common yellowthroat – The Jersey Birder

My 10 favorite bird photos of 2025

A female common yellowthroat, perched on a small brown branch in front of long green leaves, opens her beak wide to sing, almost appearing as if she's angry.

I’ve had a lot of fun reviewing the bird photos I took in 2025, and it took me several passes to sort out the top 10. Weirdly, on my first ranking, I discovered that a few of the birds that made my 2024 top 10 were included in my ’25 list. Was I playing favoritesContinue reading “My 10 favorite bird photos of 2025”

An instant bluebird sighting

An Eastern bluebird perches on the left edge of a sign that reads "Park Map." Green tree leaves are in the background.

Rarely does a photo opportunity present itself so quickly as it did this afternoon when I stepped out of my car at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. After a morning of rain, the sun shone weakly through an overcast sky late in the afternoon. I spotted a bird atop the park map sign at theContinue reading “An instant bluebird sighting”

Patience paid off: My first common yellowthroat photos of 2025

A common yellowthroat, jaws wide open, belts out a song from a small branch.

I’ve been hearing common yellowthroats for the past couple of weeks, and I’d managed to catch glimpses of them a couple of times. I knew that if I were patient, I’d eventually get a clear shot. That happened this morning, and in an unexpected way. Common yellowthroats typically lurk in the grasses and often popContinue reading “Patience paid off: My first common yellowthroat photos of 2025”

Bird counts ramp up as the weather warms

An American robin sings from a spindly tree branch, with leaves budding out on nearby stalks.

There’s no denying that Spring brings out the birds. It was sunny and light-jacket warm this morning when I visited the Pole Farm, and I was hoping to get a few shots of the common yellowthroats that have returned to the fields. I heard many but was only able to spot one, a male whoContinue reading “Bird counts ramp up as the weather warms”

Welcome back, lusty-voiced birds!

Ovenbird singing from tree branch, shot from below.

I love this time of year, when our seasonal visitors return. I had the pleasure of welcoming back two full-throated birds to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning. After clearing the fields and reaching the woods, I was on alert for whatever migrants might be stopping by or arriving for a longer stay. ThenContinue reading “Welcome back, lusty-voiced birds!”

A hint of fall at the Pole Farm

We’re still a few weeks away from the autumnal equinox, but Mother Nature is dropping a few hints that Fall is coming. The annual fall migration of birds is underway, and I’ve yet to see any southbound warblers in my treks at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. But this morning, an obliging Northern cardinal perchedContinue reading “A hint of fall at the Pole Farm”

The warblers are coming. Time to look up!

Spring migration has begun, and the warblers have started arriving here in central New Jersey. Within the past few days, I’ve seen palm warblers, a yellow warbler and common yellowthroats, all welcome returnees to my neck of the woods. As these birds and more arrive, I need to remind myself as I wander through theContinue reading “The warblers are coming. Time to look up!”

Some birds are not always as they seem

The weather turned colder late last week, and every birder I know was smiling. Colder weather brings a greater variety of birds this time of year, when the fall migration is underway. I’ve been spending more time of late at the old AT&T Building One site at the Pole Farm, at a crossroads in theContinue reading “Some birds are not always as they seem”

I’m uncommonly fond of the common yellowthroat

I believe I crossed the threshold from casual birder to thoroughly hooked last spring when I began recognizing the song of the common yellowthroat. The song was unique, and it was driving me crazy that I couldn’t see the bird chirping it from the trees at the Pole Farm at Mercer Meadows Park. Finally, IContinue reading “I’m uncommonly fond of the common yellowthroat”

The early bird gets the sightings

Up and about earlier than usual this morning, I headed over to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm and was rewarded richly. I had barely walked out of the parking lot at Cold Soil and Keefe roads when two tree swallows beckoned me in to one of the best birding locations in Mercer County. Red-winged blackbirdsContinue reading “The early bird gets the sightings”