The Meadowlands Blog

South Bergenite: Of Heath Hens and Passenger Pigeons

Jim Wright, who keeps this blog, also writes a nature column every other week for The South Bergenite. Here is his latest column -- on extinct birds seen in the Meadowlands more than 100 years ago..

DeKorte Park offers some amazing sights – from spectacular birds to beautiful sunsets – but the rarest of all has been right under my nose all along.

Indeed, I have walked past it dozen of times during my work for the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission without giving it a second look because -- truth be told -- it gave me the creeps.

The “it” is a Plexiglas case with 35 taxidermy birds of 28 different species. The display is located just inside the auditorium in the Meadowlands Environment Center.

 The creatures are all more than 100 years old at this point, and a bit bedraggled. The birds were all killed in the district in the late 1800s, and donated by Caroline Geigold of Secaucus decades ago.

Many of these birds would have inhabited the Atlantic White Cedar Forest that once grew in parts of the Meadowlands.

My attitude about these taxidermy birds has always been dismissive. Why would I look at dead birds in a display case – especially when DeKorte Park offers so many beautiful live birds?

But earlier this winter, prize-winning nature author and historian Scott Weidensaul presented a program in the auditorium. Before the talk, he took the time to study the taxidermy menagerie, and then remarked to me, “You’ve got some amazing birds in there.”

Two species in particular caught his eye – Passenger Pigeon and Heath Hen. The species have two things in common: Both were once commonplace in the Meadowlands, and both have now been extinct for more than 75 years.

More follows.

Glossy Ibis at Kearny Marsh

  Ron Shields writes:
  "Attached please find some close-up images of the Glossy Ibis as seen at the Kearny Marsh last Thursday.
      "The bird, which I have seen through Saturday, has been a regular visitor to the marsh as of late. 
   "I guess you could call it being in the right spot at the right time as the ibis landed on a mudflat almost directly in front of me allowing for these photos." (Thanks, Ron!)

   The rest of Ron's pix follow.

Mallard/Black Duck Hybrid?

 

   We photographed this mystery Mallard on last week -- with a standard-issue Mallard in the background for comparison.
   We are thinking it is a Mallard/Black Duck hybrid. Any dissenters?
   More on hybrid ducks here.

Leucistic Sparrow at Mehrhof Pond

   An apparent leucistic American Tree Sparrow was seen by participants on Saturday's Bergen County Audubon Society field trip to Mehrhof Pond. 

   Marco Lips photographed the bird, and BCAS is sharing the photo with readers of the Meadowlands Blog.  (Thanks, Marco and BCAS!)

More on leucistic birds here.

The Meadowlands Commission and BCAS are hosting a trip to Mehrhof Pond on Tuesday, Dec. 15.

   Click "Continue reading..." for more information on the upcoming  walk. You must rsvp by Dec. 4.

Wheatear at DeKorte as of 3:30 p.m. -- plus Plover shot

   Last update for today -- the Northern Wheatear was still along the Transco Trail between the two large orange hoses as of 3:30 p.m. He was actually on the trail...

   Including this shot of the Golden Plover as well..

The Wheatear Continues at DeKorte

        The Wheatear was seen again Wednesday  from 6:55 a.m. through 8:45 a.m. along the Transco Trail. Several good looks  at this immature bird -- and nice views of that flash of white in the trail when it flew. Very cooperative.

   We will look for it again at 8 a.m. today. If you are coming to see it, please park in the far parking lot near the administration building or observatory. There is a conference at DeKorte today and parking is limited.

 You can call Jim Wright until 11:30 a.m. today if you have questions -- 201-785-6604.

  Ray Duffy will post a video later today, and we will link to that ...

Northern Wheatear Confirmed!

   Acting on a heads-up from the New Jersey Audubon Society's Pete Bacinski, we went looking for a Northern Wheatear (reportedly seen on Monday in DeKorte Park) as part of an afternoon exploration.

   We took this photo, ran it past a couple of birding buddies for confirmation (thanks, guys!), and we are happy to report a Northern Wheatear sighting at DeKorte.  

   If you happen to see this early enough, we are having an impromptu walk at DeKorte Park at 8 a.m. to look for the bird (and check out the new big-league mudflats in the Shorebird Pool).  

   Park in the first parking lot and meet at the entrance to the first building on left, the Environment Center.

   More on Northern Wheatears here.

   Call Jim Wright after 7 a.m. at 201-785-6604 if you directions, etc.

Loon River

  Had an immature Common Loon floating down the Hackensack River near Saw Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area this morning. A drifter, no doubt.

Peregrines thriving on Meadowlands bridges

   Jim O'Neill, the environmental writer for The Record, had a neat story over the weekend about the growing presence of Peregrine Falcons on bridges along the Hackensack River as far north as Little Ferry.
   The story, picked up by The Associated Press, Star Ledger and Philadelphia Inquirer, was also mentioned on NPR. Link is here.
   Recently, we took the photo above of a Peregrine Falcon youngster (right) ready to fledge under the Route 3 bridge.
    We believe this is the first successful fledging of a Peregrine Falcon in the Meadowlands north of Jersey City.

Stilt Split?

    After searching for the Stilt for the past five days, we figure our visiting Black-necked Stilt has moved on. 

    We will keep an eye out, but we are thinking this bird has flown.

  

Whither the Black-necked Stilt?

    We have not seen the Black-necked Stilt in Harrier Meadow since last Friday, and are thinking that either:
    A: He moved on to browner mudflats.
    B: He is still in the vicinity, and we just haven't seen him. He could be frequenting  one of the DeKorte mudflats, for all we know.
    We will keep looking. If we see him agian, we will have a free guided walk in Harrier Meadow on Saturday. Check the blog again on Friday... Thanks.

   Note:  Harrier Meadow is off-limits to the public. If you call us, we'll try to help you take a look for the Stilt, but please do not trespass.

New 'Rare Birds' Category

  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.