When I first started paying attention to the Spring migration a couple of years ago, I saw sporadic, excited reports of prothonotary warblers being spotted here in New Jersey. What a weird name for a bird, I thought, and I’ll be darned if I’m going to chase all over kingdom come to find one. AContinue reading “Big days in May: chasing the rare prothonotary warbler”
Category Archives: Birds in the wild
The warblers are coming. Time to look up!
Spring migration has begun, and the warblers have started arriving here in central New Jersey. Within the past few days, I’ve seen palm warblers, a yellow warbler and common yellowthroats, all welcome returnees to my neck of the woods. As these birds and more arrive, I need to remind myself as I wander through theContinue reading “The warblers are coming. Time to look up!”
Winter gives way to Spring in New Jersey
Winter has receded and Spring has sprung in central New Jersey, and we’re seeing the changing of the guard in the birds that frequent these parts. Warblers are starting to arrive, although I have yet to get a confirmed sighting in my recent outings. Who’s on the way out? White-throated sparrows and American tree sparrowsContinue reading “Winter gives way to Spring in New Jersey”
Caspian terns pay us a visit at Trenton marsh
After the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, one of my favorite places to bird is the Trenton marsh. After seeing an alert that Caspian terns were spotted there on Saturday, I drove down as the sun came out that afternoon and was treated to a delightful display by these unusual visitors. The terns are fast flyers,Continue reading “Caspian terns pay us a visit at Trenton marsh”
An old friend returns, and a new one arrives
I stepped out of the car and turned toward the Delaware and Raritan Canal just a few yards behind me, and I heard something I wasn’t expecting. It took a few seconds before I could train my binoculars on the source of the spondaic call: a small green bird on the stalk of a short,Continue reading “An old friend returns, and a new one arrives”
Bird song is returning, an early signal of spring at the Pole Farm
At the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, a few early signs that spring will get here eventually are starting to show. Over my last couple of visits, I’ve started hearing after a long layoff the raspy cries of red-winged blackbirds, and the Eastern bluebirds are calling to one another. This morning, I noticed that a fewContinue reading “Bird song is returning, an early signal of spring at the Pole Farm”
Super Bowl Sunday: A great day for (bald) eagles
Mercer County Park has become a haven for bald eagles and a terrific place for birders and bird-fanciers to watch them. If you’ve never seen a bald eagle in the wild, you have an excellent chance of seeing one and probably more this time of year at Mercer Lake in the center of the park.Continue reading “Super Bowl Sunday: A great day for (bald) eagles”
On the hunt for that Superb Owl shot
Finally I got back to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm for a late afternoon visit this weekend and got a fair look at a short-eared owl. Although I continue to visit regularly in the morning, I had stayed away on weekend afternoons because it was difficult to find parking as photographers on the prowl forContinue reading “On the hunt for that Superb Owl shot”
Patience pays off, in birding and nature photography
On most Saturday mornings, I start my day at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. I don’t have the pressure of having to get back in time to catch a bus to work, so I have more time to wander the fields. This morning, I arrived before dawn, hoping to catch sight of the short-eared owlsContinue reading “Patience pays off, in birding and nature photography”
Appreciating the quiet times of birding
It’s a relatively quiet time for birding in my part of the world, as I’m keenly aware every morning I walk the fields and woods of the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm or the nearby locations that I frequent. It would be different if I lived closer to the Jersey shore, which is teeming with wildContinue reading “Appreciating the quiet times of birding”
The Jersey Birder 