RECENT EVENTS | |||||||||||
EARTH DAY CLEANUP |
Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23, 2017 Two crews tidied up Kingston on Earth Day weekend on both the Franklin and South Brunswick sides. A six person team concentrated on Laurel Avenue and the environs of Rockingham, while twenty-seven volunteers cleaned up the areas along Railroad and Greenwood Avenues, Ridge Road, and Divison Street. We are grateful to all these good folks for giving their time and energy to make the environment safer and more beautiful for all! Rockingham Crew: South Brunswick Crew: And a big thank you to Scott of The Sentinel, who turned out on a Sunday to document our activities. His "action shots" may be viewed here: Photos by Scott of The Sentinel
KINGSTON GREENWAYS ASSOCIATION FALL FOLIAGE WALK |
Sunday, October 20, 2013 Rick Henkel (at far right) and fall foliage walkers--Photo by Jonathan Michalik In celebration of this 100th anniversary year of the founding of Princeton Nurseries, Rick Henkel led a walk through the Nurseries' Kingston site. Rick was formerly Sales Manager for Princeton Nurseries, where he worked for 32 years. After leaving the Nurseries, he founded Princeton Horticultural Services, which he continues to run. Rick has an extraordinary knowledge of trees, and knows the Kingston Site and its trees intimately. View a gallery of photos taken by Jonathan Michalik: Fall Foliage Walk 2013 ANNUAL MEETING AND MOVIE--“Crash: A Tale of Two Species” Wednesday, May 22, 2013 For those who were unable to join us, the film "Crash: A Tale of two Species" is available from Netflix. It explores the fascinating, endangered relationship between the red knot, a South American shorebird which flies each year to the Arctic to mate, and the horsehoe crab, whose eggs fuel the most grueling portion of the red knot's journey north. Courtesy of Conserve Wildlife But now that humans are using the horseshoe crab for fishing bait and for medical purposes (its blue blood is pervasively used to test intravenous drugs, vaccines, and medical devices for bacterial contamination--see http://www.horseshoecrab.org/med/med.html for more information) the relationship has become increasingly endangered. Maria Grace, the Education and Outreach Manager of Conserve Wildlife (Conserve Wildlife) fielded many questions raised by the documentary. Despite grim challenges to both species, there is some hopeful news--this short Star Ledger video provides some post-Sandy coverage: Researchers optimistic about Delaware Bay horseshoe crab spawn and shorebird migration CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT |
December 16, 2012 PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENDA J. JONES Trustee and Count leader Karen Linder reports that all told, the Kingston segment recorded 43 species and 2624 birds. Highlights of the day were: **Two large flocks of snow geese flying over the seedbeds **Three sightings of a single eagle (might be the same one or different birds--likely our local pair), including watching him/her bring a leafy stick to the new nest that is being built to replace the nest and tree lost to Sandy **Two brown creepers **Some very cooperative golden-crowned kinglets that showed themselves nicely Missing were large numbers of yellow-rumped warblers (we saw only TWO!), and no cedar waxwings or bluebirds for this count. Robins were reduced in number relative to some years. Also missing were the black vultures we have seen in previous years. It was not a good day to be aloft, so perhaps they "slept in!"
KGA ANNUAL MEETING & PROGRAM-- "THE D&R CANAL, GEM OF CENTRAL NEW JERSEY” Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 Canal author and historian Linda J. Barth spoke to a rapt crowd about the D&R Canal, illustrated by an array of vintage slides depicting the Canal from end to end. Below, Linda Barth demonstrates the method for giving a locktender advance notice of a canal boat's arrival. More about our speaker's background and her books is available at http://www.lindajbarth.com/ ANIMAL AMBASSADORS Sunday, April 2, 2011 Nancy Derrico, our volunteer from the Mercer County Wildlife Center, shared her extensive knowledge and experience. The four birds who accompanied her vividly illustrated the characteristics of their species, and the range of mishaps that can befall wildlife when our worlds intersect. We learned, too, about the best ways to help sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. This red-tailed talk, perched on the gloved hand of Nancy Derrico, is a perfectly healthy specimen of its species, but has been a long-time resident at the Wildlife Center because it became imprinted to human beings as a young bird. For those who wish to support or get involved with the Mercer County Wildlife Center, many options are offered at http://nj.gov/counties/mercer/about/community/wildlife/help.html |
We counted close to 2000 birds and observed 34 different species in this year's Kingston segment of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Many thanks to our five field counters and one feeder watcher! We are also grateful to Princeton Forrestal Associates and Mapleton Nurseries for allowing us to bird on the lands formerly owned by Princeton Nurseries. A few favorite moments from Karen Linder, segment leader: * Five black vultures perched in one tree along Mapleton Road, resting up from a venison dinner (with plenty of leftovers on the ground below the tree). * Twelve goldfinches on a single plant -- one bird hanging onto the tip of each wiry stem, the stems bent down under the weight of "their bird." They were intent on feeding, so did not fly away as we approached, but just bobbed, stretched, and hung upside-down as they feasted. * A red-bellied woodpecker drumming his heart out on the huge wooden doors at the far end of the large warehouse building at Mapleton Preserve. The afternoon sun caught his bright red head just right, and the noise generated from the 20-foot tall doors was spectacular! |
FORMER NATURE GALLERIES
Photographer Jonathan Michalik uses his camera to give us some rare and beautiful glimpses of the creatures that share this part of the planet with us. To see much more: Jonathan Michalik Photo Gallery To comment or ask questions, please email him at: J5PIECE@aol.com Photographer Brenda Jones has been "stalking" beavers along the canal with her camera, with stunning results. To see the rest of her photos, please click here: Beaver and Muskrat album To comment or ask questions, please email her at: Brenda Jones |
MERCER COUNTY WILDLIFE CENTER PROGRAM Saturday, April 12, 2008 The Mercer County Wildlife Center is a state and federally licensed facility that cares for injured, ill, and displaced native wildlife. The Center provides these animals with medical treatment and a temporary refuge before releasing them back into an appropriate wild habitat. As human development continues along the east coast corridor, suitable habitat available to wildlife decreases. This leads to more human contact, resulting in an increased risk of injury to both animals and humans. A group of animals with permanent disabilities is sheltered and cared for at the Center. These animals travel to schools and community events throughout the year, acting as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. The KGA program featured four animals, which, for various reasons, are not releaseable back into the wild. The birds that accompanied MCWC volunteer Nancy Derrico had lessons for us about their species, their stories, and our interface with their world.
For more information, please go to Mercer County Wildlife Center |
KINGSTON GREENWAYS GRASSLANDS WALK On Sunday, September 30, 2007, Kingston Greenways Association hosted a leisurely walk through the newly opened Griggstown Native Grasslands Preserve at 1091 Canal Road in Griggstown. The Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve was one of two grassland habitats recently established in Griggstown through the cooperation of New Jersey Audubon and Franklin Township. A 102-acre section of the property was plowed and planted with native grasses and wildflowers to provide habitat for birds that require grasslands for breeding. Click here for a slide show of scenes from the walk: Grasslands Photos For more information about the Grassland Preserve, visit http://www.njaudubon.org/Conservation/Griggstown.html |
SCENES FROM THE FALL FOLIAGE WALK 2006 This walk led through the Princeton Nursery Lands. KGA helped to champion the acquisition of the property, as it is a critical component of Kingston's greenbelt. Two very special co-leaders--KGA Trustee and nurseryman Bill Flemer IV, and Jim Consolloy, the Head Grounds Manager for Princeton University--shared their enthusiasm and expertise. Bill is a member of the Flemer family, which founded Princeton Nurseries, so he has an intimate knowledge of the wholesale nursery business that once thrived at this site. Jim Consolloy is responsible for maintaining Princeton University's 2300 acres and over 400 species of trees. The 50 people who attended the walk were treated to a wealth of Princeton Nurseries History, and tips on tree identification, highlighting not only native trees, but also specimens of Princeton Nurseries' unique cultivars, such as the 'Princeton Sentry' Ginkgo, and 'Bonfire' and 'Goldspire' sugar maples, aflame in their glorious fall colors. To view more Fall Foliage Walk photos, please click here
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