Critter News

NOVEMBER 30, 2010

New Jersey’s first bear hunt in five years is just a week away and set to go on as planned despite a last-ditch effort by several animal rights organizations to have the hunt postponed. The facts are clear, we have an overpopulation of black bears in New Jersey, and we must address that issue," said Martin in a press statement. "A

New Jersey 100

New Jersey Bears Hunting Culling 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2012

The pine barrens of New Jersey look rather plain and boring if you only see them while driving past on the Garden State Parkway or New Jersey Turnpike. By the time urban and suburban sprawl started to reach New Jersey’s pine barrens they were largely protected and today over 1.1

New Jersey 218

New Jersey New York City Leopards New York 218

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2012

Last week a mystery bird from New Jersey rightly caused a fair bit of confusion among birders of the Garden State and beyond. New Jersey mystery sparrow. The bird was a sparrow, that much was clear, but it didn’t seem to fit any of the easily boxes the other North American sparrows can be fairly easily sorted into.

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New Jersey North Carolina Sparrows Connecticut 253

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

I think every naturalist in the United States knows the outlines of this urban tale: The pristine marshes of New Jersey are poisoned by pollution, toxic waste, pig farms, and probably every single way in which human beings can destroy the environment. This is the fable of the New Jersey Meadowlands and it is all true.

New Jersey 190

New Jersey Legislation Mammals Pigs 190

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OCTOBER 15, 2012

All of these birds were photographed in the last couple of months in New York and New Jersey as they made their way south on their amazing migration. Every fall and spring for the last several years I have been putting together a collection of wood-warblers spotted on migration. Why stop now?

New Jersey 194

New Jersey New York Nashville Collecting 194

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DECEMBER 9, 2013

The following has been released by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. CONTACT: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It looks like we are well on our way to victory on this issue! December 9, 2013. 212-435-7777. STATEMENT FROM THE PORT AUTHORITY ON SNOWY OWLS.

Owls 265

Owls Killing New Jersey New York City 265

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2011

According to the Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of New Jersey (link is a PDF) there are thirteen species of turtle that can be found in the state, so I have already spotted just under a third of the turtle species that there are to see in the Garden State.

Turtles 220

Turtles Terrapins New Jersey Reptiles 220

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NOVEMBER 10, 2011

where she grew up, and central New Jersey, where she is on the faculty of a very large public university, and a volunteer with the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory of New Jersey Audubon. Donna divides her birding time between Queens, N.Y.,

New Jersey 240

New Jersey New York City New York Adoptable 240

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SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

… Trips Cape May doggerel New Jersey poetry terns Twitching vagrant Whiskered Tern' Two hundred plus pictures, most of them. Fly away rarity, fly, To wherever it is that you’re going. While you’re gone this guy. About seeing you will be crowing.

New Jersey 245

New Jersey United States North America America 245

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MARCH 15, 2012

Flatrock Brook is in the the city of Englewood, New Jersey, just across the George Washington Bridge from New York City. They were gone from New York State from the 1840s until around 1948 and in New Jersey from the mid-1800s until they were reintroduced in 1977.)

Turkey 188

Turkey New Jersey Feral Cats New York City 188

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Sure, they are called Black-throated Green Warblers but in the fall they often don’t have much of a black throat as this individual photographed at the Oradell Reservoir in Oradell, New Jersey, shows. This was a nice scope view! Two year birds – Pectoral Sandpiper and Buff-breasted Sandpiper – at once!

New York City 248

New York City New Jersey New York Philadelphia 248

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JULY 20, 2014

Yesterday, Saturday, 19 July, an apparent European Golden-Plover was found in a sod field in western New Jersey in Pittsdown, which is in Hunterdon County. Apparently, the third record of this bird in the eastern United States and the first in New Jersey was enough to get the twitchers twitching!

New Jersey 157

New Jersey United States Germany Abandonment 157

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MAY 12, 2012

It was taken in Paramus, New Jersey, at Van Saun Park earlier today. Well, what is odd about this picture? Spotted Sandpiper Actitus macularia Figured it out? Scroll on down to learn the answer. … … … … … … … … … Keep On Scrolling!

New Jersey 218

New Jersey Birds 218

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NOVEMBER 8, 2014

On October 29 th 2012, “superstorm” Sandy devastated the east coast of the USA, affecting states from Florida to Maine, with severe damage in New Jersey and New York. We know that Corey and his family came through the ordeal safely, but what of the warblers?

New Jersey 248

New Jersey Jamaica New York Transported 248

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JULY 3, 2012

Of course, I jest a bit in the above paragraph because as a sometime New Jersey birder I have birded the Delaware Bay and seen sights such as the memorable image below, in which thousands of Red Knots, Dunlins, and Short-billed Dowitchers fly up as if connected telepathically.

Delaware 206

Delaware New Jersey Eggs Medical Research 206

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MAY 18, 2012

The bird in these photos was foraging in the pond at the south end of Van Saun Park in northern New Jersey, a place I often stop to bird briefly on my way to work.

New Jersey 211

New Jersey North America Chile South America 211

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APRIL 4, 2012

My first migrating Eastern Phoebe of the year was at the Oradell Reservoir in New Jersey on 15 March, slightly earlier than my average of 19 March. My first migrating phoebe in New York wasn’t until 29 March at Forest Park in my home borough of Queens. When did you get your first phoebe of the year?

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2012 New Jersey United States New York 233

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

I have, however, seen flocks of twenty-plus birds a couple of times at Van Saun Park in Paramus, New Jersey, when I stop for some birding on my way to work.

New Jersey 244

New Jersey United States South America North America 244

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MARCH 3, 2012

And there were several birds, often feeding close to shore, much different from my first encounter with the species along another fabled wildlife drive, the one at Brigantine in New Jersey. They do tend to wander after breeding which explains my first encounter with that New Jersey bird. Nothing, that’s what.

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Wildlife New Jersey South America United States 220

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JULY 27, 2012

Instead I called my friend Cathy at the famous Raptor Trust in New Jersey, where they have a fully equipped hospital and full-time veterinary technicians on staff. Bring her down,” said Cathy. The plot thickened.

Rabbits 264

Rabbits New Jersey Neglecting North America 264

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APRIL 7, 2012

On Wednesday morning I had a meeting in Bayonne, New Jersey for my job and as is my wont I left my house in Queens early to beat the traffic and therefore found myself with a little over an hour to kill before my meeting.

New Jersey 211

New Jersey Sparrows Investigation Killing 211

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APRIL 18, 2013

I was at the Oradell Reservoir in Bergen County, New Jersey (the northeasternmost county in New Jersey for those keeping track at home) and the woods were busy with Palm Warblers , Yellow-rumped Warblers , and Pine Warblers. A recent encounter with a female Pine Warbler was one such opportunity.

New Jersey 188

New Jersey Breeding Birds 188

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DECEMBER 2, 2013

Here in New York State Snowy Owls have been reported in more than ten counties, with most of those counties having birds being seen in multiple locations.

Owls 278

Owls Rhode Island North Carolina New Hampshire 278

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APRIL 24, 2012

I have seen Wild Turkeys displaying on the side of busy roads several times and one of the birds in this post was actually photographed in the middle of a road in suburban New Jersey. Maybe those caruncles are an aphrodisiac? Wish them well so that you may continue to have turkeys in your neighborhood!

Turkey 211

Turkey New Jersey Game Fish 211

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APRIL 12, 2011

Because of my job I have, of late, been spending lots of time in southern New Jersey. Of course I have not been spending time in the southernmost part of New Jersey because, as a birder, I could never be lucky enough to have to work in Cape May. Keep singing, Song Sparrow , and people of Camden, keep struggling.

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New Jersey Philadelphia United States Delaware 150

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JULY 20, 2014

New Jersey’s first European Golden-Plover , which was found in Pittstown on Saturday, stuck around for Corey to chase on Sunday. How do you like my odds of finding a different blue bird next weekend? Maybe I’ll have to leave the country! Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a wonderful bird to twitch.

New Jersey 215

New Jersey 2014 Virginia Birds 215

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2012

Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis at Edgemere Landfill, Queens, New York Osprey Pandion haliaetus at Jones Beach State Park, Nassau County, New York Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus at Bayonne Golf Course, Bayonne, New Jersey Merlin Falco columbarius at Jones Beach State Park, Nassau County, New York Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus Peregrine Falcon (..)

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New Jersey New York Falcons Birds 207

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NOVEMBER 28, 2012

I really do like the short birding outings I experience at Van Saun Park in Paramus, New Jersey, once or twice a week before I head in to the office. I’ve gotten to know where to expect to find the common birds and sometimes I spot something new for me in the park, like a Vesper Sparrow or an Eastern Bluebird.

New Jersey 196

New Jersey Sparrows Experiments Experience 196

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2014

He kindly agreed to share his knowledge of this new threat to the beaches of New York and the animals and plants that rely on them. A new invasive plant is threatening the beaches of Long Island, Asiatic Sand Sedge or Carex kobomugi. This is a young plant producing a new white rhizome from its base.

New Jersey 174

New Jersey New York New York City Japan 174

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2012

But, before we get to the patch, Lovitch takes us to his home state of New Jersey for a “Case Study” in applying his principles and better birding skills on the road. First of all, I work in New Jersey and I’m familiar with all the places he describes. (If I loved this chapter.

New Jersey 262

New Jersey Science United States 2012 262

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2015

Even though American rehabbers are notoriously broke and always searching for their own funding, one bought Nadeem an NWRA membership and paid for his conference fee; another coached him through the application process and helped him win a scholarship to pay his airfare from India to New Jersey. What’s left?

Wildlife Rehabilitation 191

Wildlife Rehabilitation India New Jersey Delaware 191

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JUNE 4, 2011

Despite my manic work schedule of late my positioning in southern New Jersey does lend itself to an occasional, if brief, birding outing when the stars align properly and I am near a birdy spot when I suddenly find myself with a free hour or so. A couple of times I have had this happen near the Edwin B.

Terrapins 177

Terrapins New Jersey Sparrows Wildlife 177

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2012

In Bergen County, New Jersey’s northeasternmost county, there are quite a few small county parks that are popular with dog-walkers, joggers, parents looking for somewhere to take their kids, and teenagers looking for places that their parents aren’t.

New Jersey 196

New Jersey United States Dogs Eagles 196

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JUNE 9, 2015

Over the last five or six years, Common Ravens have been sighted with increasing frequency in New York City, part of a resurgence throughout the Northeast after more than a century of regional extirpation. They’ve also recently nested in the Bronx and nearby in New Jersey. In 2010, Common Ravens nested in Queens.

New York City 266

New York City New York 2015 New Jersey 266

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APRIL 6, 2014

Though Corey spent most of the day on Sunday birding Sandy Hook in New Jersey, seeing 73 species of birds, including four new species for him for the year, his Best Bird of the Weekend was the Forest Park waterhole in Queens, where he spotted his first Louisiana Waterthrush of the year.

New Jersey 202

New Jersey 2014 Louisiana Bears 202

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2015

Ever since I saw my first spoonbill, a vagrant in New Jersey , I have been a bit obsessed with the big, pink, bizarrely-billed birds. For me, one of the best parts of going to Florida for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival is the chance to see Roseate Spoonbills.

New Jersey 256

New Jersey Florida Wildlife 2015 256

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

The only context you get for these pictures is that they were taken in the last two weeks in New York and New Jersey and are of wood-warblers. The winner is the one who gets the most correct answers soonest and wins the adulation of everyone. May the best birder win! Diabolical!

New Jersey 179

New Jersey New York Birds 179