Ravi Potluri writes:

Could you help with IDing this bird – am I missing something obvious here?

I first thought of a goldfinch but the lack of a wing bar or pattern put me in doubt.

Our next free Celery Farm walk is Saturday, Oct. 4, at 8 a.m.

The two-hour walk is sponsored by the Fyke Nature Association and the Bergen County Audubon Society.

We'll have a spotting scope or two, but bring binoculars if you have them.

Note: We suggest wearing long sleeves, long pants, socks and shoes to reduce the chances of ticks.

The new 2015 Celery Farm calendars will be available for sale as well. (They're beautiful.)

The walk, open to nature lovers of all ages and abilities, are designed to acquaint more people with the 107-acre Celery Farm.

The walks begin at the end of Green Way (a right turn off of northbound Franklin Turnpike, just before Crescent Avenue).  (Directions are in the left-hand column of the Celery Fram blog, celeryfarm.net.)

E-mail Jim Wright here to rsvp or get more info. Check this blog, celeryfarm.net, for updates, last-minute weather advisories for the walk, and directions to the Celery Farm and Green Way.

At least three conservation items that may be of note to readers of this blog.

LG is still trying to move forward with its ill-advised office tower overlooking (and despoiling) the palisades…  

Catch up on how you can help stop this arrogant, obnoxious company here.

(Might stop buying their products, too -- they are clearing thumbing their nose at an American natural landmark.)

The casino boom in New York State threatens the Ramapo River and Sterling Forest State Park.  For information on how to protest this, click here.

The casino boom -- and the same casino company -- also threatens John Fell’s grave and a historic graveyard in nearby Montgomery, New York.

Let the New York Gaming Commission know how you feel. The Commission is accepting written comments until September 30.  All submissions should clearly identify the submitter’s name, and affiliation, if any.

Written statements should be sent to the commissioners via Gail Thorpe at Gail.Thorpe@ gaming.ny.gov. List the names of the commissioners at the top of the body of the message, and she’ll get it to them.

The members of The New York Gaming Commission Board:

Mark Gearan, Chair

John A. Crotty

Peter J. Moschetti, Jr.

John J. Poklemba

Barry Sample

Todd R. Snyder

A friend called at dusk tonight to tell me he heard a Barred Owl calling and would I like to help him locate and photograph it?

He located, I photographed.  Got lucky.

More on Barred Owls -- a threatened species in New Jersey -- here.

Don Torino, a friend of this blog, wrote his latest column for wildnewjersey.tv on the potential impact of climate change on New Jersey's birds.

The link is here.