Every once in a while, the birding and photography gods smile upon me. Such occasions are rare, and the latest came on a recent Sunday morning at what you might call the Church of the Pole Farm. I took one of my standard routes at the park, making a left into the alley of treesContinue reading “When the light, the foliage and the bird align”
Category Archives: Birders and birding
Birding photography guide: Check your settings
Back in the pre-digital years, a photographer’s worst nightmare was concluding a shoot and discovering either that the film had not gone through the camera or the camera wasn’t even loaded. That happened to me a few times. Today’s version is discovering a mile and a half into the woods that your photo card isContinue reading “Birding photography guide: Check your settings”
I rely upon the kindness of other birders
Every day I’m reminded of how kind other birders can be in sharing their knowledge. Thanks to one of them, today at the Abbott Marshlands at the edge of Trenton, I was treated to a rare sight: a least bittern. Knowing that these elusive birds have been visiting the marsh across from Silver Lake atContinue reading “I rely upon the kindness of other birders”
For birding, it helps to take a 360-degree view
Without a car for a few days recently, I was unable to get to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, at least not without some difficulty. So I improvised and headed on foot through the Rider University campus near home to the Loveless Nature Preserve. The preserve is a mostly wooded area that straddles the oldContinue reading “For birding, it helps to take a 360-degree view”
My ‘Big Month’ of birding was even better than I’d hoped
April was the coolest month. Knowing that I had a trip to Texas scheduled and that a few warblers might eventually come my way at home, I set out on a “big month” quest to spot as many species as possible. I set 60 as my target, a reasonable expectation but not a certainty. I’mContinue reading “My ‘Big Month’ of birding was even better than I’d hoped”
Five days in, my ‘Big Month’ takes shape
Last night I finished reading the “Big Year” book on which the movie of the same title was based. I’m comfortable in reporting that I am not quite as obsessively crazed as the three competitors on whom the story is based who each sighted more than 700 species of birds in 1998. It was onContinue reading “Five days in, my ‘Big Month’ takes shape”
Big Year? I’m going for a Big Month
This is how an obsession starts. A few weeks back I watched “The Big Year,” a comedy about the crazed antics of hyper-competitive birders. Then I bought the book of the same title on which the movie is based, and I’m halfway through reading it. I’m neither wealthy nor a man of leisure, so aContinue reading “Big Year? I’m going for a Big Month”
A walk in the woods with the experts
I was back at the Pole Farm this morning as I often am on weekend mornings, but this time I wasn’t going solo. I was a last-minute substitute for a friend on a Washington Crossing Audubon Society guided walk, and what a treat it was. About 20 birders assembled at the Cold Soil Road parkingContinue reading “A walk in the woods with the experts”
Obsessive and competitive: ‘The Big Year’ birding movie
My Amazon Fire Stick must be figuring me out because its “movies you might like” prompts alerted me to “The Big Year,” a 2011 comedy about a trio of birders who obsessively pursue as many sightings as possible. Appropriately, the odious villain — Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) — is a Jersey guy. As the movieContinue reading “Obsessive and competitive: ‘The Big Year’ birding movie”
Birding down the shore at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
As I watch the snow fall out my window at home today, I am still glowing over the trip yesterday to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park at the New Jersey shore. My friend and colleague Laura and I had been plotting to hit the coast for a look at shorebirds, and when both of us hadContinue reading “Birding down the shore at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park”
The Jersey Birder 