indigo buntings – The Jersey Birder

A-bunting we shall go

A deep blue indigo bunting perches on a tree branch, with green leaves behind him.

For the second consecutive Saturday, my birding buddy Jim and I headed to Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, homing in on the hilly portion of the park that hosts the aviation navigation beacon. The hilltop fields remain rich in wildflowers, a powerful draw for birds and butterflies in colors as vivid as the blossoms. The standoutContinue reading “A-bunting we shall go”

Indigo buntings a-go-go at Assunpink WMA

A deep blue indigo bunting sits on a tree branch near red mulberries.

Jim and I went in search of dickcissels this morning, heading to Millstone Township in Monmouth County where he had heard tell of those uncommon visitors. We pulled off Trenton Lakewood Road across from a big field and immediately heard our target. It took a while to spot one, and eventually two dickcissels sat atopContinue reading “Indigo buntings a-go-go at Assunpink WMA”

Another routine day of Pole Farm birding

A tufted titmouse peeks out from a vee of branches in a tree.

Even an ordinary day of birding at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm can become extraordinary. Today, for example. No unusual species appeared, which was not a surprise during this mid-summer lull when many birds go quiet if not away. I was lucky to catch an indigo bunting singing from atop a low tree in oneContinue reading “Another routine day of Pole Farm birding”

Birds make me smile; do they smile back?

A willow flycatcher sings with its beak wide open as it perches on a small tree branch.

Birds make me happy, and many of them make me smile. Northern cardinals and indigo buntings always lift my spirits, for example, as their thrilling colors brighten my world. Other birds instantly bring a smile to my face, whether it’s the chickadee calling “dee-dee-dee” near one of our feeders or the goofy brown thrasher mumbo-jumboingContinue reading “Birds make me smile; do they smile back?”

The (bird) dog days of summer

An indigo bunting, photographed from below, sits on a bare tree branch below a deep blue sky.

We are in the “dog days” of summer. The dog star, Sirius, dips low on the horizon, and our canine companions, sapped by the heat, are low on energy. For birders, this time of year brings a lull in species sightings. The migrant warblers are in their northern breeding grounds, many weeks off from whenContinue reading “The (bird) dog days of summer”

Hanging at the Pole Farm ‘hot corner’

Baltimore oriole perched atop a tree trunk, with clear blue sky in background,

Every so often, I like to take a different tack when visiting my favorite birding spots. This morning at the Pole Farm, I headed to the Blackwell Road parking lot and crossed into Mercer Meadows. My hope was to get a few photos of indigo buntings, which often sing from the trees along the walkingContinue reading “Hanging at the Pole Farm ‘hot corner’”