Even an ordinary day of birding at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm can become extraordinary. Today, for example. No unusual species appeared, which was not a surprise during this mid-summer lull when many birds go quiet if not away.
I was lucky to catch an indigo bunting singing from atop a low tree in one of the meadows off the central trail. Twice I spotted a blue grosbeak farther up the meadow, but that scamp flew off each time I went for my camera.
When I moved over to the paved Lawrence-Hopewell Trail and headed for the back corner of the park, I spotted a tufted titmouse. The titmouse is a year-round resident, and I typically hear at least one singing on most visits. Rarely, though, do I get a photo. Today, I was able to catch one on camera. I’ve given that bird top billing on this post.
Several American goldfinches were chirping along the trails, and I spotted an Eastern kingbird high up in a tree near the Cold Soil Road parking lot.
Song sparrows and field sparrows serenaded me as I walked the trails, or at least that’s how I interpreted their sweet songs.
All of the above and more — red-eyed vireos, American robins, Eastern towhees, et al. — created a cumulative effect as I got back to my car and drove home.
It was indeed an ordinary day at the Pole Farm, typical with just shy of two-dozen species sightings plus coneflowers, wild bergamot, wild carrot and black-eyed Susans lining the trails.
How extraordinary, I mused, that I live so close to such a wonderful park with an abundance of birds, wildflowers, trees and other critters. How wonderful that each visit brings me in touch with the familiar, making days of rarities and surprises even more magnificent. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 