It has taken a few years, but I’m finally getting to log owls onto my life list. This morning, I added three long-eared owls, thanks to the kindness (and high-tech equipment) of birders I encountered at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. I managed a two-mile loop on one of my favorite trail circuits, and IContinue reading “Getting a glimpse of long-eared owls”
Author Archives: Dan
My kingdom for a cackling goose
Our wild goose chase finally came to an end today. My friend Laura and I have been obsessed with finding a cackling goose to add to our life lists. We’ve been scanning huge flocks of Canada geese to find a ride-along cackling goose, with its smaller body, stubby beak, shorter neck and lighter back. EverywhereContinue reading “My kingdom for a cackling goose”
Can my Philadelpia Eagles cap help me find more birds?
It’s a bit of a joke, but when I’m out birding I often wear my Philadelphia Eagles cap with a vague notion in my head that it will bring out more birds, maybe even induce a bald eagle to fly by. A silly notion, yes, but I’ll seek any advantage I can to bring moreContinue reading “Can my Philadelpia Eagles cap help me find more birds?”
Birds large and small, I like photographing them all
I don’t know what the numbers are, but a high percentage of birders are photographers. And among birding photographers, a certain percentage focus exclusively or primarily on the largest birds, mostly raptors — eagles, hawks and the bigger owls. I’ve done field studies of a sort, in that I often talk photography with birders IContinue reading “Birds large and small, I like photographing them all”
The irony of wildlife photography
“Don’t look back” may be good psychological advice for putting the past behind you, but for wildlife photographers in the field, it’s advice to be ignored. Shortly after I arrived at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm yesterday, I looked ahead and saw a photographer I didn’t recognize pointing a camera with a long, tripod-mounted lensContinue reading “The irony of wildlife photography”
Harlequin romance: a rare visitor on the Delaware River
Rarely has a Jersey girl caused such a fuss. Since she was first spotted in the Delaware River on Thursday, a harlequin duck — believed to be the first ever recorded on e-Bird in Mercer Counry — has had birders flocking to observation points on the river banks in Trenton and Morrisville, Pennsylvania. While IContinue reading “Harlequin romance: a rare visitor on the Delaware River”
A trip to Trenton on ‘Black Duck Friday’
While many Americans were hitting the mall this morning, my friend Laura and I drove down to the Tulpehaking Nature Center, one of the gateways to Abbot Marshlands. We joined a group of about 10 birders for a “Black Duck Friday” birding walk. Gathering in the parking lot, we were treated to a through-the-scope viewContinue reading “A trip to Trenton on ‘Black Duck Friday’”
Happy Thanksgiving to all birders!
It’s Thanksgiving Day here in the United States, and I’m thankful for all the times I get to go birding and for all the other birders I’ve met in the field and those of you have been kind enough to read my site. I started my day at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, and itContinue reading “Happy Thanksgiving to all birders!”
A wonderful morning at the Pole Farm, harrier hotspot
I wrote recently about days when photo opportunities are few. As if to restore balance to the universe, Mother Nature smiled on me today with good morning light and encounters with a couple of photogenic birds. Knowing that time was limited “because work,” I took the quickest route to the closest place, the Mercer MeadowsContinue reading “A wonderful morning at the Pole Farm, harrier hotspot”
Bluebirds bring happiness
The sun came out in full force this Sunday morning, and the temperature was a brisk 28 degrees Fahrenheit as I headed to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. The park’s paths offer a few turning points, and the first one to confront is just up from the Cold Soil Road parking lot: either go upContinue reading “Bluebirds bring happiness”
The Jersey Birder 