Celery Farm • Blue-headed Vireo

Monthly Programs

Since 2015 Fyke's monthly speaker costs have been funded by a generous grant from the Winifred M. and George P. Pitkin Foundation



October 24, 2025, Friday - Monthly Meeting, 8:00 PM, via Zoom

Long-time Fyke Member Jerry Barrack Presents Some of His Favorite Bird Images


Fringed Polygala
Duck Enough to Fly

Mike Lefebvre
Jerry Barrack

Jerry will present some of his favorite images of birds from his extensive collection taken over more than 65 years. While many will be from the Celery Farm, which he has been photographing for over 35 years, many others will be from Florida, where he has been living for the last ten years as well as a few from Belize and South Africa.

Jerry has been a member of Fyke for over 35 years and has presented many times over the years, initially by himself and then later with his friend, Jim Wright. He has given over 100 nature programs and together with Jim and Doug Goodell, written In the Presence of Nature, better known as “The Celery Farm” book. They also produced a book entitled Jungle of the Maya, a celebration of the magnificent rain forest that encompasses much of Belize, Guatemala, and the Yucatan Peninsula. Jerry and Jim have also written three children’s books about the Celery Farm; Duck Enough to Fly; Icky, the Hungry Heron; and Swan Babies.

Register in advance for this webinar here.


December 5, 2025, Friday - Monthly Meeting, 8 PM, live at the Allendale Community Center, 210 W. Crescent Ave., Allendale

A Social Get-Together Celebrating Fyke Members and Celery Farm Volunteers


Fyke Bittern Logo

Our social held last December was so successful we decided to hold it again. Join us as we come together to celebrate the dedication and passion of our incredible volunteers and members. During this in-person meeting, we’ll enjoy light refreshments and conversation. Bring your questions, suggestions, nature-inspired poems, stories or art related to the preserve. It’s a great opportunity to get to know one another. We look forward to seeing everyone, and celebrating the heart and soul of our preserve—you!


January 23, 2026, Friday - Monthly Meeting 8 PM via Zoom

Nomadic Birds and Their Stories with Rick Wright


Bohemian Waxwings
Bohemian Waxwings

Rick Wright
Rick Wright

Many birds travel regularly between one place and another, migrating from site to predictable site, season by season. Others are less reliable in their movements; crossbills, nutcrackers, waxwings, and chickadees can appear at virtually any time of the year virtually anywhere, staging massive incursions into an area in one season and utterly absent the next. How have humans sought to explain these irregular invasions? Join Rick Wright to examine the sometimes startling and often humorous interpretations put forth over the ages.

A widely published writer and sought-after speaker, Rick leads Birds and Art tours worldwide for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, ventbird.com. His recent books include the Peterson Reference Guide to Sparrows of North America; the second edition of his American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of New Jersey appeared this autumn. Rick lives in Bloomfield and in Carrboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Alison Beringer, and their jet-black lab, Quetzal.

Registration is required. A link to register will be available early January. It will be emailed to Fyke members and posted on the website under Programs. Presentations will be recorded and posted to the website soon afterward.


February 27, 2026, Friday - Monthly Meeting 8 PM via Zoom

A Fascination with Finches with Matt Young


Crossbills
Crossbills

Matt Young
Matt Young

From backyards to wilderness peaks, finches are some of the most exciting, mysterious, and popular group of songbirds. In this information-packed presentation, finch expert Matthew Young will introduce you to the 43 finches of the United States and Canada from feeder-favorite goldfinches to Red Crossbill tribes, to poorly known mountain-top Black Rosy-Finches to endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers.

Matt co-authored with Judy Stokes The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada, which covers detailed finch identification, language, behavior, irruptions, specialized maps and foraging charts on crossbills, conservation, and much more.

Registration is required. A link to register will be available early February. It will be emailed to Fyke members and posted on the website under Programs. Presentations will be recorded and posted to the website soon afterward.


 

Click on the presentation title or the thumbnail to view the presentation.

Plants of the NJ Highlands Video

September 26, 2025

Plants of the New Jersey Highlands, Mike Lefebvre

 

Northern Exposures Video

May 16, 2025

Northern Exposures: Birds and Wildlife From the Far North, Kevin Watson

 

Ridgewood Camera Club Presentation

April 25, 2025

Flora, Fauna, and Feathered Friends: The Birds and Wildlife of the Celery Farm, Presented by the Ridgewood Camera Club

 

Mike Lefebvre Presentation

March 28, 2025

Plants of the NJ Meadowland’s Losen Slote Creek Park, Mike Lefebvre

 

Marina Richie Presentation

February 28, 2025

Kinship With Kingfishers, Marina Richie

 

Alcaide Presentation

January 24, 2025

From Invasives to Natives, Frank and Christian Alcaide

 

Deb Ellis Presentation

October 25, 2024

Sustaining Wildlife in Fall and Winter Gardens, Deb Ellis

 

Heather Wolf Presentation

September 27, 2024

Find More Birds, Heather Wolf

 

Wander Presentation

May 17, 2024

Bring the Butterflies to You, Sharon Wander

 


Fanning Astro

April 26, 2024

The Connection Between Migration & Astronomy, Lisa Fanning

 

Garret Mountain

March 22, 2024

Garret Mountain Reservation: A Migration Hotspot, Carole Hughes

 

Teaneck Creek Conservancy

February 23, 2024

Spring Migration at Teaneck Creek Conservancy, Executive Director Kathleen Farley

 

KW Japan Photos

January 26, 2024

Travels in Japan: Island Endemics and Winter Wildlife, Kevin Watson

 

2023 Members Night

December 1, 2023

2023 Fyke Members Night, Kurt Muenz

 

Cowbirds: Villains?

October 27, 2023

Cowbirds: Villainous Mobsters or Falsely Maligned Native Species? Sarah Winnicki

What's Growing?

September 22, 2023

What's Growing Inside the Celery Farm's Deer Exclosure? Mike Lefebvre

State Line Hawk Watch

May 19, 2023

State Line Hawk Watch 2011 to 2022, Karl M. Soehnlein

 

Lorrimer Sanctuary

April 28, 2023

Lorrimer Sanctuary: Then and Now, Alexa Fantacone

Avian Rehabilitation

March 24, 2023

Avian Rehabilitation, or How to Live with a Loon in the Bathtub, Giselle Smisko

Grassland Birds

February 23, 2023

Grassland Birds Are Thriving in the Least Likely Place, Dr. Shannon Curley and Jose Ramirez-Garofalo

African Safari

January 27, 2023

African Safari: Big Game and Birds, Kevin Watson

 

Fyke Members Night 2022

December 2, 2022

Fyke Members Night

 

Red-shouldered Hawks of Allendale

October 28, 2022

Red-Shouldered Hawks of Allendale, Jim Wright

 

New Jersey Moths

May 20, 2022

New Jersey Moths Through the Seasons, Wade and Sharon Wander

 

Plants of the Celery Farm

April 22, 2022

Plants of the Celery Farm's Klomburg Woods, Mike Lefebvre

 

Remembering the Bajor Farm

January 18, 2021

Remembering the Bajor Farm: An interview with Patricia Cooper and Marie Breen, Jim Wright

 

Florida Gulf Coast Winter Birding

May 17, 2019

Florida Gulf Coast Winter Birding
Tom Mitchell and Sharon Ayling

 

Loads of Odes

May 18, 2018

Loads of Odes, Kurt Muenz