My pledge to finish my goal of visiting the remaining New Jersey counties where I have not gone birding had stagnated, as I had made no progress whatsoever this year. When I discovered early Sunday that I had reason to go to Passaic County to watch a baseball game, I couldn’t pass up the chanceContinue reading “Coming face to face with a Swainson’s thrush”
Tag Archives: birds
The catbird’s seat
Catbirds are ubiquitous in my part of the world. With their Mohawk hairdos, they show up at the feeders at home and chatter away in the trees whenever I venture out to the parks nearby and beyond. This morning, the gray catbird pictured above was perched on a bare tree — in the catbird seat,Continue reading “The catbird’s seat”
On a gray day, a black and white warbler shines
One of the pleasures of birding is meeting birders from other territories, and I had that pleasure again Sunday. My birding buddy Laura and I met at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm with a couple from Quebec to whom we’d been introduced by another work colleague. Under an overcast sky and drizzling rain, the fourContinue reading “On a gray day, a black and white warbler shines”
The magnificent blue jay
As ubiquitous as the blue jay is in much of this part of the world, I’ve taken relatively few photos of them in wild, especially when compared with many less common species. Early in my walk this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, I spotted one sitting regally atop a tree and snapped away.Continue reading “The magnificent blue jay”
A great day for hawks
It was another sunny morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, and my friend Andy and I set off for adventure about 7:20 a.m. I’ve been in a hawk drought of late, having seen just one red-tailed hawk a few days ago but otherwise having gone weeks without seeing any, let alone another variety. ThatContinue reading “A great day for hawks”
A magnificent surprise: a great horned owl
As we headed up the trail this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, my friends Jim and Andy and I had no clue of the wonderful surprise awaiting us in the woods. We were hoping we’d see a few of the warblers that have been trickling into the park this week. The weather wasContinue reading “A magnificent surprise: a great horned owl”
An unexpected milestone: 1,000 Mercer County checklists
I reached a birding milestone today, submitting my 1,000th e-Bird checklist in Mercer County, New Jersey. By happenstance the day before I discovered I had completed 998 checklists, and I added No. 999 yesterday afternoon with a short visit to Colonial Lake Park in Lawrence Township. It was an easy decision on where to goContinue reading “An unexpected milestone: 1,000 Mercer County checklists”
Awaiting the warblers but still having plenty to see
While my social media feeds are awash in warblers, I have been waiting to see them in my neck of the woods. I went to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm today with high hopes to spot one. My friend Andy caught up with me shortly after I arrived, and — to relieve you of theContinue reading “Awaiting the warblers but still having plenty to see”
Waking up to the robins
Well before dawn, the robins in our neighborhood start singing. I don’t think they’re trying to wake me up or spur me to get out of bed, but in whatever message they’re conveying, they are persistent. This morning, I listened to them for 5 or 10 minutes, and when I heard a cardinal start singingContinue reading “Waking up to the robins”
In the middle of the night, a screech owl pays a call
“What bird is that?” The question, posed by my wife, came at about 2:20 a.m. “What bird?” i asked groggily, awakening from a deep sleep. “THAT bird,” she said. “Can’t you hear it? It woke me up.” “No, I can’t.,” I said, glancing at the clock. I took a few seconds to debate whether itContinue reading “In the middle of the night, a screech owl pays a call”
The Jersey Birder 