One of my frequent and favorite birding spots until last year was Mercer Corporate Park, a site with a USDA office and a few other small office buildings clustered around two small lakes that attracted a wide variety of birds. For many months, construction crews have put up two large warehouses and dramatically changed theContinue reading “A fine birding spot ruined, or nearly so”
Tag Archives: nature
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”
Bobolinks abound at Alpha Grasslands Preserve
I’m plodding along on my quest to go birding in all 21 of New Jersey’s counties, and today I registered No. 14. My pal Jim and I drove north along the Delaware River to visit the Alpha Grasslands Preserve in Warren County. Google Maps took us to a trailhead on Oberly Road, where a signContinue reading “Bobolinks abound at Alpha Grasslands Preserve”
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”
The pleasures of daily birding
Unless the weather is horrible or I have a family or other priority commitment, I get out birding almost every day. Most of my outings run in the 90-minute range, but shorter sessions can also bring joy. Today was an unusual three-stop day, starting at the Charles Rogers Preserve in Princeton for about 45 minutesContinue reading “The pleasures of daily birding”
A-bunting we shall go
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”
At last, I get a great crested flycatcher in my viewfinder
It’s been bugging me these first seven months of the year that I have yet to get a photo of a great crested flycatcher. I finally got one this morning at John A. Roebling Park in Abbott Marshlands, Hamilton. I was coming up the path from the parking lot when I spotted a bird aheadContinue reading “At last, I get a great crested flycatcher in my viewfinder”
Butterflies and bugs love New Jersey wildflowers
When I’m on birding walks, I always admire the wildflowers that line the trails and that sometimes blanket big swaths of meadows in vibrant colors. In recent weeks, I’ve seen more and more butterflies, dragonflies and bees sampling the sugars from the blossoms. I needn’t even leave my home to take in the sights. SwallowtailContinue reading “Butterflies and bugs love New Jersey wildflowers”
Indigo buntings a-go-go at Assunpink WMA
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
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”