Second Heron Rookery Found In Secaucus

Yellow-Crowned Night Herons Discovered Nesting In Trees At Harmon Cove

 

By Hugh Carola

 

As if last year’s discovery of a dozen pairs of Yellow-crowned night herons nesting in Schmidt’s Woods Park in Secaucus wasn’t enough reason to celebrate, at least two additional pairs were discovered this spring at the Harmon Cove community in Secaucus. First discovered in early June by Harmon Cove resident Elaine Meidel, the birds were photographed and their identity confirmed by Kyle Spendiff from the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. Amazingly, the area is now home to two colonies of this 21-inch tall wading bird.

Last year’s discovery of the Schmidt’s Woods colony was remarkable both for its existence as well as for the location the birds chose - the park’s popular picnic grove. From there, the birds fly to the Mill Creek Marsh where they forage for Fiddler crabs and Mud crabs to feed their young. It’s assumed that the Harmon Cove birds forage in the Anderson and Kingsland Creek Marshes. 

“I was pretty sure there was a pair nesting here last year but I wasn’t certain,” said Diana Brin, another Harmon Cove resident. “It was great to get confirmation this year and great to get some nice pictures.”

The Yellow-crown - as it’s commonly referred to by birders - is listed as Threatened under New Jersey’s Endangered Species Act and is not observed nearly as often as its relative, the Black-crowned night heron. As their names suggest, the birds are most active at night but both species can be seen along the Hackensack River and many Meadowlands tributaries throughout the day during nesting season.

“Every year, I see more and more birds and other wildlife here along the river,” said Brin. “It’s just a perfect example of how the Meadowlands has recovered and is continuing to thrive.”

In addition to the Meadowlands locations, at least two pairs of Yellow-crowns nest in central Bergen County, where they feed not on brackish-water crabs but on plentiful freshwater crayfish that they find in the creeks leading to and from the Celery Farm Natural Area in Allendale.