A snow goose helps us see in the new year

“What’s that white bird out there?” my wife asked at the breakfast table this morning. “Out there, in the geese.” As there were about 200 Canada geese on the neighboring golf course, just beyond our property line, it took me a while to pick out the white bird. I grabbed my camera, dashed outside andContinue reading “A snow goose helps us see in the new year”

A no-owl Noel. But there were songs.

Merry Christmas to all! I hope your holiday is a happy one. After wrapping a few gifts yesterday afternoon, I went to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm and joined a few other photographers on an owl stakeout. I spent 90 minutes awaiting the arrival of short-eared owls. They didn’t show. But amusingly, as I wasContinue reading “A no-owl Noel. But there were songs.”

Short-eared owls are flying again at the Pole Farm

While we have yet to experience the packed-parking-lot frenzy of last winter, short-eared owls are back at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm and starting to show themselves before the sun goes down. The “shorties” have been in the park for several weeks. Birders have reported seeing them before dawn and after sunset. We’ve been waitingContinue reading “Short-eared owls are flying again at the Pole Farm”

A trio of eagles greets me

With the mercury at a frigid 11 degrees Fahrenheit, I scraped the ice off the windshield of our Subaru this morning and drove to the Millstone River Impoundment in Princeton. To my delight, a few minutes after I stepped out of my car I spotted three bald eagles circling overhead. Two of them were matureContinue reading “A trio of eagles greets me”

Adding to my life list in Europe

One of our sons had a meeting in Prague, so my wife and I booked flights to join him afterward on our first trip to Europe as a couple. I knew the trip would mostly be about seeing the sights (and they were spectacular) so I didn’t bring my big Sigma zoom lens that IContinue reading “Adding to my life list in Europe”

The outdoor avian portrait studio

Like life, birds move pretty fast. But every so often they park in place, giving us photographers an opportunity to compose and take their portraits. I had two cracks at it today, this first day of December. As I was making my way back to my car this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm,Continue reading “The outdoor avian portrait studio”

Savannah sparrows speak to me (and I am corrected)

The grasslands in the fields at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm are prime habitat for Savannah sparrows, and I never tire of taking photos of them. This morning, I found the one topping this post in a tree at the history exhibit for the AT&T radio telephone years that spanned much of the 20th century.Continue reading “Savannah sparrows speak to me (and I am corrected)”

Winter residents return to Trenton

It always seems I’m short on seeing water birds, so this morning I headed to John A. Roebling Park, commonly referred to as Trenton marsh. The marsh had plenty of activity when I arrived about 7:45 a.m. Canada geese and mallards were plying the water — no surprise — and adjoining Spring Lake was suddenlyContinue reading “Winter residents return to Trenton”

A close encounter with a red-tailed hawk (and more)

My birding buddy Jim and I have walked the trails of the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm many times, but today was the first time we pulled into the parking lot almost simultaneously. Within a few minutes, a rare treat was in store. We and other regular Pole farmers have been grousing of late about theContinue reading “A close encounter with a red-tailed hawk (and more)”

Getting a good look at a long-eared owl

Owls have long fascinated humans, as attested by the ancient Greeks, who linked the birds to the goddess of wisdom, Athena. For those of us living in the modern world, owls remain a symbol of wisdom themselves. I’ve had few opportunities to gaze into their soulful eyes, and I recently got the opportunity to seeContinue reading “Getting a good look at a long-eared owl”