American kestrel – The Jersey Birder

A day of discovery and a lifer, sort of

A juvenile red-headed woodpecker flies toward a tree.

I made two visits to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm today, and it was full of surprises. On a longer than usual three-mile walk in the morning, I finally added a red-headed woodpecker to my e-Bird reports. It was a lifer. Or was it? I’ve been hoping to spot a red-headed woodpecker since I beganContinue reading “A day of discovery and a lifer, sort of”

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”

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”