With a pair of off-campus meetings bookending the lunch hour yesterday, I stopped at the Charles Rogers Nature Preserve in between appointments to have lunch with the birds. I parked near the main observation platform overlooking a large pond that at this time of year is covered almost completely in rushes and reeds. As IContinue reading “Lunch al fresco, with a birdsong soundtrack”
Author Archives: Dan
A yellow warbler plays coy
Having missed the prothonotary warbler Sunday, I took a quick trip to the Dyson Tract this morning hoping to spot it. Again, however, a yellow warbler stole the show. As I stood facing the swamp from the canal towpath, a yellow warbler flew down into some leaves clustered around the bottom of a telephone pole.Continue reading “A yellow warbler plays coy”
In search of yellow birds, with bald eagles as a bonus
For weeks, I’ve been hearing yellow warblers on my birding jaunts but until this morning I hadn’t seen one. For days, I’ve been seeing reports of a prothonotary warbler nearby, and I hoped I might spot it today on my first attempt. I went to the Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal withContinue reading “In search of yellow birds, with bald eagles as a bonus”
It pays to shoot, even when in doubt
Morning broke foggy in my part of the world. A couple of days of heavy rain left us soggy and humid conditions. I dodged puddles as I headed up the central trail at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning and spotted an American goldfinch ahead of me. It was poking in the wet dirtContinue reading “It pays to shoot, even when in doubt”
The glorious sights and sounds of Spring migration
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. So goes a well-known Christmas carol, but the tune plays in my head during Spring bird migration. It plays, that is, when it’s not drowned out by the abundant birdsong that fills the woods and fields on my birding outings. This morning, I went to the Reed-BryanContinue reading “The glorious sights and sounds of Spring migration”
My ‘Big Day’ gets off to a nice (red)start
I suffer from warbler deprivation syndrome. I head to the woods, hoping to find multiple migrants flitting above me or, even better, right in front of me. I was feeling particularly underserved by the warbler community as I headed to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm early this morning. While my Merlin app the last coupleContinue reading “My ‘Big Day’ gets off to a nice (red)start”
Patience paid off: My first common yellowthroat photos of 2025
I’ve been hearing common yellowthroats for the past couple of weeks, and I’d managed to catch glimpses of them a couple of times. I knew that if I were patient, I’d eventually get a clear shot. That happened this morning, and in an unexpected way. Common yellowthroats typically lurk in the grasses and often popContinue reading “Patience paid off: My first common yellowthroat photos of 2025”
A cuckoo surprise to start the day
Unpredictably is one of the true pleasures of birding. You simply have no clue when something unusual will appear. So it was Saturday when I pulled into the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm parking lot around 7 o’clock in the morning. I had just put my car in park when Lee pulled in beside me. I’dContinue reading “A cuckoo surprise to start the day”
Bird counts ramp up as the weather warms
There’s no denying that Spring brings out the birds. It was sunny and light-jacket warm this morning when I visited the Pole Farm, and I was hoping to get a few shots of the common yellowthroats that have returned to the fields. I heard many but was only able to spot one, a male whoContinue reading “Bird counts ramp up as the weather warms”
Welcome back, lusty-voiced birds!
I love this time of year, when our seasonal visitors return. I had the pleasure of welcoming back two full-throated birds to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning. After clearing the fields and reaching the woods, I was on alert for whatever migrants might be stopping by or arriving for a longer stay. ThenContinue reading “Welcome back, lusty-voiced birds!”
The Jersey Birder 