Saturday was eBird’s October “Big Day” in which all birders, from the backyard feeder watchers to those with huge life lists, are encouraged to get out and count. I headed to my nearby hot spot, the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, about dawn and had a middling day as far as bird spotting. But I gotContinue reading “October Big Day: I meet local legends”
Author Archives: Dan
Hope is gone for the ivory-billed woodpecker
As I suspect most birders did, I read with sadness the news accounts late last week that the ivory-billed woodpecker was at last declared extinct. The New York Times story included video I had not previously seen of those magnificent creatures in Louisiana in 1935. I can’t remember when I first learned about the ivory-billedContinue reading “Hope is gone for the ivory-billed woodpecker”
Heinz wildlife refuge, a special place for birds and birders
With jets taking off and landing next door at Philadelphia Airport, it’s hard to believe the abundance of wildlife at John Heinz National Wildlife. On countless treks to PHL in recent years, I’ve seen the signs for the refuge but was never able to explore it until this past weekend. I arrived mid-morning Saturday atContinue reading “Heinz wildlife refuge, a special place for birds and birders”
The magnificent hummingbird
As the pandemic wore on last summer, I hung a hummingbird feeder from a portable metal stand outside the window where I set up my home office. The wind kept knocking the stand over. I managed to nick the stand with my lawn tractor one day, and to my great dismay the glass portion ofContinue reading “The magnificent hummingbird”
My bird identification skills are shaping up
When I was a kid, my dad showed me outlines of Japanese aircraft in cards and books that he’d been issued while stationed in the South Pacific during World War II. Recognizing the difference between a Japanese Zero and an American P-51 Mustang, he told me, could give you and your buddies a few preciousContinue reading “My bird identification skills are shaping up”
The colors of the day: scarlet and indigo
What a thrill! I finally got a good look at scarlet tanagers today out at the Mercer County Pole Farm. I had only seen a scarlet tanager once before, during a previous summer when on a bicycle I flushed one from the trail-side brush. That was only a glimpse, but the sighting was a no-doubter:Continue reading “The colors of the day: scarlet and indigo”
Crowing about the mute swans
I spent the last week and a half on the road, visiting family in Michigan and taking a side trip to Milwaukee. Between the time in the car and all the things I was doing with family, I had only a limited time to look for birds. The most satisfying opportunity was at Cass LakeContinue reading “Crowing about the mute swans”
A new tool for better birding: Merlin’s Sound ID
Wouldn’t it be great if you could record the song of a bird you can’t identify and have it instantly recognized? The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has taken a major step forward in realizing that dream with its recently launched Sound ID feature in the Merlin app. I’ve used that app for the past fewContinue reading “A new tool for better birding: Merlin’s Sound ID”
Seattle: City of Crows
Other than making a few quick trips across the Delaware River into Bucks County outside Philadelphia, I’ve been a New Jersey birder exclusively since the COVID pandemic arrived. Finally I was able to venture afar, traveling to Seattle to visit one of my sons. When I lived in Seattle 30 years ago, I didn’t payContinue reading “Seattle: City of Crows”
I’m uncommonly fond of the common yellowthroat
I believe I crossed the threshold from casual birder to thoroughly hooked last spring when I began recognizing the song of the common yellowthroat. The song was unique, and it was driving me crazy that I couldn’t see the bird chirping it from the trees at the Pole Farm at Mercer Meadows Park. Finally, IContinue reading “I’m uncommonly fond of the common yellowthroat”
The Jersey Birder 