The Meadowlands Blog

HARRIER MEADOW WALK POSTPONED

     The Wednesday Harrier Meadow Walk, scheduled for 9 a.m., has been rescheduled because of a 90 percent chance of rain.
    The guided 90-minute walk is now set for Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. This will be the last scheduled walk of 2008.
    Click here for more information on these walks.
     E-mail us here if you would like to attend.

BIRDING: Black skimmers are here

   

Several shorebirds were zipping around the impoundment by Meadowlands Commission headquarters at Dekorte Park on Monday and Tuesday morning.
  The star of the show was a black skimmer, whose bill cut through the surface of the water like a knife. Great views were available from the boardwalk by the Environment Center on Monday.

   More on black skimmers here.

LITTLE FERRY: Mehrhof Pond plus

   Two great places for nature walks are at the north end of the Meadowlands District in Little Ferry  -- the BCUA  Nature Preserve and Losen Slote Creek Park.
   The nature preserve is part of an old brick-making site that provided the bricks for major cities along the East Coast.
    After the brick factory went out of business a long time ago, the land reverted to its natural state, with a clay pit becoming a large pond -- Mehrhof Pond. 
   It's a beautiful place, and known amongst birders for the waterfowl it attracts -- notably ruddy ducks and other waterfowl by the hundreds in November.   
   The one caveat is that because the nature preserve is located on Bergen County Utilities Authority property, it is inaccessible without advance permission. You need to go as part of an organized group. You need advance permission to gain admittance. You need to sign an insurance waiver. And it's not open on weekends or holidays.
   But the preserve is worth the effort. Because it is not open to the public -- for safety, security and insurance reasons -- it is well-kept and largely undisturbed.
   On a recent trip I saw quite a few amazing sights, including a gorgeous Eastern box turtle and a field full of cedar waxwings.

    Click "Continue reading" for more information and a look at more images from the BCUA preserve.

 

CHALLENGE: identify the two birds in the photo

ANSWER: Killdeer (foreground) with killfawn.

  Bad joke, cool birds. 

MILL CREEK MARSH: Snowy egret heaven

   

Mill Creek Marsh is a little hard to find, but it is definitely worth the effort.
  It is the one place I'd go if I had to get a photo of a snowy egret in a hurry.
   They are abundant and are typically in range of a decent telephoto lens.

   Mill Creek Marsh is also amazing because it is home to a "forest" of cedar stumps -- including some that are hundreds of years old.

   Click here for directions and more information.
   I was there at low tide the other day and took a bunch of shots.

Click "Continue reading" for more photos.

KEARNY: The Kearny Marsh

   The Kearny marsh is a gem located just off Schuyler Avenue in -- where else -- Kearny. You access the marsh by turning into Gunnell Oval Park and driving around back.
   The 300-acre marsh is significant because, as the only freshwater wetlands in the Meadowlands District, it provides a major stopover for migrating waterfowl.
   This time of year, it is decidedly laid back, with dragonflies a-plenty, painted turtles sunning themselves, and some nifty plants -- Meadow salsify and black raspberries.
   For directions and more information on Kearny Marsh, click here.

   Click "Continue reading" to see more images and read more about the marsh.

BIRDING: New check-list, and it's free

      The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission is proud to release the new “Birds of the Meadowlands” brochure, including a comprehensive check-list.

   The Meadowlands District is a unique place for bird-watching, as well as exploring and discovering nature. 

   This free color pamphlet, updated for the first time in nearly a decade, will help enhance bird-watching for birders of all levels.

    The brochure provides a check-list of more than 250 species found in the Meadowlands District and photographs of many of the most abundant birds.  It also lists the seasons when each species is most likely to be seen.

   Click "Continue reading" for more information.
 

BIRDS: Baltimore Orioles

  
   Out by the Amvets memorial carillon on Disposal Road in Lyndhurst, a pair of Baltimore orioles have been hanging out on a regular basis.

   In the video below, they are taking a bath in a puddle near the base of the memorial.

   

More about Baltimore orioles here.

 

WATERFOWL: Mallard duckling video

  It is duckling season across North Jersey. Here, Mom gives the kids a bathing lesson.

WETLANDS: Marsh wren

 

This tiny bird is the one you hear calling in the phragmites -- but seldom see.
  The marsh wren is secretive -- except when it sings.
  Listen to the call here.
  Learn more about the marsh wren here .