New Jersey – The Jersey Birder

Birding destination: Shark River Inlet

Needing to burn some vacation time, I took the day off and headed east to the New Jersey shore. The drive was mostly a straight shot along Interstate 195, which stretches from Trenton to Belmar, and took me less than an hour. The Shark River Inlet is where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean atContinue reading “Birding destination: Shark River Inlet”

Better birding weather is on the way

A male Northern cardinal perches on a bare tree branch with a deep gray sky behind him. Skinny tree branches frame the bird.

At last, the long winter appears to be abating, and the birds are singing and otherwise are more active than they were during the long stretch of cold weeks we had in New Jersey and the Northeast. I went to the Pole Farm on Saturday, which started with fairly thick fog. It started lifting asContinue reading “Better birding weather is on the way”

A likely last chance for snow shots during the Great Backyard Bird Count

Purple finch perched amid a tangle of brown and tan tree branches.

With around-the-clock above-freezing temperatures in the offing, this weekend was likely my last chance to try for shots of birds in the snow. It was not to be. My friend Jim and I hit multiple spots on Saturday, starting at the nearly bird-less Pole Farm. Not a great start for the Great Backyard Bird Count.Continue reading “A likely last chance for snow shots during the Great Backyard Bird Count”

Backyard birds warm up a cold day

The wind is howling, the thermometer is at 10 degrees, and I’m sticking close to home. Fortunately, I filled the feeders yesterday and today, and the neighborhood birds are flocking to them. My wife and I looked up from our cheesesteak lunches to find a beautiful Northern flicker perched on one of the shepherd’s hooks.Continue reading “Backyard birds warm up a cold day”

Crossing the frozen Delaware River for a lifer

A horned lark forages on a snow-covered field on which black seeds have been liberally scattered.

We’re in a long stretch of frigid weather, and it was 6 degrees when I headed off yesterday morning for a birding jaunt with my ace birding pal Jim. Our first stop was a new one for me: the Trenton sewage ponds. Yes, the cement-framed pools at the Trenton sewage treatment plant near the edgeContinue reading “Crossing the frozen Delaware River for a lifer”

Losing track of time while tracking birds

A red-bellied woodpecker clings to one of several trees in a wooded area.

Unexpectedly, I had a transformative experience while birding in the woods today. I had intended to drive to Trenton marsh but mistakenly took an early exit off Interstate 295 and decided to drive to Veterans Park in Hamilton. Once there, I skirted Martin’s Lake and headed onto the trail that runs along the lake’s southContinue reading “Losing track of time while tracking birds”

When raptors make a house call — at your own home

A bald eagle flies over the golf course, with a a flag for the 10th green at lower right.

I wasn’t able to leave home today to go birding, which makes what transpired this afternoon all the more remarkable. Early in the afternoon, just before my wife and I sat down for lunch, I looked out the dining room window and was astonished to see a hawk in the laurel tree that marks theContinue reading “When raptors make a house call — at your own home”

A (tundra) swan song for 2025

A tundra swan turns its head in the direction of a ring-billed gull to its right. Both birds are floating on the blue water of Spring Lake.

For my last outing of 2025, I headed to John Roebling Park late this morning, hoping to catch sight of a tundra swan that was reported there yesterday. I had only to walk a short way up the trail from the parking lot to spot the bird, chilling with a few gulls in the middleContinue reading “A (tundra) swan song for 2025”

Indoor ‘birding’ at the Princeton University Art Museum

Claude Monet's "The Houses of Parliament, Seagulls, 1903" showing the Houses through a fog with a flock of seagulls soaring through the air.

With winds gusting to 50 mph today, I was not in the mood to battle the cold when I expected few birds would be flying. Instead, I headed to the Princeton University Art Museum, intent on pursuing a weird idea: to find birds depicted in the museum’s collections. The new museum, which opened to theContinue reading “Indoor ‘birding’ at the Princeton University Art Museum”

A rare Pole Farm visitor from the west: a Townsend’s warbler

Illustration showing yellow and black Townsend's warbler perched on a pine branch, with "Rare Bird Alert" in curved text at top of image.

We had a bit of birding excitement this week when a Townsend’s warbler was spotted at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. Word got out Wednesday afternoon, and I hoped when I’d be able go to the park on Thursday that the bird would still be around. I got to the park around 9 a.m. and,Continue reading “A rare Pole Farm visitor from the west: a Townsend’s warbler”