Fanwood Environmental Commission

World Series of Birding – May 14, 2011

Nikolai Chowdhury — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:11:46 +0000

It’s Coming!

It’s Not the Easter Bunny

It’s the Birds

It’s the 28th Annual World Series of Birding

Yes, it’s that time of year again when the Spring bird migration gets under way

Once again the Friends of Lenape Park will be searching the park for as many bird species as possible to raise lots of $$$ for the New Jersey Audubon Society’s conservation projects, and you can be a part of this exciting adventure.

How can you help?

Make a pledge, either a flat amount or per species (say .25¢ per species) it’s that simple.

Once we have totaled our final count (usually around 85 species) I will notify.

Checks are made payable to:

NJAS – WSB

Send the check to me and I will forward them to NJAS with our contribution form.

Frank Budney

173 Carolyn Road

Union, NJ 07083-9424

(908) 687-2169

Just like the Easter Bunny, the World Series of Birding comes once a year but your tax deductible gift lasts the whole year.

Please consider helping the birds that come to your yard and bring so much joy to us all.

Check out the NJ Audubon web site for mare details.

World Series of Birding | Cape May Bird Observatory | Bird Cape May Birding Na

Learn to Count Birds for the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count!

Nikolai Chowdhury — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:04:50 +0000

In preparation for the 14th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), the Fanwood Environmental Commission invites you to an informative and fun birding seminar on Saturday, January 29 from 2:00-4:00pm at Forest Road Park building in Fanwood (Rain date Feb 5th).
Join us for a seminar with birding expert, Holly Hoffman about attracting birds to your backyard feeder. Pre-registration is required for this event since space is limited. To register, download the form here: Download Flyer or pick up one from the Fanwood Borough Hall. Drop off completed registration form by January 26th at Fanwood Borough Hall or call to register at 908-322-8236 or email your registration to fanwoodec [at] fanwoodec [dot] org.
You will also have an opportunity to enjoy and participate in many bird related activities and games to learn how to identify birds and how they adapt to different habitats. Girl Scouts cadettes Lisa Staniec, Amanda Karacsony, and Elizabeth Hom from Troop 40785 will be assisting the Commission as part of their Silver Award. Learn to count birds for GBBC (Feb 18-21) and make and take a simple bird feeder for your backyard. Win attractive door prizes!
Birders of all ages and skill levels are welcome at this free event. Participation counts towards requirements of certain Girl Scout badges and Boy Scout merit badges.
We invite you back to the Fanwood Nature Center over Presidents’ Day weekend (Feb 18-21) to count birds for the GBBC as tens of thousands of volunteers at all levels of birding experience across the country will.
The GBBC (Great Backyard Bird Count) led by the Audubon Society & Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a “citizen science” project that invites people from all over North America to count birds in their backyards, parks & open spaces and enter their tallies online at www.birdcount.org. These reports create an exciting real-time picture of where the birds are across the continent and contribute valuable information for science and conservation. For more, visit http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/.
The Fanwood Nature Center, which boasts eight acres of unspoiled land, is located on Cray Terrace in Fanwood, off Terrill Road, and has been home to many types of birds including cardinals, woodpeckers, finches and scarlet tanagers. The Fanwood Environmental Commission is thankful to its local sponsors – Wild Birds Unlimited, Parker Gardens, Dunkin Donuts, Wendy’s (South Avenue), Home Depot, and BJs.

Come visit our booth!

Margaret — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:17:09 +0000

The Fanwood Environmental Commission will be at the Fanwood Annual Holiday Celebration & Tree Lighting Ceremony – The holiday season officially begins when Santa Claus arrives in town on Sunday, December 5th, at 3 PM! Everyone is invited to meet Santa under the big tent on the lawn in front of the North Avenue Train Station and enjoy an afternoon of seasonal music, holiday crafts and refreshments.all for free. Children who stop by to say hello to Santa will get a free photograph of their visit with him. Contests will be held with prizes for the winners. The Celebration concludes at 5 PM when Mayor Mahr lights the Fanwood town tree on the train station lawn. Sponsored by the Fanwood Recreation Commission.

Butterflies Spotted in the Garden

Nikolai Chowdhury — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 22:07:59 +0000

On our latest visit to the Fanwood Nature Center, we spotted some butterflies! This is great news for the garden. It means that we will have many caterpillars to feast on our vegetation. We spotted Monarch and Swallowtail butterflies as well as a few newcomers. Also, in addition to the butterflies, in an earlier visit we noticed many white eggs on the milkweed. We hope to come back and see many caterpillars and even more butterflies. Till then, come out and enjoy the garden.

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Butterfly Garden Update 9/19

nikolaic — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:42:35 +0000

Stopped by the nature center butterfly waystation this afternoon. Lots of caterpillars and chrysalises in the garden!!

Hummingbird Moth sighted at the Fanwood Nature Center's Butterfly Garden

Nikolai Chowdhury — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:17:23 +0000

While visiting the Butterfly gardens at the Nature Center butterfly garden recently, Commissioner Sandra Redder spotted a hummingbird moth…and captured the elusive creature in action. It seemed to really like the bee balm.

Some information on Hemaris thysbe:

The Hummingbird Moth, unlike most moths, is seen on clear, sunny days. Many people do confuse it with hummingbirds because of its coloration and how it moves.

Hummingbird Moths grow up to two inches long. They have an olive-green body with red bands across their abdomen. Tufts of hairs from the end of the abdomen look a lot like feathers. The wings of this moth are mostly clear, sometimes with some red near the body.

Hummingbird Moths live in fields, gardens and forest edges.

Adult Hummingbird Moths feed on nectar from many different flowers, just like hummingbirds. Some of their favorites include: Japanese Honeysuckle, Red Clover, Highbush Blueberry, thistles, wild roses, and blackberries.

Hummingbird Moths use a long, thin, needle-like mouthpart called a proboscis to eat. The proboscis stays coiled up like a garden hose until it is time to use it. When the moth approaches a flower, it uncoils its proboscis and dips it deep into the flower where the nectar is.

(Picture credit: Sandra Redder; Information sourced from http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/hummingbird_moth.htm)

Welcome to the New Website!

Nikolai Chowdhury — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 05:49:47 +0000

Welcome to the new FEC Website

Fanwood 3rd Annual Build-A-Birdhouse Contest

Nikolai Chowdhury — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:34:15 +0000

Deadline for entries: October 2, 2009 (4:00pm)
Drop off entries with Registration Form at Fanwood Memorial Library

Give a bird a home & be a winner!

The Fanwood Environmental Commission is happy to invite you to participate in our second annual “Build-a-Birdhouse Contest”. Birdhouses must be hand-made with bird-friendly material, should be able to withstand weather conditions for at least one year and include a suitable mounting mechanism. Birdhouses will be used in the Fanwood Nature Center or other Borough Open Spaces.

Two fabulous prizes will be awarded in each of the following two categories:

Child (under 13 years) and
General (13 years and above)

Entries should be dropped off with Registration form at the Fanwood Memorial Library during regular library hours by 4:00 pm on Oct 2nd. Winning entries will be announced at Fanny Wood Day on Oct 4th. All entries will be on display at our table. Hard copies will also be available at the Fanwood Memorial Library, Scotch Plains Library, and the Fanwood Borough Hall.

We are thankful to the following businesses for their generous donations towards prizes in this event.
Parker Gardens
Wild Birds Unlimited
Young Paints and Varnish
Sovereign Bank

Click here for helpful tips & resources on building bird houses,

For questions or more information, email fanwoodec@fanwoodec.org

Union County Bio-Blitz

Nikolai Chowdhury — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:36:15 +0000

Friday & Saturday, June 12-13, 5:00 PM

Briant Park, Hidden Valley and Houdaille Quarry (Summit & Springfield)

Introducing the new Interactive Nature Center Map

Nikolai Chowdhury — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:08:21 +0000

Find your way in the Nature Center with our new online map utility!