"Along the Mill Creek Marsh Walking Trail, you can't
miss the “forest of stumps” — evidence that the now-brackish Meadowlands was
once a freshwater swamp covered by dense thickets of Atlantic white Cedar. The
advent of European colonization changed the landscape forever. Centuries of
systematic logging were only exacerbated by the completion of the Oradell Dam
in 1923, which allowed the influx of saltwater into the lower river that killed
the last remnant cedar groves and allowed common reed to spread throughout the
Meadowlands. An unexpected result of wetlands mitigation at Mill Creek Marsh
was the unearthing of hundreds of Atlantic White Cedar stumps, some of which
are hundreds of years old.
More than 260 bird species have been reported in the
Meadowlands, a major stop along the Atlantic Flyway. Within the Mill Creek
Marsh, Green-winged Teal frequently congregate in open water and use phragmites
(reeds) as a wind break from cold winter winds. The return of spring is
heralded by Tree Swallows seeking homes in nest boxes built by the NJMC and
volunteer groups. In the summer, Double-Crested Cormorants perch atop the
remains of dilapidated docks and tide gates, Herons, Egrets and Terns feed along
shorelines, and Black-crowned Night Heron, a threatened species in New Jersey,
nest in the taller trees. Fiddler Crabs dig in along the riverbank.
Diamond-back Terrapin can be seen in shallower waters, and Muskrat huts rise
above the land." Quoted from the www.Geocaching.com web site.
Link to a map of the
walking track through Mill Creek Marsh:
Tree Swallow
Mallard
Musk rat
Canada Goose
Red Winged Blackbird
Diamond Backed Terrapin
Lesser Yellowlegs
Snowy Egret
American Robin
(better to come I hope)
A nice way to spend the day…
1 May 2013
A bit more luck today while out for my run. Spotted the groundhog again, and this time, even though it was a long way away and I am only using a phone, I managed a shot of it out of the burrow, before managing to get a little closer.
Woodchuck / Groundhog
Very happy about that!
Then farther along the trail I came across a pair of Canada Geese with 4 goslings. One of the pair was not happy and, as you can see in the second shot, it came for me so I had to do the honourable thing and retreat.
Canada Goose
And spotted one new species.
White-rumped Sandpiper
5 May 2013
Some days are made
for this! Today I went to the Marsh with
the intention of walking not running.
Clearly the wildlife was a bit more forgiving of my presence. So I managed a few better shots of already
seen wildlife.
White-rumped
Sandpiper
Snowy Egret
And proving that
patience has rewards, one very special photograph.
Greater
Yellowlegs
Tree Swallow
American Robin
And new to this list:
Greater Egret
Killdeer
Seagull
Swamp Sparrow
And some small fish,
one of which you saw earlier in the mouth of the Snowy Egret.
