The Fyke Nature Association and the Fell House are pleased to announce a new volunteer group, the Friends of the Celery Farm & Fell House.

We need volunteers to pitch in at guided walks and other events, and thought we'd create an e-mail list so we can let folks know when we need their help -- and when we have cool events, like upcoming talks on the Celery Farm and the  historic John Fell House.

The group is free to join. 

For example, the annual Celery Farm cleanup is Saturday, April 1 (no joke!) at 9 a.m., and we'd love some help picking up litter and doing some light trail work that morning.

The Fell House, meanwhile, is sponsoring a free reenactment of John Fell's arrest by local Loyalists (boo, hiss!) -- it's scheduled for Sunday, April 23.

Fyke hopes to have a monthly work morning at the Celery Farm to remove Garlic Mustard and other nasty invasives.

The Fell House and the Celery Farm have been connected ever since Founding Father John Fell owned the property that contained both. The Fell House, with its beautiful barn, is located across Franklin Turnpike from the Celery Farm in Allendale.

On old maps, by the way, the Celery Farm area is labeled "Fell's Meadows."

Just email [email protected] to sign up for the e-mails.

Just a story in The Record about  promising news for Overpeck Park -- wetlands restoration.

"The rehabilitation project will focus on the 46-acre Teaneck Creek Conservancy and a 75-acre swath of parkland just south of DeGraw Avenue known as 'Area 2.' "

You can read it here.

Barbara Dilger was able to get an "I.D. shot" or two of the distant Great Black-backed Gull yesterday, as well as this shot of a Peabody Sparrow and a Red-tailed Hawk that had just finished a meal 0r stolen someone's lipstick.

A GBBG had not been seen at the Celery Farm in more than 11 months.

(Thanks, Barbara!)

Following up on a mystery from last month, what kind of tractor is this, where was it made, and approximately hold old is it?

Saw one this morning perched on a Wood Duck Box during a Birdy 30 this a.m., and again this afternoon. Barbara Dilger got a shot. Will post when it arrives.

Last seen during last spring's fish kill, on March 9.