Most days, I go out to the birds. Some days, they come to me. Today was a case in point. Once the sun came up, I noticed that the tube feeder outside our dining room windows was empty. A Northern cardinal perched there briefly and looked around, seemingly puzzled that his breakfast had not beenContinue reading “A short walk for a big bird”
Tag Archives: birding
Awesome: Harriers in aerial maneuvers by the setting sun
What inspired man to take flight? I had a flash of inspiration this afternoon while watching two Northern harriers joust in the golden light of the setting sun at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. Watching two female Northern harriers playing on the steady breeze over the main fields brought to mind Icarus, who in GreekContinue reading “Awesome: Harriers in aerial maneuvers by the setting sun”
On standard time, a five-sparrow day
It was time to “fall back” today as the United States reverted to standard time, giving us an extra hour of sleep or an extra hour to seize or squander. I have been looking forward to the switch, which gives me more time in the morning to bird ahead of work. I headed to theContinue reading “On standard time, a five-sparrow day”
A rare capture of a common bird: the Carolina wren
While I can almost always count on hearing a Carolina wren on my visits to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, it’s a rare day when I see one and even rarer when I’m able to get a photo. I routinely hear and see these tubby little birds at home. I have several photos of themContinue reading “A rare capture of a common bird: the Carolina wren”
So close: a day of ‘almost’ shots
Take a look at the yellow-rumped warbler topping this post. The bird is in profile high up in a tree, eying a cluster of berries. A moment later, the bird would have one of those berries in its beak, but that shot was blurred. Another frame shows the bird with its beak plunged into theContinue reading “So close: a day of ‘almost’ shots”
Catch a kinglet if you can!
My birding friend Nancy and I had a nice stroll trough the main trails of the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning. Noticing little action as we made our way up the central dirt path, we had better luck once we reached the woods and the area near the old AT&T Building One site. TheContinue reading “Catch a kinglet if you can!”
Backyard bluebirds = joy
While I’m fortunate to see Eastern bluebirds during much of the year on my birding outings, it’s rare to see them at home. Two of them surprised my wife and me a few mornings back as we were eating breakfast at the kitchen table. One perched briefly on our suet feeder while another hung outContinue reading “Backyard bluebirds = joy”
A fine morning at Hamilton Veterans Park
For the past several days, I’d been seeing e-Bird reports of snowy egrets and a little blue heron hanging around Veterans Park in Hamilton. When I woke up this morning, I figured it was high time I checked them out. Sure enough, the little blue heron was staying close to a larger snowy egret, asContinue reading “A fine morning at Hamilton Veterans Park”
Old friends return: a Northern harrier, Savannah sparrows and a West Virginian
It’s that time of year when some of the birds who left us in late spring and the summer start making their way back. At the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning, I was delighted to see a Northern harrier for the first time since the lot cleared out a few months ago. She roseContinue reading “Old friends return: a Northern harrier, Savannah sparrows and a West Virginian”
A Labor Day lifer
It’s the Labor Day holiday in the United States, and I headed out onto the trails of the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm hoping that I’d get a glimpse of the early-arriving migrating warblers that had eluded me. I did spot black-and-white and prairie warblers while hanging out near the old AT&T Building One oval withContinue reading “A Labor Day lifer”
The Jersey Birder 