Saw 17 species from the window this a.m. without really trying -- including the Carolina Wren above and a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Bergen Audubon and The NJ Sports and Exposition Authority  (formerly the Meadowlands Commission) are celebrating the 10th year of their collaboration with a bunch of free events.

You can read all about them here. (To celebrate the actual anniversary, I'm doing a talk in early July after the First Sunday bird walk at DeKorte....)

Bergen Audubon and The NJ Sports and Exposition Authority  (formerly the Meadowlands Commission) are celebrating the 10th year of their collaboration with a bunch of free events.

You can read all about them here. (To celebrate the actual anniversary, I'm doing a talk in early July after the First Sunday bird walk at DeKorte....)

Anyone who has a nest box for Screech Owls soon realizes one eternal truth: Squirrels are Bugs Bunny, and you are Elmer Fudd.

I have posted advice over the years about evicting squirrels. Since right about now seems to be a peak time for squirrels squatting in owl boxes, I thought I'd try again with a summary of techniques I've learned.

1.  Most important:  Evict the squirrel and get rid of all the leaves he has crammed in there. If you see a squirrel bringing leaves into the box, wait till the end of the day and then clean out the box. Rinse and repeat, weekly if necessary.

For those who sorely miss Stiles and Lillian -- and Stiles' unique sense of humor -- I wanted to share this old, tiny classified ad that Stiles gave to Patty and me in a pile of odds-and-ends when he left.

It says: 

SECRETARY

Still no takers for this dead-end job. We need a stenographer and someone to do the donkey work. Pay isn't too bad. Incidentally, our office (insurance) is near the liquor store. Phone Mr. T ...

Mr. T?

More classic Stiles Thomas insurance ads are here.