This is the hike of the week for 12/18/2008 as described on the NYNJTC site.
Like the Hackensack Meadows hike that we did last year, many may be
put off by this park, where much of the trail is within sight, and sound, of the New Jersey Turnpike (the trail head is actually in the parking lot of the
Mill Creek Mall). But despite the man-made noises, the trail is
filled with bird songs, and birds. It's an oasis in the midst of modern chaos, which you can see in the photos. Here you'll find stumps of ancient Atlantic
white cedar trees -- and the Empire State Building looming over them in the background. This park was badly damaged by thunderstorms and windstorms earlier this
year and was actually closed to the public for a month or two. Storm damage can still be seen all over, but it's coming back to life and definitely worth
a visit.
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Parking at trail head |
Trail head |
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Beautiful moth |
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House sparrow |
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Empire State Building |
House sparrow |
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Ancient cedar stumps |
Tree swallow |
Tree swallow |
View towards Manhattan |
Tree swallow |
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Mallard couple |
Turtle on stump |
Queen Anne's Lace |
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Dan on bridge [photo by Laura] |
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Mallard grooming |
Ancient cedar stumps |
Bench in the shade |
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Juniper berries |
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Sandpipers and Plovers |
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Great egret |
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Great egret and gull |
Fish |
Canadian Goose |
Sandpipers with skeletal remains |
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Gull in flight |
Informative signs abound |
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Goose with Egret (on one leg) |
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Gull feeding |
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Mallard |
Lone gull |
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View of Manhattan |
Canadian goose family |
Gosling |
Protective parents |
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Peaking tree swallow |
Peaking house sparrow |
House sparrow |
Birches line the path |
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Photographs and content copyright © Dan Balogh Web design by Dan Balogh |