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”
Tag Archives: nature
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”
Another day in the New Jersey pines
If you’re wondering if warblers are still hanging around in New Jersey in mid-July, the answer is yes. It helps to travel to the Pine Barrens to find them, as my pal Jim and I did this morning. We headed to the MIchael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve, stopping in two areas. The first was aContinue reading “Another day in the New Jersey pines”
Birds make me smile; do they smile back?
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?”
Least bitterns cause a stir at Rosedale Park in Pennington
Every once in a while, Mercer County hosts a celebrity bird or two. This week, the least bitterns that have shown up at Rosedale Park in Pennington are doing their star turn, luring birders in bunches. When birding buddy Jim and I showed up this morning, we spotted a group of birders with long cameraContinue reading “Least bitterns cause a stir at Rosedale Park in Pennington”
A five-lifer day down the Jersey shore
With the Atlantic City skyline in the distance, my friend Jim and I explored the Great Bay Boulevard Wildlife Management Area at Tuckerton today. I added five species to my life list. Even better, I got photos of each. I’m topping this post with a photo of one of those, a saltmarsh sparrow. We heardContinue reading “A five-lifer day down the Jersey shore”
Ovenbirds: loud and lovely warblers
The loud, insistent call of the ovenbird is a daily experience in the woods at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, but it’s rare that I get to see one. Today, I spotted two. I took an unusual route. I headed up the central trail from the Cold Soil Road parking lot, turned right to theContinue reading “Ovenbirds: loud and lovely warblers”
Capturing a wood thrush in two media
The mellifluent songs of wood thrushes fill the woods where I walk at the Mercer Meadows this time of the year, but it’s a rare day when I am able to spot one. My luck changed Sunday morning. I began my walk from the parking lot at the Reed-Bryan Farm side of the park andContinue reading “Capturing a wood thrush in two media”