Blue grosbeaks and brown thrashers rule the day

We’re in a hot spell in much of the Eastern half of the country, with temperatures pushing into the high 90s here in central New Jersey. As a result, more birders than usual were out at the Pole Farm in the 7 o’clock hour this morning to beat the heat, as the temperature was only in the 70s.

We were treated to some nifty aerial maneuvers by three blue grosbeaks swooping about one of the main fields just beyond the rest rooms and the picnic tables’ shelter by the AT&T historical exhibit. As I walked up from the parking lot I spotted three birders with their lenses pointing out into the field, and every minute or so a pair of the grosbeaks flew up, darted at one another and came down for landings within reach of our long lenses.

At one point, one of the males and one of the females were aligned for a photo, but they were a bit too far for me to get a crisp shot. Instead, I’ve posted the best of the lot of the males.

Another highlight was seeing the brown thrashers that have taken up residence in a clump of trees just up from the Cold Soil Road parking lot. My best shot of the day tops this post. If you look closesly, you can see that the thrasher has crushed an insect in its beak.

A couple of us staked out some berry bushes, hoping to frame a nice shot of the thrasher amid the berries. The bird was teasingly close to the berries but flew off before I got the shot I was hoping for.

Finally, as we were heading back to our cars, we looked up and spotted a trio of birds atop one of the big trees. An American kestrel was on one branch and a red-winged blackbird flew in a branch or two away. Farther to the right was a brown thrasher. The photo below, though not great, will give you an idea of the scene. It illustrates the wonder of the Pole Farm, with such a variety of birds in close proximity.

While the birds stayed in place for a minute or two, eventually the blackbird rose up and dived at the kestrel. A short chase ensued as the kestrel headed toward her nest in the maintenance barn by the parking lot.

I hope the kestrels and all the birds are finding their own ways to beat the heat, not to mention us birders!