I haven’t had much of a chance to go birding the last two weeks, but I made up for lost time this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. As I stepped out of my car, I heard a symphony of song sparrows and common yellowthroats, with red-winged blackbirds singing raspy counterpoint.
The yellowthroats returned a week or two ago, but until I made my way a few hundred yards up the central trail, I hadn’t seen one. Two of them suddenly appeared, chasing after each other and bringing a smile to my face. Later on my circuit around the meadows and woods, I’d finally capture one on camera. He tops this post.
The common yellowthroat wasn’t the only old friend I encountered. Several ovenbirds and gray catbirds were calling from the woods, and I was lucky to get close to one of the latter. The bird almost appears to be smiling.
I also spotted my first female red-winged blackbird of the season. i wasn’t quick enough to get a photo of her, but I did happily catch one of the males who stayed still enough in good light to capture him on camera.
American goldfinches frequent our feeders at home, and it’s been a joy to watch their breeding season colors emerge. At the Pole Farm today, I saw several, including this male whose yellow has arrived but whose contrasting black feathers don’t appear fully developed.
I’ve been seeing tree swallows for the past couple of weeks as they jet above the fields in pursuit of each other and of flying insects. A couple of them posed for me. Although the background sky is washed out on this image below, I think it’s a nice clear view of the coloring of the species.
It’s about time for the Northern parulas and other migrants to show up in these parts. I look forward to finding them and sharing photos of them with my readers. Thanks for checking in! 🦅
The Jersey Birder 