Ken Buxton and Seymour Drakes did an abbreviated Hour on the Tower this morning.    It lasted 60 seconds instead of 60 minutes.  They saw Canada geese, Mallards, Northern Shovelers, a Hooded Merganser, and a Sparrow species.
   They were on a pace for 300 species but left on account of the snow.
    Also seen on a circumnavigation of Lake Appert: Great Blue Heron, Black Duck and Gadwall.

                                                                             Photo courtesy NJMC

   The Fyke Nature Association's  field trip on Saturday is to DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, led by the able Ivan Kossak.  Celery Farm photographer Jerry Barrack has a great nature-photo exhibit at the Environment Center there, and all are welcome to join Jerry and me to see it after the walk. The exhibit includes many Celery Farm shots, including many screech owl shots of Ace and family ...

   Here's the squib on "Morning in the Meadowlands" from the Fyke Nature Assoc. site (which also includes directions):

    "Meet at 9 AM at the DeKorte Park Headquarters. We expect to see waterfowl, gulls and raptors. Wear warm clothing. Don�t forget binoculars and scopes. We should be done by lunch. Leader: Ivan Kossak. (Photographer Jerry Barrack has a photo exhibit in the Flyway Gallery inside the visitor center, anyone on the trip is welcome to warm up and enjoy Jerry's work!)"

I am not sure if the above video solves the CSI mystery I posted on Monday, but we do have evidence of the likely culprit returning to the scene of the body drop.  He stayed for 80 minutes before heading out again (the corpse vanished,too), and spent all day Sunday in the box.
   Curiously, he has not returned since then that I know of.
    Que sera, sera.
    In case you are wonderng, last year he did stay in the box full-time until late February.

   By the way, for non-TV watchers, "CSI" stands for "Crime Scene Investigation."

    I know -- it's not much to go on, but...
    Shot this through the Owl Cam on Saturday morning. What it means is that there a screech owl in the area, and he is aware of the box -- good news on both accounts.
   What the object is exactly -- I am thinking prey of some sort -- is unclear.
   Let me know what you think.

Crack birder Fred Weber had a good five-minute look at White-winged crossbills this morning.  I went looking with the marsh warden around 12:30, to no avail. But we did see a snipe at No-Name Culvert after  we approached the area very quietly.
   More the White-winged Crossbill here.