photography – The Jersey Birder

Crossing the frozen Delaware River for a lifer

A horned lark forages on a snow-covered field on which black seeds have been liberally scattered.

We’re in a long stretch of frigid weather, and it was 6 degrees when I headed off yesterday morning for a birding jaunt with my ace birding pal Jim. Our first stop was a new one for me: the Trenton sewage ponds. Yes, the cement-framed pools at the Trenton sewage treatment plant near the edgeContinue reading “Crossing the frozen Delaware River for a lifer”

Losing track of time while tracking birds

A red-bellied woodpecker clings to one of several trees in a wooded area.

Unexpectedly, I had a transformative experience while birding in the woods today. I had intended to drive to Trenton marsh but mistakenly took an early exit off Interstate 295 and decided to drive to Veterans Park in Hamilton. Once there, I skirted Martin’s Lake and headed onto the trail that runs along the lake’s southContinue reading “Losing track of time while tracking birds”

My 10 favorite bird photos of 2025

A female common yellowthroat, perched on a small brown branch in front of long green leaves, opens her beak wide to sing, almost appearing as if she's angry.

I’ve had a lot of fun reviewing the bird photos I took in 2025, and it took me several passes to sort out the top 10. Weirdly, on my first ranking, I discovered that a few of the birds that made my 2024 top 10 were included in my ’25 list. Was I playing favoritesContinue reading “My 10 favorite bird photos of 2025”

American tree sparrows are back

An American tree sparrow perches amid criss-crossing tree branches.

While pulling into the Pole Farm parking lot the other day, I declared my goal: to spot an American tree sparrow. Reports of the winter-visit birds had been trickling in on e-Bird, but I’d yet to see one this season. I was in luck, however, on this day-before-Christmas visit. I’d brought along my friend Jim,Continue reading “American tree sparrows are back”

For the solstice, a harrier at sunset

A Northern harrier, its wingtips illuminated from behind by the setting sun, soars over a field and in front of bare trees in the background.

Today is the first full day of winter, and I found time in the afternoon to visit Trenton marsh while still buzzing about my visits to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm yesterday. I joined a group of birders there Saturday morning hoping to spot for a second time the wayward Townsend’s warbler that had beenContinue reading “For the solstice, a harrier at sunset”

Close encounters of the bird kind

A great blue heron turns its head to the left as it stands in front of an inlet at Trenton marsh.

With birding as in life, you never know what lies around the corner. I had two great blue heron sightings today. This morning, from the main observation platform at the Charles Rogers Preserve in Princeton, I spotted a heron at the edge of the reeds on the back side of the pond in the centerContinue reading “Close encounters of the bird kind”

With the first frost of fall, some cool birds

A Cooper's hawk faces the rising sun while sitting on a thick tree branch.

With the thermometer at 30 degrees this morning, we had our first frost of the fall. It turned out to be a decent day for birding. I hadn’t been to the Reed-Bryan Farm side of Mercer Meadows for a while and decided to go there rather than to the Pole Farm side of the park.Continue reading “With the first frost of fall, some cool birds”

How to capture a kinglet

Ruby-crowned kinglet perched on one of two parallel tree branches.

It was a comical scene at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm: my birding buddies Lee, Jim and I we’re standing in front of a section of trees and bushes, watching a ruby-crowned kinglet flit from branch to branch. Each of is a well-experienced birder and photographer, and we were all bemoaning how quickly the kingletContinue reading “How to capture a kinglet”

Birds and fall color: a great combination

Savannah sparrow perched a cluster of red berries.

This is a golden time for birding, with the fall color peaking and enough leaves falling to increase the odds of seeing more birds in the branches. This morning was a nice example, as my pal Jim and I headed to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. The sun was out in full, shining liberally onContinue reading “Birds and fall color: a great combination”

A beautiful weekend for birding, part 2

A yellow-rumped warbler perches, briefly, on a branch.

On Sunday, I made my first stop at the Charles Rogers Preserve in Princeton, where other birders have been reporting good warbler traffic. As I stepped out of my car at the parking lot, plenty of birds were calling. My warbler brain has not been challenged much this fall, and I struggled at first toContinue reading “A beautiful weekend for birding, part 2”