I’ve never had a better May for birding than this one. By spotting three double-crested cormorants in a tree at the Millstone River Impoundment in Princeton today, I logged my 100th species for Mercer County. The numbers are all well and good, especially since I had an eight-day stretch in which I didn’t have anContinue reading “Chasing bobolinks and wrapping up a record month”
Tag Archives: New Jersey
Warbler weekend has been a blast
Spring migration probably reached its peak this weekend, and I spent a good deal of time in the field to experience it. The highlight was Saturday, when my friend Jim and I went to the Ted Stiles Preserve on Baldpate Mountain, hard by the Delaware River at Titusville, New Jersey. Although I’d hiked Baldpate aContinue reading “Warbler weekend has been a blast”
A three-lifer day in the Pine Barrens
My buddy Jim and I drove through the fog down to the Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Reserve in the Pine Barrens this morning. Although we did spot a few prairie warblers, they weren’t the day’s highlight. Jim has been to the Huber reserve many times, but this was my first visit to the sprawling stretchContinue reading “A three-lifer day in the Pine Barrens”
The cool, clear call of the Baltimore oriole
It’s hard to pick a favorite song or call of the birds I encounter in my part of the world, but unquestionably the sweet, clear song of the Baltimore oriole is among my favorites. I heard one for the first time this spring at the Pole Farm on Tuesday and heard another this morning atContinue reading “The cool, clear call of the Baltimore oriole”
How to spot a spotted sandpiper
It’s not easy. I went to Veterans Park in Hamilton on Sunday afternoon, hoping to get a look at a few birds I don’t find at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm or at other sans water spots. Although I would not see many birds, I did add two species to my e-Bird log for April.Continue reading “How to spot a spotted sandpiper”
A most cooperative bird: the yellow-throated warbler
As my birding pal Jim and I made the hour-and-a-quarter drive to Estell Manor Park on Saturday, he guaranteed that I would get a lifer bird: the yellow-throated warbler. Never has been getting a lifer so easy. As we got out of the car in the parking lot at the visitor center, Jim immediately saidContinue reading “A most cooperative bird: the yellow-throated warbler”
A birding adventure in the Pine Barrens
We weren’t out to find the mythical Jersey Devil. My friend Jim and I set out for Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in the Pinelands to find pine warblers and red-headed woodpeckers. Jim, who has been visiting Colliers Mills since he was a kid, guaranteed that we’d find the red-headed woodpeckers and figured we hadContinue reading “A birding adventure in the Pine Barrens”
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
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
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”
The Jersey Birder 