Here Come the Turtles! Here Come the Turtles!
May 29, 2025
Have seen three snapping turtles near the Franklin Turnpike today.
Please be on the lookout!
May 2025
Monday Egg Mystery Answered
May 29, 2025
On Monday, I wrote:
Saw this egg in the national's capital recently. What is it?
(Sorry, I lacked a quarter to place next to it for scale, but it is the largest egg I have ever seen...)
Hint: I think it's from a movie...
Neil Maruca and Beth Goffe answered correctly, and Neil even provided a link:
The egg was a publicity prop from the Alien movie franchise. It's in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
June 6: My Talk on Bergen Birds
May 27, 2025
On Friday, June 6, I'm giving a talk for a good cause -- a fund-raising luncheon for The Valley Hospital Auxiliary in Midland Park. Should be fun. Here's the info:
Backyard Bergen Birds (of a Feather)
Jim Wright, the "Bird Watcher" columnist for The Record, will present a lively illustrated presentation about the beautiful birds in our yards, why they fascinate us, and where else to see them nearby and down the Shore.
Jim is an author, public speaker and nature photographer who lives next to the Celery Farm Nature Preserve in Allendale, where he is a marsh warden. He will bring some of his books for sale -- about screech owls, the "real" James Bond, and a very hungry heron.
The luncheon is called “Birds of a Feather Lunch Together,” June 6, noon-3:00, Midland Park firehouse (45 Witte Drive, Midland Park). Tickets are $55. Contact Robin Burgess, 201-485-8690.
A Nice Plug for 'Screech Owl Companion'
May 26, 2025
The International Owl Center in Minnesota is having a book sale this week, and one of the picks is ...
Anyone that has a screech-owl nest box or is interested in putting one up needs to own a copy of The Screech Owl Companion. The second half of the book is a how-to guide, with:
Plans for a squirrel-resistant nest box (no box is squirrel-proof unless it stays inside your house)
Multiple ideas for how to get it up into a tree to mount it (including an idea that allows you to lower the box to check it rather than climbing up to the box)
How to put a nest cam in a box and how to livestream it
How to prevent getting wasps and bees in the boxes
Why you should put up more than one box, what to expect from nesting owls, and more.
Monday Morning Egg Mystery
May 26, 2025
Saw this egg in the national's capital recently. What is it?
(Sorry, I lacked a quarter to place next to it for scale, but it is the largest egg I have ever seen...)
Hint: I think it's from a movie...