Today is the first day of Spring, and the sun shone as I made a pre-work visit to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. American robins were abundant, as is typical this time of year, and I’m topping this post with one of the first I saw as I walked up the central trail.
Farther up I caught sight of an American tree sparrow, which flitted from one small tree to another before I finally got a chance to snap its photo. The tree sparrows will begin their migration northward soon, as will the dark-eyed juncos that are still hanging around in our yard at home. If there were any at the park today, I did not see them.
Some of the first migrants to arrive were the five American tree swallows I saw swirling above the meadows. They’ll soon be settling in the bird boxes in the park, jockeying for that real estate with Eastern bluebirds.
Eastern meadowlarks were calling this morning, and I logged four based on the calls I heard being lobbed across the trail. Northern cardinals trilled in the distance.
One species conspicuously absent was the Northern harrier. I have not seen one on visits to the Pole Farm for several weeks. I’m hoping my luck will change in the days ahead, when I’ll be visiting more regularly as sunrise comes earlier in the day.
As I approached the woods this morning, field sparrows made their presence known with song. I managed to get photos of one of them perched in a budding small tree. Look closely at the photo below and you’ll see some green leaves starting to emerge — proof that Spring has arrived. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 