Traffic on my drive home from work was remarkably light today, so I grabbed my camera and went to the Pole Farm for a pre-dinner stroll. Under a cloudy sky, few birds were flying, and I was mainly birding by ear.
Making a clockwise loop, I was well down the paved Lawrence-Hopewell Trail when I spotted a black-and-white form atop a green stalk off to my left. A quick check through the binoculars revealed an Eastern kingbird and, for once, it didn’t fly off.
For whatever reason, I always associate kingbirds with the king, Elvis Presley, and I was happy to photograph this bird, even while knowing it would be tough to pull out detail from his black feathers in less-than-ideal light.
I was surprised that even as I moved forward to seek new angles, the bird didn’t seem to notice me and stayed put. Even a passing jogger didn’t spook it. After taking several shots, I moved on.
I spotted a white-tailed deer looking directly at me, and then another kingbird (or at least I assumed so) appeared perched atop a tree. It was trickier to shoot than the first kingbird, and it would be my last photo opportunity on the 45-minute route.
Had I not taken a single photo, the walk would have been worth the fresh air. Encountering a couple of Flying Elvi made the trip even better. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 