It was a comical scene at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm: my birding buddies Lee, Jim and I we’re standing in front of a section of trees and bushes, watching a ruby-crowned kinglet flit from branch to branch. Each of is a well-experienced birder and photographer, and we were all bemoaning how quickly the kingletContinue reading “How to capture a kinglet”
Tag Archives: nature
Birds and fall color: a great combination
This is a golden time for birding, with the fall color peaking and enough leaves falling to increase the odds of seeing more birds in the branches. This morning was a nice example, as my pal Jim and I headed to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. The sun was out in full, shining liberally onContinue reading “Birds and fall color: a great combination”
Sparrows a-go-go at the Pole Farm
We’ve had a beautiful fall weekend here in central New Jersey, with warmer-than-we-really-should-have temperatures poking into the upper 70s. I was able to get two good outings in at the Mercer Meadow Pole Farm, where sparrows took center stage. I’m leading the post with two of the Savannah sparrows I saw while walking up theContinue reading “Sparrows a-go-go at the Pole Farm”
A beautiful weekend for birding, part 2
On Sunday, I made my first stop at the Charles Rogers Preserve in Princeton, where other birders have been reporting good warbler traffic. As I stepped out of my car at the parking lot, plenty of birds were calling. My warbler brain has not been challenged much this fall, and I struggled at first toContinue reading “A beautiful weekend for birding, part 2”
A beautiful weekend for birding, part 1
Where to begin? This weekend has offered a lot of birding thrills in addition to beautiful weather. The sun has been shining as I’ve made several stops at parks near home. The temperature reached the mid-80s Saturday and is expected to do so again today. I’ll start with the rare bird that came Saturday toContinue reading “A beautiful weekend for birding, part 1”
Great light brightens the birds
My last two outings to Mercer Meadows brought lighting challenges and opportunities. Each morning started with heavy fog, with the sun ultimately breaking through and burning off the gray stuff. Sometimes, the fog makes for interesting, moody shots. I went to the Reed-Bryan Farm side of the park today. The fog was heavy, and throughContinue reading “Great light brightens the birds”
A day of discovery and a lifer, sort of
I made two visits to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm today, and it was full of surprises. On a longer than usual three-mile walk in the morning, I finally added a red-headed woodpecker to my e-Bird reports. It was a lifer. Or was it? I’ve been hoping to spot a red-headed woodpecker since I beganContinue reading “A day of discovery and a lifer, sort of”
Finding beauty in common birds
With their plain-Jane garb of brownish gray and drab white, female house finches don’t draw the eye the way their male companions do with their deep red feathers. When the female finches show up at our feeders, I glance at them, make a mental note of their number and hope something brighter will fly inContinue reading “Finding beauty in common birds”
Magnificent Sunday with a bald eagle
When several hours of rain finally lapsed Sunday afternoon, my wife suggested I head out with my camera. I had not expected to have an opportunity to do any birding, so I jumped at the chance — promising to be back soon to help get things in order for dinner guests. Because of all theContinue reading “Magnificent Sunday with a bald eagle”
Common yellowthroats are still with us
I am not shy in sharing my enthusiasm for common yellowthroats. Consider this another stanza in a long-running poem in tribute. As with many species, the yellowthroat’s territory-claiming, mate-seeking songs of spring subside over the summer. Over the last few weeks, I’ve heard scant few of their familiar “wickety-wickety-wickety” proclaimings from the parks and preservesContinue reading “Common yellowthroats are still with us”
The Jersey Birder 