birding – The Jersey Birder

The eternal beauty of the Northern cardinal

Northern cardinal, beak open, sings from a bare tree branch surrounded by lush green-leaved branches.

No birding for me today, as I took the day off to head to New York City to enjoy my grandson’s cello recital. Afterward, my son Liam and I walked from the little guy’s school through Central Park to return to their Midtown apartment. The usual overwhelming assortment of pigeons was on full display asContinue reading “The eternal beauty of the Northern cardinal”

What a day to forget my binoculars!

Cape May warbler perched among green tree leaves. The bird is mostly yellow with brown streaking and an orange spot ringing its eye, mostly below.

When I got to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning, I realized that I’d left my binoculars at home. Oops. It wasn’t worth the drive to fetch them, so I set out on the trails with only my camera. In the end, it was a minor inconvenience on what turned out to be aContinue reading “What a day to forget my binoculars!”

A three-lifer day in the Pine Barrens

My buddy Jim and I drove through the fog down to the Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Reserve in the Pine Barrens this morning. Although we did spot a few prairie warblers, they weren’t the day’s highlight. Jim has been to the Huber reserve many times, but this was my first visit to the sprawling stretchContinue reading “A three-lifer day in the Pine Barrens”

Things are looking up in birding

Flying left to right against a bright blue sky with a few small clouds, a red-winged blackbird chases a red-tailed hawk.

With migration underway, we birders spend a lot of time looking up to spot warblers high up in trees. On two outings this week, I’ve seen few warblers but have spent a lot of time craning my neck. I looked up at the Pole Farm on Wednesday to see a red-winged blackbird chasing a red-tailedContinue reading “Things are looking up in birding”

The cool, clear call of the Baltimore oriole

It’s hard to pick a favorite song or call of the birds I encounter in my part of the world, but unquestionably the sweet, clear song of the Baltimore oriole is among my favorites. I heard one for the first time this spring at the Pole Farm on Tuesday and heard another this morning atContinue reading “The cool, clear call of the Baltimore oriole”

Old friends return during Spring migration

A male common yellowthroat sings out from a small branch on a small tree with green leaves budding out.

I haven’t had much of a chance to go birding the last two weeks, but I made up for lost time this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. As I stepped out of my car, I heard a symphony of song sparrows and common yellowthroats, with red-winged blackbirds singing raspy counterpoint. The yellowthroats returnedContinue reading “Old friends return during Spring migration”

How to spot a spotted sandpiper

Spotted sandpiper standing on a log at the edge of a lake. The bird's brown feathers blend in well with the logs.

It’s not easy. I went to Veterans Park in Hamilton on Sunday afternoon, hoping to get a look at a few birds I don’t find at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm or at other sans water spots. Although I would not see many birds, I did add two species to my e-Bird log for April.Continue reading “How to spot a spotted sandpiper”

A most cooperative bird: the yellow-throated warbler

A yellow-throated warbler leans forward from a tree branch, with a spikey reddish fruit from a sweet gum tree just below it.

As my birding pal Jim and I made the hour-and-a-quarter drive to Estell Manor Park on Saturday, he guaranteed that I would get a lifer bird: the yellow-throated warbler. Never has been getting a lifer so easy. As we got out of the car in the parking lot at the visitor center, Jim immediately saidContinue reading “A most cooperative bird: the yellow-throated warbler”

No fooling: my first bird of April was a bald eagle

A mature bald eagle sits on a tree branch. Part of the bird's white head and yellow beak are obscured by a thin tree branch.

With the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm closed for a few days for the annual “controlled burn” torching of the fields, I headed to the Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal this morning. Propitiously, as I eased my car into a parking spot, I watched a mature bald eagle fly into a nearby treeContinue reading “No fooling: my first bird of April was a bald eagle”

A Northern flicker comes a hammering

A male Northern flicker basks in the sunshine while sitting atop a round double shepherd's hook arm, with green grass in the background.

While drinking my wake-up cup of coffee the other day, a metallic bam-bam-bam-bam-bam came hammering down the chimney. I’d left the fireplace flue open, so the racket coming from above was loud and intense. After a pause of several seconds, the hammering resumed, a pattern that would repeat itself several times. I’d no doubt thatContinue reading “A Northern flicker comes a hammering”