Cooper’s Hawk – Jim Grieshaber
On a recent beautiful, sunny and not too cold morning, twenty New Jersey Audubon members gathered for a member exclusive – our Fowl February walk at Richard W. DeKorte Park in the Meadowlands. The trip, led by Scott Barnes, NJ Audubon’s Director of All Things Birds, was an absolute success. The occasional stiff and steady winds were unable to dampen the enthusiasm of the group that morning and a good time was had by all.
Throughout the three-mile and three-hour walk on the trails of this urban wildlife oasis, over 30 species of birds were observed – including 10 species of waterfowl. In addition to looking at numerous Gadwall, Pintail, Canvasback, Green-winged Teal and Black Duck among other species, the group was treated to a Bufflehead courtship display. Alas, this handsome male’s head flicks failed to impress a potential mate. Several raptors including Northern Harriers, a few Red-tailed Hawks and a Bald Eagle were on the hunt. As a special bonus at the end of our walk, guests enjoyed an amazing and sustained look at a perched Cooper’s Hawk
To paraphrase some attendee feedback, being outdoors with good company and birding with a leader like Scott is always time well spent – and we saw a lot of birds too.
Member trips like this are a special benefit of NJ Audubon membership. If you would like to be invited to future member events please consider joining at – or upgrading to – the Goldfinch, Golden Eagle, Royal Tern or Life Membership levels. Also, since all member invitations are sent via email, if you are a new or current member at the Goldfinch level or higher, please make sure we have your current email address so you can receive invitations to all our special offerings.
These ‘by invitation only’ walks are exclusively for NJ Audubon members. To become a member or renew please click below.
Questions or comments please contact Tom Stokes at [email protected]
By Tom Stokes
Director of Development, North
