nature – Page 4 – The Jersey Birder

Common yellowthroats are still with us

Male common yellowthroat straddles branches in the middle of a small tree, with green leaves in the background.

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”

Birds kissed by morning light

A Northern cardinal, deep red with some black streaks about its head for missing feathers, snacks on a rolled up leaf whiile perched on a tree branch.

We’ve had a delightful run of sunny days of late. I’ve donned a jacket a few times on my morning walks because the post-dawn temperatures have dipped into the low 60s and even the 50s. This morning dawned gloriously, and I got out to the Pole Farm hoping to photograph some of the warblers thatContinue reading “Birds kissed by morning light”

An abundance of pewees enlivens the soundscape

The sweet “pee-uh-wee!” call of the Eastern wood pewee has been sounding repeatedly in my part of New Jersey this Labor Day weekend. I heard several again this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm and at the Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal. More often than not, I log my e-Bird peweeContinue reading “An abundance of pewees enlivens the soundscape”

It’s good to be back home and welcoming warblers

A male scarlet tanager perches on a tree branch. The bird has black wings and a scarlet body with a patch of yellow on its side.

With the sun fully out and the temperature a cool 51 degrees, I headed to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning for my first home outing since returning from Maine. I had checked Birdcast to find that warblers are returning to Mercer County on their fall migration, and I hoped I’d chance upon aContinue reading “It’s good to be back home and welcoming warblers”

A little birding in Downeast Maine

A ruby-throated hummingbird hovers just to the right of a tall stock of cardinal flower, with bright red blossoms.

My wife and I headed to New England for a few days, with a stop in the Berkshires of Massachusetts on our way to Bar Harbor. On the 1,500-mile roundtrip, I didn’t have a lot of time for birding. But at Acadia National Park, we had some lovely close encounters with ruby-throated hummingbirds, and IContinue reading “A little birding in Downeast Maine”

The (bird) dog days of summer

An indigo bunting, photographed from below, sits on a bare tree branch below a deep blue sky.

We are in the “dog days” of summer. The dog star, Sirius, dips low on the horizon, and our canine companions, sapped by the heat, are low on energy. For birders, this time of year brings a lull in species sightings. The migrant warblers are in their northern breeding grounds, many weeks off from whenContinue reading “The (bird) dog days of summer”

Braving shoe-sucking mud for photos

A green heron, feet obscured by grasses, stands on a downed log in a swamp.

The Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal has been drawing lots of birders to check out the little blue herons that have taken up residence for the last week or so. I’d stopped by a few days ago and went back Sunday afternoon. At this time of year, the trees are thick withContinue reading “Braving shoe-sucking mud for photos”

Sedge wrens enliven birding in Princeton

Sedge wren perched atop a plant, partially obscured by branches.

It’s always fun when a rare visitor comes to town, and the birding buzz around Princeton the last few days has been about a pair of sedge wrens who have come calling at the Mountain Lakes Preserve. Reports on the wrens had been coming in from e-Bird, and this morning I decided to take myContinue reading “Sedge wrens enliven birding in Princeton”

Ironic twists add to my birding experiences

A view of a creek running through the botanic garden from above.

While it didn’t quite rise to the nemesis stage, a broad-winged hawk had been one of the species I’d been itching to add to my life list. One of them has again taken up residence near an overpass on Interstate 295 only a few miles from my home. My birding buddy Jim Parris had spottedContinue reading “Ironic twists add to my birding experiences”

A goldfinch saves the day on the photo front

Male American goldfinch sitting on tree branch with dark green leaves behind him.

One of the things I love about birding is its unpredictability. Some days birds abound, other days they hunker down. Then there’s a day like yesterday, when plenty of birds were out but only a few came into view for photos. When I got back home from the Pole Farm, I took stock of whatContinue reading “A goldfinch saves the day on the photo front”