by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Oct 30, 2026 | Animals, Merrill Creek Reservoir
Derived from the Latin word rugire, which means “to roar” the annual mating season for deer, “The Rut”, is primarily driven by decreasing autumn daylight. While male White-tailed Deer (Bucks) do not verbally “roar”, their testosterone level sure surges...
by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Oct 28, 2026 | Birds, Merrill Creek Reservoir, Migration
Lots of migration activity this week as the winter visitors to MCR have arrived at our feeders and around the property! Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Red-breasted Nuthatches and even a Common Loon are at MCR these days. These...
by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Oct 20, 2026 | Habitat, Merrill Creek Reservoir, Plants
Lately many visitors have been asking, “What is that plant that sort of looks like short corn along the south end of the Perimeter Trail?” Well, the answer is Sorghum (AKA milo). Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a drought tolerant cereal grass that we are using along with...
by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Aug 26, 2026 | Animals, Habitat, Insects
An occasional butterfly species visitor to NJ was spotted recently near Merrill Creek Reservoir. According to the NJ Butterfly Club (A Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association), this species, the Little Yellow (Eurema lisa) is very small — 1.3” (much...
by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Jul 30, 2026 | Animals, Birds, Habitat, Merrill Creek Reservoir
The American Woodcock (AKA The Timberdoodle) is a small plump semi-migratory shorebird that unlike its coastal cousins lives in young forests and shrubby old fields across eastern North America. Typically, wildlife enthusiasts and birders equate seeing Woodcock in...
