Mercer Meadows – The Jersey Birder

The Northern harriers are back where they belong: the Pole Farm

A female Northern harrier flies toward a line of trees decked out in fall colors of red and orange.

Early this year, it seemed that fewer Northern harriers than usual were hunting in the fields of the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. I’m happy to report that as fall is in full swing, the harriers are back and reliably on view most days. This morning, for example, one of the harriers was parked on aContinue reading “The Northern harriers are back where they belong: the Pole Farm”

A birding walk through fall foliage at the Pole Farm

A red sumac tree stands just off the trail, with a wall of trees with red, yellow, orange and green leaves lines the background under a bright blue sky.

Autumn days can be glorious, and today is a stunner. Tied up early in the morning, I got out to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm about 11 a.m. and made a two-mile loop in just over an hour. My main purpose in going was birding, of course, and at that relatively late arrival time IContinue reading “A birding walk through fall foliage at the Pole Farm”

Surprise sightings aided by e-Bird’s photo recognition software

A song sparrow perches on a horizontal tree branch with brown grasses in the background.

It’s no surprise to see a song sparrow in my neck of the woods. They appear regularly at our feeders at home and in the parks and woods across this part of the country. This morning, I caught the one topping this post near the parking lot at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. While mostContinue reading “Surprise sightings aided by e-Bird’s photo recognition software”

Checking out a new place to bird: Heritage Preserve

Male Northern flicker, with a black malar stripe on its face, sits on a branch high up in a tree. Its lower body is partly obscured by green leaves.

I made on of my usual trips to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning, and in the afternoon I decided to try a place I had not yet visited. About five miles from my home and just off Interstate 295 near the Pennington-Ewing border is the Heritage Preserve. It’s a 66-acre tract of formerContinue reading “Checking out a new place to bird: Heritage Preserve”

The Fall Big Day really was a big day

A yellow-rumped warbler perches in a tree amid leaves and branches at John A. Roebling park.

Saturday was the Fall Big Day for birding, organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and I did my part. Yellow-rumped warblers ruled in the stops I made in Mercer County, and in tribute I’ve posted a photo of one of them atop this post. I started the day at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm,Continue reading “The Fall Big Day really was a big day”

Sparrows, a harrier and an unexpected owl highlight the weekend

A Northern harrier, its wings spread wide, soars in the sky.

We’re nearing the peak of fall migration, yet I found few warblers this weekend. Instead, I was treated to a variety of sparrows and — best of all — had as close an encounter with a Northern harrier as one could hope to have. As I made my way up the central trail at theContinue reading “Sparrows, a harrier and an unexpected owl highlight the weekend”

Blue jays are magnificent

I guess it’s human nature that we value our common birds less than we do the uncommon or rare birds that come by. I was thinking while walking the Pole Farm trails yesterday that one such bird is the blue jay, common if not ubiquitous in the neighborhoods and the wilds of the United StatesContinue reading “Blue jays are magnificent”

Harriers and newly arriving sparrows usher in October

A female Northern harrier perches on a small tree with green leaves up top and leaves turned red at the bottom. The bird is turning her head to the left.

We flipped the calendar to October today, and the birding population in some ways is itself flipping. Take sparrows for example. The old standby house sparrows and song sparrows are still here while their migrant cousins begin to arrive. I spotted my first swamp sparrow of the season at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm onContinue reading “Harriers and newly arriving sparrows usher in October”

A one-bird day at Abbott Marshlands

An Eastern phoebe perches on a horizontal tree branch. The bird has an olive green back and a white breast with hints of yellow.

The Nor’easter finally churned away from New Jersey, and the rain fizzled out early this afternoon as I was on my way to John A. Roebling Park at Abbott Marshlands. I’d seen recent reports on e-Bird of Northern shovelers and hoped I’d find one. No such luck. After better than 48 hours of rain, theContinue reading “A one-bird day at Abbott Marshlands”

Starlings have surprising charms

Five starlings sit on bare branches at the top of a tree with a blue sky overhead.

Considered pests by many, European starlings won’t likely to top anyone’s favorite birds list beyond the Shakespeare fan who brought them to the United States in 1890. I like Shakespeare but I’m less enthused by starlings. I dismissively refer to them as “Euro trash,” but I usually hold a beat and then scold myself beingContinue reading “Starlings have surprising charms”