birdwatching – Page 3 – The Jersey Birder

I like small birds and I cannot lie

A willow flycatcher sits on a tree branch stretching diagonally across the frame.

Get a good look at the willow flycatcher topping this post. What a sweet bird! He or she was flitting about the grasses on the Reed Bryan section of Mercer Meadows this morning. The bird paused between sorties for bugs to afford me a chance to catch its portrait. I am smitten by these weeContinue reading “I like small birds and I cannot lie”

A lesson in allofeeding

A mother sparrow feeds a young sparrow from her beak as both birds sit on a curved iron plant stand. They are seen through an orchid with white blossoms.

While doing my morning reading from my easy chair Wednesday, I looked up to see a pair of house sparrows perched on a plant hanger propped against one of our dining room windows. One bird was feeding the other, zipping back and forth to the nearby tube feeder while the other stayed put. The birdsContinue reading “A lesson in allofeeding”

Lunch al fresco, with a birdsong soundtrack

View over a wooden fence into a big stand of tall trees.

With a pair of off-campus meetings bookending the lunch hour yesterday, I stopped at the Charles Rogers Nature Preserve in between appointments to have lunch with the birds. I parked near the main observation platform overlooking a large pond that at this time of year is covered almost completely in rushes and reeds. As IContinue reading “Lunch al fresco, with a birdsong soundtrack”

In search of yellow birds, with bald eagles as a bonus

Yellow warbler perched amid tree branches.

For weeks, I’ve been hearing yellow warblers on my birding jaunts but until this morning I hadn’t seen one. For days, I’ve been seeing reports of a prothonotary warbler nearby, and I hoped I might spot it today on my first attempt. I went to the Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal withContinue reading “In search of yellow birds, with bald eagles as a bonus”

It pays to shoot, even when in doubt

American goldfinch stretches its wings as it flies off from a muddy trail.

Morning broke foggy in my part of the world. A couple of days of heavy rain left us soggy and humid conditions. I dodged puddles as I headed up the central trail at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning and spotted an American goldfinch ahead of me. It was poking in the wet dirtContinue reading “It pays to shoot, even when in doubt”

A meadowlark serenade

Eastern meadowlark, lit by the sun, sings from a small tree amid the brown grasses of a field.

My birding opportunities are limited this week, so with the sun shining and the temperature flirting with 60 degrees, I decided to make a quick dash to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm after work. The highlight of my 2-mile stroll was a chorus of Eastern meadowlarks singing in the fields as I made my wayContinue reading “A meadowlark serenade”

Watching a bald eagle is good for the soul

A bald eagle flies in front of a stand of trees.

The other day I headed to the Millstone River Impoundment in Princeton to see what I could see. This would turn out to be a visit of quality over quantity. The scores of common mergansers that had flocked here a few days before had flown off, and only a few gulls and Canada geese wereContinue reading “Watching a bald eagle is good for the soul”

The cardinals are singing again

Northern cardinal on a bare tree branch.

Can Spring possibly be near? One sure sign is birdsong, and my mood lightened last week when I heard Northern cardinals singing at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm for two consecutive days. On the third day, I heard one singing as I went out to my car for a morning appointment. Again yesterday, I heardContinue reading “The cardinals are singing again”

A horned grebe does not disappoint

A horned grebe leans forward while crossing the water of Lake Mercer.

Reports came in Saturday on the Birding in Central New Jersey GroupMe chat channel that a horned grebe was hanging out with the Canada geese at Mercer County Park. More sightings were reported this morning, and I thought, why not? I’d never seen a horned grebe, let alone one near home. This was likely asContinue reading “A horned grebe does not disappoint”

Wings clipped, I can still do some birding

Carolina wren, beak open, clings to a suet feeder cage.

Last week I had knee replacement surgery, and it will be a few if not several weeks before I can get back out into the fields. Even though I’m largely homebound, I can still partake of the pleasure of watching the birds through the windows that frame our backyard and the golf course beyond it.Continue reading “Wings clipped, I can still do some birding”