Festival proves that a "Day
for the Birds" isn't always a bad thing
By Hugh M. Carola
Conducted by Hackensack Riverkeeper and the New Jersey Audubon Society and hosted by the NJ Meadowlands Commission with additional support from the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Festival was a perfect example of the spirit of cooperation that exists in the Meadowlands of today as well as a peek into what the future holds for this unique urban wilderness. "This was exactly the kind of event that highlights all that is good about the Meadowlands - and we all know there is plenty that's very good," said Captain Bill Sheehan, the Hackensack Riverkeeper. "People are drawn to the Meadowlands because of the amazing number of birds that can be found here and because it is close to where they - the people - live." In any given year, the Meadowlands is home to approximately 270 species of birds. Of that number, about sixty-six species nest in the Meadowlands with nearly three times as many using its wetlands, waterways and other open spaces as migratory stopovers or overwintering habitat. Late summer and early fall are the best times to bird the Meadowlands because that's when the greatest diversity of species is present. And that's what makes mid-September the best time to invite people to enjoy the Festival of Birding. "Over 80 species of birds were seen during the Festival this year, including all three kinds of falcon found regularly in New Jersey - American Kestrel, Merlin, and the always impressive Peregrine Falcon," recalled Don Freiday, Director of NJ Audubon's Scherman-Hoffman Sanctuary and one of the event coordinators. "Equally impressive was the fact that many attendees were new birders, including lots who had never been bird watching before!" As in the two previous years, the Festival was based at the Meadowlands Environment Center and Richard W. DeKorte Park with its extensive trails network. DeKorte is popular with both novice and seasoned birders alike because one can almost always be assured of observing a great variety of birds there at any time. Guided bird walks were conducted there throughout the day and resulted in a wealth of sightings. Indoor activities included a program on raptor ecology by Debi Davidson of the Tenafly Nature Center featuring live hawks and owls, displays by vendors including Wild Birds Unlimited of Paramus and NJ Audubon's Traveling Book Store and numerous workshops. The highlight of the day's indoor activities was a keynote address by Jim Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center in Hastings, Minnesota and one of the few people in the world who has made a confirmed sighting of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a bird thought to have been extinct since the 1940s. Mr. Fitzpatrick regaled the auditorium with stories of his travels through the thick cypress swamps of Arkansas and Louisiana in search of that incredible bird. "Jim's story about the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a story of hope and a reminder for all present of the need for conservation," said Freiday in his introduction. "Birding in itself is not conservation, but it is a recreational activity that definitely feeds back into conservation as participants become more involved with the natural world." As popular as the Festival's on-site and indoor activities were, everyone wanted to get on at least one of the off-site field trips offered by NJ Audubon, Hackensack Riverkeeper and NJMC staffers. And they did! Festival-goers were shuttled aboard Meadowlink coaches to the Mill Creek Marsh Trail in Secaucus, Harrier Meadow in Lyndhurst and River Barge Park in Carlstadt, the jumping-off point for the most popular activity - Birding by Boat. Nearly two hundred people got an up-close and on-water experience of the Meadowlands and its wildlife aboard our combined Riverkeeper/ NJMC five-boat fleet.
Birding/wildlife-watching is one of the most popular outdoor hobbies in America, second only to gardening. In New Jersey alone, over one billion dollars is spent annually by people who enjoy spending time looking for and studying wildlife. With its accessible location, wealth of accommodations, an 8,400-acre wildlife refuge soon to be dedicated and its incredible array of wildlife, the Meadowlands is certain to take its place as one of the East Coast's premier ecotourism destinations. Needless to say, preparations are already underway for next year's NJ Meadowlands Festival of Birding on September 15 & 16, 2007. See you there! Festival Species List
|
To describe the Third Annual New Jersey Meadowlands Festival
of Birding as a success would be to understate the obvious. By all accounts,
the event went well beyond everyone's expectations. From the attendance (over
three hundred people, including staff and volunteers) to the number of bird
species observed (eighty-three), to the weather (perfect), September 17 and 18,
2006 were certainly two days to remember.
Day Two saw participants ranged farther afield, some of them
to places highlighted in the newly-published Meadowlands and More Birding and
Wildlife Trails Guide (Stop by our office or call 1-888-NJM-BIRD to order your
FREE copy today!). Festival field trips were conducted at Liberty State Park,
Stateline Lookout in Palisades Interstate Park in Alpine, NJ and the Celery
Farm Natural Area in Allendale, NJ. A particularly hardy bunch was treated to a
sunrise birding trip with Captain Bill aboard the Edward Abbey.