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”
Tag Archives: migration
Starlings have surprising charms
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”
Seeing old friends before the migrants arrive
Fall migrants are slowly beginning to arrive in my part of the world. Meantime, I’ve been savoring seeing the birds who’ve been gracing our fields and forests over the spring and summer before they, too, head south. This morning at the Pole Farm, I was pleased to observe a few common yellowthroats. All but oneContinue reading “Seeing old friends before the migrants arrive”
At last, a red-eyed vireo appears (also, butterflies)
I have noted that I have a devil of a time spotting red-eyed vireos, a bird that I hear on most outings to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm and many other spots in my part of New Jersey but rarely see. So it was a delight this morning when at the Pole Farm, my friendContinue reading “At last, a red-eyed vireo appears (also, butterflies)”
Great blues rule, but green herons are also cool
Just about any piece of property that has a puddle of water or more in my part of the world, it seems, is habitat for great blue herons. I’ve seen them fly over our house after they’ve taken off from the golf course retention pond that’s about a 3-wood away from our property line. Today,Continue reading “Great blues rule, but green herons are also cool”
A summer smorgasbord of New Jersey birds
In between spring and fall migration, we have plenty of resident and visiting birds to excite us, even if the variety isn’t quite as robust as when migrants are on the move. While having dinner at our kitchen table Sunday evening, my wife and I were delighted to see four (4!) juvenile bluebirds in ourContinue reading “A summer smorgasbord of New Jersey birds”
Has the summer slowdown begun at the Pole Farm?
Spring migration is over, and most birds have settled into where they’ll spend the summer. I crossed paths with a birding friend yesterday, and we both noted that opportunities to see and photograph birds at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm seem as if they are starting to slow. On Wednesday, for example, I shot photosContinue reading “Has the summer slowdown begun at the Pole Farm?”
Spotting the prothonotary warbler and its nest
Each of the last few years, prothonotary warblers have shown up during Spring migration at the Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal. It took me a few visits, but today I struck gold, so to speak. As I arrived at the parking lot, I turned on the Merlin app and hoped it wouldContinue reading “Spotting the prothonotary warbler and its nest”
Warbler weekend has been a blast
Spring migration probably reached its peak this weekend, and I spent a good deal of time in the field to experience it. The highlight was Saturday, when my friend Jim and I went to the Ted Stiles Preserve on Baldpate Mountain, hard by the Delaware River at Titusville, New Jersey. Although I’d hiked Baldpate aContinue reading “Warbler weekend has been a blast”
Things are looking up in birding
With migration underway, we birders spend a lot of time looking up to spot warblers high up in trees. On two outings this week, I’ve seen few warblers but have spent a lot of time craning my neck. I looked up at the Pole Farm on Wednesday to see a red-winged blackbird chasing a red-tailedContinue reading “Things are looking up in birding”