What a spring we’re having! For the most part, the weather has been fabulous. Many of us are already taking advantage of it and spending lots more time outside, and that’s good for us and for our children, right? Well…the answer is “mostly.” There is one issue that we have heard about so often over the years that unless we personally are affected, or know someone close to us who is, we don’t really pay much attention to it. That is Lyme Disease. I am NOT going to provide a long treatise on this subject but will let you see some communications that came across one of the online birding groups …
It seems like it would be a good idea to begin a series of articles about the “Little Gems” found throughout our region…places where you can enjoy the beauty of nature without requiring a plane trip, long lines, a passport or crowds (and in many cases, fees). There are quite a few fascinating, beautiful, educational and unusual such spots in our region. This will be the first in an ongoing series. Last August, I decided to take myself away from my business for a few hours. I was thinking of going to Brigantine again but decided that instead of birds, I might look for Odonata (affectionately …
One of the lead stories on the Front Page of NJ Nature Notes this week has to do with the completion of the 2011 edition of the Black Bear hunt in New Jersey, where 469 bears were taken. (I tried to keep that term neutral for the sake of this article.) As with white-tailed deer, this is a very difficult issue and there may be no good answer. There are strong arguments on both sides. The questions may appear simple, but the issue is very complex. Here are some typical statements: There are too many bears in the state. They were here first and WE moved into THEIR territory. We’re pushing them …
I have heard this story time and time again. It's often like this: There was a thump (or a loud thump) against the house and I found this bird on the ground. What should I do? From time to time birds will fly into your house, often into the windows. Sometimes it's because the bird saw its reflection in the window and thought it was a rival threatening its territory. Perhaps the bird just turned the wrong way (often this may be a Mourning Dove), or the bird was being chased by a predator (hawk or falcon). With most of those thumps, you will never find the bird, as it will have bounced off the …
There are few topics that will polarize the masses more than that of “climate change.” It IS real. It ISN’T real. People caused it. It’s a natural phenomenon. We can reverse it. It’s nature’s will. We must act now before we reach a critical tipping point. Nature will take care of this for us. This could go on ad infinitum…and it does. So how can we ever know what is real and what is just wishful thinking? A trip to Vermont last week provided some insight into this issue. Those of us who are heavily involved with the natural world frequently observe far more than just our primary interests. We…
Gardening is one of the (few) things in my life with which I am fastidious. Oh, I’m creative with my plants’ colors, leaf shapes and textures, and the contour of the garden, both vertically and horizontally. I do try my best to pay attention to detail and work hard to keep things looking beautiful and interesting. (Too bad my office reflects my alter ego.) We’ve been in this house about 25 years now, but it was only three years ago that my wife caught a bit of the gardening bug (thank goodness). It started when I was running behind with my May plantings due to business. No complaints about …
Sometime around the beginning of the summer vacation in about 1952, my father enjoyed watching my younger brother and me (ages 5 and 6) trying to catch fireflies that he constructed a small wooden box, probably six inches on a side, with window screening on four of the walls and a simple hinged door, in which to house our captured twilight treasures. The intent was that we could collect fireflies and observe them in this little outdoor enclosure. I can’t remember the details, but we must have collected at least a dozen of them and had fun staying up late watching them light up repeatedly. It …
So you like to dabble in the garden. Early each spring, you scour catalogs and can’t wait to see those beautiful flowers from your perennials or from the annuals you’re planning to purchase. You may envision only a few plants or a few hundred. And the trees and shrubs. Think of all those blossoms from azaleas, rhododendrons and laurels. Of course, there are the cherry trees and the Bradford Pear trees that are planted along our roadways. It can make your head spin with visions of color to delight the eye…for months on end after a gray winter. Oh yes, there are veggies, too. Pots or rows of …
Patch columnist Richard Wolfert shares his story of a day spent tracking down the Black Bear of East Brunswick. When the automated phone report first came through about a small Black Bear being reported in East Brunswick, my first impression was that it must be somewhere near Farrington Lake or Jamesburg Park…someplace heavily wooded. But an email from a friend, just a little while later, stated that she had not received the call. This indicated that the message was not town-wide, but localized. So I grabbed my cameras and went out to start driving around my area of East Brunswick. Almost …
Nature is fairly predictable…most of the time. You can count on certain things happening at prescribed intervals. Flowers will emerge pretty much on schedule each year (not counting how climate change is moving things up gradually and consistently). Leaves will peak during the second week of October in our part of New Jersey (again, taking into consideration the gradual move down the calendar). Certain species of salt water fish will make annual runs at well known times. Birds will migrate in a well understood manner every year. Or will they? For reasons of their own, some birds do not …
There are times you really need to look at things from a different perspective in order to keep them fresh, vibrant and interesting. Some things may become a bit commonplace or bland when you see them every day, and you might begin to take them for granted. For example, over the past three decades, Gail and I have spent a great deal of time in picture-perfect Vermont. Several years ago, I asked our very good friends who live there if they ever tire of what I consider to be some of the most beautiful landscapes in this part of the United States. The response was a somewhat hesitant “No.” I …
Mothing is a very interesting pursuit. It fills in the gaps, the desire to search for and identify new things when I can’t be out birding, looking for butterflies or dragonflies, or doing photography. And, as I’ve said in previous articles, it keeps me from watching some mediocre to awful television. However, in looking for moths, one will invariably come across some “other” insects. After all, moths are not the only things attracted to the special lights bulbs I use to draw them in. There’s rarely an evening when I don’t have to shake insects off of my arms…often frequently (try that while…
As an avid birder, I’m used to the drill. Check the online birding lists every day…perhaps even several times a day. See what’s been reported in the state, or maybe even not conveniently close by. Sometimes it’s interesting to know what others are seeing, where and when. But sometimes you just might read about the sighting of a bird that grabs your attention and is worth chasing…that is, going after, even though it may not be relatively close. It’s a subjective thing. It might be a life bird (one you haven’t ever seen before) or just something interesting. It’s like the antiques collector …
It's Friday, April 22, and Earth Day is once again be upon us. This now 41-year-old event is no longer a surprise, nor is it unique to most of us. First celebrated in 1970, this brilliant idea came to Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), after observing a devastating oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. His original intention was that this day should be an environmental teach-in day. The idea was widely accepted and it later was adopted as an annual event. April 22 is now also International Earth Day. The Earth Day flag. To many people, this is a celebration (if it can be called a …
Those of us with strong interests in things of nature live in a very rich part of the greater metropolitan area. There are myriad resources that many are willing to find and to share, yet few are aware of most of them. Over the past two weeks, I have been privileged to share observations of a family of Great Horned Owls and their two chicks. There are photos andvideos from March 27th and from April 4th. (Click both links [in blue] to see the photos and videos from those dates.) Over the next few months, I will be delighted to post new information about the progress of this family about once …
Owls are wonderful to watch, but it’s all too easy to visit an owls nest too frequently when watching their babies. It’s like watching grass grow, and not really advised. Patience is the key here. During the first few weeks, our babies will not be capable of much activity. I waited 8 days to return (since my visit and video taping on March 27) to see how things have progressed, and they had. Both babies are now moving more, but still quite nest bound. One thing is certain, however; they will soon outgrow this nest and it will be difficult for a parent to stay on nest with both babies in it. …
Let’s back up first. In the fall of 1985 Gail and I were living in Queens, New York, with our then several-month-old daughter. If I recall the details correctly, we were awakened by a very loud rumbling sound and some moderate rapid shaking that Sunday at 6:30 am. I said to Gail that either a train just went through the basement of our 1893 Victorian home, or the boiler blew up, or we just had an earthquake. I quickly confirmed that neither a train had gone through the basement, nor had the boiler exploded. That left only the possibility of an earthquake. We knew the sounds of the occasional …
When March came in like a lamb, many thought that was it. Winter was over. Well Nature is far more capricious than that. We never get away without some back-peddling. Her whims are legendary and we just have to go with what we have because we can’t change the weather. Such a “cool spell” as we are currently experiencing is not out of the ordinary. Look at when the blizzard of 1888 occurred. And of course, we’ve had significant snows up until April 8th in the last 10 or 15 years. The nearly 80° we had recently was just a taste of things to come, not a tease. While we’ll see freezing …
They only appear when spring is still a dream. They surreptitiously wait until after sunset to get where they’re going, via a route known only to them. They hide beneath litter and rubble and avoid daylight. They gather in large groups in March when and where few will ever see them. They are mysterious and dark, and blend in with their surroundings so very well. They are masters of their environment and eat off the land. Oh, and their legs are anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch in length. But we love them anyway. The story of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma macalatum) in East Brunswick is …
Getting a life bird is like finally nailing down that cherry blossom Depression glass creamer that you’ve been searching for…for what seems like forever. Or collecting stamps or coins, or seeing a new dragonfly or moth, or the perfect 18th-century silver spoon with a ceramic inset. It’s like making the right bid on an eBay autograph that you have always wanted. I’ve said before that the search can be as important and exciting as the find. Every time you go out to look for something new, you never know what will show up. Yesterday, at 5:20 p.m. a report was posted on a New Jersey birding …
