in Northern New Jersey are participating in MEC education programs during the 2011-12 school year.
Tideland Treasures will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and can be reached at 201-777-2431.
Ray Duffy labeled this cellphone pic "Odd thing in Cedar Tree," from Mill Creek Marsh last week.
Any thoughts? (We were thinking snow cone, but the weather was too warm.)
Who says we shy away from controversy? Here's a multiple-choice Teaser!
The thig-a-majigs above, photographed while dangling from a tree on the way to the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve in DeKorte Park are:
A: Firkins
B. Bodkins
C. None of the above.
Last month, the state DEP released a revised list of birds on New Jersey's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern lists. For those keeping track at home, we are posting a list of the 34 Meadowlands birds out of the 77 on the state lists, including nearly half of the birds that are on the lists while breeding.
Two birds seen in the Meadowlands and added to the Endangered and Threatened list are the often-seen American Kestrel (above) and the Red Knot (seen rarely).
Full list follows. (A big thank you to NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse for putting the list together!)
Holler if you think we missed any. Full lists are here (there's a link on the site to the Special Concern list).
Continue reading "Meadowlands Birds on the State Watch Lists" »
Join us on our First-Sunday-of-the-Month walk on April 1 as we look for Great Auks, Passenger Pigeons and Heath Hens at DeKorte Park. We might even see a Dodo (above). Did someone mention that it's April's Fools Day?
Seriously, in the spirit of the occasion, we will be putting some decoys out along the Marsh Discovery Trail, with a valuable prize to anyone who sees up to five and ID's the most correctly. (Keep in mind this is April Fools Day.)
And we will look for some real live wild birds, we promise.
The two-hour walk begins at 10 a.m. inside the Meadowlands Environment Center -- please sign in!
Continue reading "Our Next Free Walk: DeKorte, Sunday, April 1" »
New Jersey's Division of Fish and Wildlife reports that the Peregrine nest in Jersey City has its first egg -- the earliest in the season that this had been documented.
The Peregrine cam should be up and running any day.
You can read the latest news about the nest here.
(Thanks for the tip, Mike G.!)
We are beginning to get reports of Osprey sightings in the Meadowlands, so keep your eyes peeled.
NJMC Executive Director Marcia Karrow saw one flying in DeKorte last week, Julie McCall had one on Sunday, and Mike Gempp saw one yesterday.
Sightings of these dynamic hawks -- the 2012 NJMC Bird of the Year -- should soon be daily occurrences.
Here's a link to an earlier post on Ospreys and what to do if you see any nesting activity in the Meadowlands.
The photo above is one of the Osreys from the Carlstadt nest in 2010 -- the first successful nest in Bergen County in decades.
