My office hosted a conference for colleagues from similar offices at other universities this week. As part of the festivities, I offered to lead a birding walk at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. Tuesday dawned partly sunny and partly muggy, but conditions were good for the walk. As for the birds, this was one ofContinue reading “My turn as a birding guide”
Category Archives: Birds in the wild
Fortune finds me a feather
One year ago, I aborted a visit to the Reed Bryan Farm side of Mercer Meadows because I wasn’t feeling right. My balance was off. Later that day I fell at home and had difficulty walking after that. I ended up hospitalized for a bit, missed two and a half months of work and spentContinue reading “Fortune finds me a feather”
The Pole Farm kestrels have fledged
The American kestrels that hatched in the maintenance barn at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm a few weeks ago fledged last week while I was away in Texas. Today, I was delighted to get a good look at some of them. I had completed my walk and was pulling out of the parking lot whenContinue reading “The Pole Farm kestrels have fledged”
A little pre-hurricane birding in Texas
I’m visiting my daughter and her family in College Station, Texas, where we’re curious to know how much rain will dump on us Monday as Hurricane Beryl barrels its way into the Lone Star State. I’ve been able to get out birding twice since my wife and I flew in Tuesday afternoon. With the temperatureContinue reading “A little pre-hurricane birding in Texas”
Time for me to fledge: The Pole Farm kestrels
We regular birders at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm have been delighting in our daily observations of the pair of American kestrels who have nested in the the barn beside the main parking lot at Cold Soil and Keefe roads. Virtually every morning for the past several weeks, we’ve seen at least one and sometimesContinue reading “Time for me to fledge: The Pole Farm kestrels”
Blue grosbeaks and brown thrashers rule the day
We’re in a hot spell in much of the Eastern half of the country, with temperatures pushing into the high 90s here in central New Jersey. As a result, more birders than usual were out at the Pole Farm in the 7 o’clock hour this morning to beat the heat, as the temperature was onlyContinue reading “Blue grosbeaks and brown thrashers rule the day”
American kestrels are settling in nicely at the Pole Farm
The American kestrel is a threatened species, particularly in the Northeastern United States. But we have encouraging news from the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. Breeding pairs are making the park their home, and we have more kestrels today than we did in previous years. When they’re not hovering over the meadows, looking for prey, theContinue reading “American kestrels are settling in nicely at the Pole Farm”
No mistake: a great birding preserve in Cleveland
Returning to the city of my birth for a weekend visit, I decided to check out the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve and do a bit of birding. It was a great choice. As luck would have it on this beautiful, sunny Saturday morning, the park was full of birds. I had barely walked out ofContinue reading “No mistake: a great birding preserve in Cleveland”
Taking a flyer with a few extra photos
Before switching to digital cameras, I spent decades parsimoniously snapping shots on 24- or 36-shot rolls of film, not wanting to waste anything. But digital cameras have freed us from such restraints, which has been a particular boon to us photographers who delight in photographing swift-winged birds. As I walked at the Mercer Meadows PoleContinue reading “Taking a flyer with a few extra photos”
Coming face to face with a Swainson’s thrush
My pledge to finish my goal of visiting the remaining New Jersey counties where I have not gone birding had stagnated, as I had made no progress whatsoever this year. When I discovered early Sunday that I had reason to go to Passaic County to watch a baseball game, I couldn’t pass up the chanceContinue reading “Coming face to face with a Swainson’s thrush”
The Jersey Birder 