A beautiful morning after the rains...

On Monday, I wrote:

Found this during the cleanup. Sad but interesting.

Can you I.D. the bird?  (An easy one.)

Answer: Yes, a Northern Flicker, a.k.a. a Yellow-shafted Flicker.  A beautiful woodpecker, but aren't they all?

Tomorrow (Saturday, April 27) I will be giving two short talks about Bald Eagles and other Bergen birds at the Northern Valley Environmental Fair at the Tenafly Middle School. I'll talk at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm about eagles, warblers and other birds we'll be seeing the rest of the spring -- with a live, bird's-eye look at Duke Farms' Bald Eagle cam.

The fair sounds pretty cool, with lots of attractions.

A thoughtful person on a Facebook page for Allendale said she encountered a dead turtle on East Allendale Avenue,  advised folks to drive carefully by the CF, and wondered what she should do if she encountered a live one crossing a road near the Celery Farm (or elsewhere).

Here's the advice I gave ...

This is a good webpage.... https://medium.com/.../turtles-are-crossing-the-road... .

And this:: Snapping turtles have powerful jaws and long necks. They can extend their necks rapidly. Do not place your hands near the front half of the turtle. Do not pick the turtle up by the tail, as you can injure the bones of the tail and back.

Next best thing to dinosaurs!

Next time you drive by the Fell House, check out the field of American flags, a way of honoring our favorite veterans and other Americans, as well as raising money for the Fell House.

My wife and I have paid for flags in memory of  Patty's father (WWII U.S. Navy Lt. JG Thomas Finn), my mother (WWII U.S. Navy Lt. JG Margaret Bowers  Wright), and my father (WWII U.S. Army Capt. John S. Wright Sr.) and in honor of an Allendale living legend  (WWII U.S. Army Sgt. Stiles Thomas).

Will post information soon on how you can make a donation and get a flag in honor of a loved one.