Can Spring possibly be near? One sure sign is birdsong, and my mood lightened last week when I heard Northern cardinals singing at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm for two consecutive days. On the third day, I heard one singing as I went out to my car for a morning appointment. Again yesterday, I heardContinue reading “The cardinals are singing again”
Category Archives: Birds in the wild
A horned grebe does not disappoint
Reports came in Saturday on the Birding in Central New Jersey GroupMe chat channel that a horned grebe was hanging out with the Canada geese at Mercer County Park. More sightings were reported this morning, and I thought, why not? I’d never seen a horned grebe, let alone one near home. This was likely asContinue reading “A horned grebe does not disappoint”
Getting up close to a Northern harrier
Over my many visits to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, I’ve seen scores of Northern harriers flying overhead and perched on poles or trees. Rarely do I see them relatively close by, as whenever I approach they scram. Today was different. As I was walking up the central path to the woods, I spotted aContinue reading “Getting up close to a Northern harrier”
A return to the Pole Farm, and a surprise at Colonial Lake
Since knee surgery last month, I’ve been itching to get back out with my camera at my favorite birding spots. Having weaned myself off a walker and a cane thanks to terrific medical care and physical therapy, I chose this morning to venture out. My first stop was the Pole Farm (above), where I tookContinue reading “A return to the Pole Farm, and a surprise at Colonial Lake”
A cold morning for sparrows
We’re at the front end of a cold snap that will bring temperatures down into the single digits Fahrenheit for a few days. We had two to three inches of snow fall yesterday, and I pulled on my Muck boots to head to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. It was slim pickings for birds. IContinue reading “A cold morning for sparrows”
A sure thing: great blue herons in Princeton
Whether it’s a single bird or one of many, I can count on seeing and photographing great blue herons at the Millstone River Impoundment in Princeton. At first this morning, I didn’t see the heron in its usual spot just off the pedestrian bridges over the Delaware and Raritan canal. I walked on the eastContinue reading “A sure thing: great blue herons in Princeton”
Surprise! It’s a hermit thrush
One of the joys of photographing birds is the unexpected bird that shows up on your computer screen, as happened to me this morning. I was on one of my usual two-mile loops at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, walking the trail counterclockwise, when I spotted a couple of bluebirds in a tree with smallContinue reading “Surprise! It’s a hermit thrush”
The charms of Trenton marsh
A morning appointment kept me from my usual swing through the Pole Farm, but I was able to get out to John A. Roebling Park and Trenton marsh this afternoon. I was rewarded with the usual assortment of ducks and geese. I was disappointed by not spotting any Northern shovelers, but I did see aContinue reading “The charms of Trenton marsh”
A new year for birding begins
On this first day of 2025, I got a fast start on birding. I began the day under a beautiful cloud-dappled sky at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, logging 13 species in an out-and-back walk on the central trail. Three American crows flew into a tree as I got out of my car, making themContinue reading “A new year for birding begins”
A no-owl Noel. But there were songs.
Merry Christmas to all! I hope your holiday is a happy one. After wrapping a few gifts yesterday afternoon, I went to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm and joined a few other photographers on an owl stakeout. I spent 90 minutes awaiting the arrival of short-eared owls. They didn’t show. But amusingly, as I wasContinue reading “A no-owl Noel. But there were songs.”
The Jersey Birder 