Nature Done Wright

Cutline: You might see a Great Egret overhead on Sunday’s Harrier Meadow walk in North Arlington. Photo by Ron Shields

My latest column for The Record is all about Harrier Meadow in North Arlington.

You can read it here:

By Jim Wright

Special to The Record

    One of my favorite places to go birding in North Jersey is a little-known gem known as Harrier Meadow. This beautiful 78-acre natural area is vintage Meadowlands — tucked behind a closed landfill and a former trash-transfer facility in North Arlington.

   How many other places in the metropolitan area offer great views of both the Manhattan skyline, a flat and wide walking path, and plenty of raptors, herons, ducks and wildflowers? Did I mention the three tidal impoundments and a vast low-tide mudflat? 

   And here’s the thing: Relatively few nature-lovers have seen Harrier Meadow because it’s almost always closed to the public. One rare exception is Sunday, when the Bergen County Audubon Society is sponsoring a free guided walk from 10 a.m. to noon.

    “We’re getting a cool diversity of birds this time of year,” says Drew McQuade, senior biologist for the N.J. Sports and Exposition Authority. ”We’ve got a great assortment of raptors and lots of waterfowl – plus the shorebirds are returning, and warblers should arrive in good numbers soon. You might even see blue-winged teal on your walk.”

   On a recent scouting mission, we saw birds galore, including great egrets, bald eagles, common mergansers, greater yellowlegs, and two dozen other species during a 45-minute walk. We even got a glimpse of a northern harrier. This is Harrier Meadow, after all.

   And since the tide will be receding on the nearby Hackensack River during Sunday’s walk, you might have more mudflats to attract shorebirds.

   In the days before rampant dumping in the area, the property was part of a vast mudflat, It became a disposal area for clean fill generated from 1967 to 1971 when Interstate 280 was built through the Oranges. 

   In 1996, the NJSEA’s predecessor, the Meadowlands Commission, bought the site and worked with Ducks Unlimited to create a natural area with native plants to offset wetland impacts from a Conrail project. 

   At the urging of Don Smith, a longtime commission naturalist, the three open-water tidal impoundments were created.  “We needed high-tide shorebird resting areas– a habitat not too abundant in the Meadowlands,” Smith once explained.  “We have shorebirds by the thousands during migration.”

   Because its location is isolated, the natural area is typically closed to the public — to keep out vandals, ATVs and others that might damage the area.

     “Once you go through the gates, you enter a different world,” says Don Torino, the president of Bergen County Audubon. “You are transformed from a world of concrete and cars to a wild place that you didn't know could exist in our area.”  

    For more information on Sunday’s walk, contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or (201) 230-4983. Binoculars, sunscreen and water are a good idea. Ask Don for directions – Harrier Meadow can be hard to find. 

    The Bird Watcher column appears every other Thursday. Jim’s next book, "The Screech Owl Companion," will be published by Timber Press. Email Jim at celeryfarm@gmail.com.