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”
Tag Archives: birds
A snow goose helps us see in the new year
“What’s that white bird out there?” my wife asked at the breakfast table this morning. “Out there, in the geese.” As there were about 200 Canada geese on the neighboring golf course, just beyond our property line, it took me a while to pick out the white bird. I grabbed my camera, dashed outside andContinue reading “A snow goose helps us see in the new year”
My 10 favorite bird photos of 2024
Ranking one’s favorite photos is a difficult task, akin to ranking one’s favorite desserts, cars or children. While over the span of a year I take scores of clunkers, I also look back fondly on the keepers. My list of favorites is a mish-mash: some make the list for their technical quality, others rate becauseContinue reading “My 10 favorite bird photos of 2024”
Boring story: Why our maple tree has holes
A few weeks ago, we noticed that there were holes bored into the trunk of the maple tree in our back yard. That has to be the work of woodpeckers, I figured. Some of the holes seemed large enough to swallow any of the downy woodpeckers that visit our suet feeder daily. The holes alsoContinue reading “Boring story: Why our maple tree has holes”
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.”
Short-eared owls are flying again at the Pole Farm
While we have yet to experience the packed-parking-lot frenzy of last winter, short-eared owls are back at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm and starting to show themselves before the sun goes down. The “shorties” have been in the park for several weeks. Birders have reported seeing them before dawn and after sunset. We’ve been waitingContinue reading “Short-eared owls are flying again at the Pole Farm”
A trio of eagles greets me
With the mercury at a frigid 11 degrees Fahrenheit, I scraped the ice off the windshield of our Subaru this morning and drove to the Millstone River Impoundment in Princeton. To my delight, a few minutes after I stepped out of my car I spotted three bald eagles circling overhead. Two of them were matureContinue reading “A trio of eagles greets me”
A winter solstice treat: birds in the snow
With each passing year, it seems we’re getting less and less snow than we did previously. We got a surprising two inches of the white stuff overnight, and I gleefully headed out to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, anticipating some bird-in-snow shots. While it seemed most of the birds decided to sleep in at theContinue reading “A winter solstice treat: birds in the snow”
Adding to my life list in Europe
One of our sons had a meeting in Prague, so my wife and I booked flights to join him afterward on our first trip to Europe as a couple. I knew the trip would mostly be about seeing the sights (and they were spectacular) so I didn’t bring my big Sigma zoom lens that IContinue reading “Adding to my life list in Europe”
The outdoor avian portrait studio
Like life, birds move pretty fast. But every so often they park in place, giving us photographers an opportunity to compose and take their portraits. I had two cracks at it today, this first day of December. As I was making my way back to my car this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm,Continue reading “The outdoor avian portrait studio”
The Jersey Birder 