photography – The Jersey Birder

The pleasures of daily birding

A bald eagle lifts its head up and looks toward the sky. The bird has a white head, brown body and yellow talons.

Unless the weather is horrible or I have a family or other priority commitment, I get out birding almost every day. Most of my outings run in the 90-minute range, but shorter sessions can also bring joy. Today was an unusual three-stop day, starting at the Charles Rogers Preserve in Princeton for about 45 minutesContinue reading “The pleasures of daily birding”

A-bunting we shall go

A deep blue indigo bunting perches on a tree branch, with green leaves behind him.

For the second consecutive Saturday, my birding buddy Jim and I headed to Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, homing in on the hilly portion of the park that hosts the aviation navigation beacon. The hilltop fields remain rich in wildflowers, a powerful draw for birds and butterflies in colors as vivid as the blossoms. The standoutContinue reading “A-bunting we shall go”

At last, I get a great crested flycatcher in my viewfinder

Great crested flycatcher perched on a thick tree branch. The slender bird has a pale yellow breast and brown wings and long tail.

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”

Butterflies and bugs love New Jersey wildflowers

An Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly -- with black trim on its yellow wings -- lands on a pink wild bergamot blossom.

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

A deep blue indigo bunting sits on a tree branch near red mulberries.

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

A tufted titmouse peeks out from a vee of branches in a tree.

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”

More warblers in the New Jersey Pine Pinelands

A black-and-white warbler opens its beak wide to sing while perched on a bare tree branch. Green leaves dappled by sunlight form the background.

My buddy Jim and I headed south once more today to the Pine Barrens, hoping to find a summer tanager in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. In my Subaru Outback, we crawled along some sandy trails and negotiated many large puddles to get deep into the woods. Alas, no summer tanagers brightened our day, evenContinue reading “More warblers in the New Jersey Pine Pinelands”

New neighbors: the bluebirds out back

An Eastern bluebird peeks out of the entry hole of a carved wooden bird house that has to eyes to make its front look like a human face.

One male Eastern bluebird stopped by one of our backyard bird boxes on Wednesday, taking a look inside the entry hole that gnawing squirrels enlarged over the past couple of years. On Thursday evening, I spotted a male perched on the chain to our hammock near the bird house. Then — mirabile dictu — aContinue reading “New neighbors: the bluebirds out back”

Retirement means more time for birding!

A male Baltimore perches on a treetop branch.

My retirement from Princeton University took effect Wednesday, and I took first opportunity to head to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. The morning was sunny and warm, and I knew those conditions would not last as a heat dome was starting to form over New Jersey and much of the Eastern United States. As theContinue reading “Retirement means more time for birding!”

Birds make me smile; do they smile back?

A willow flycatcher sings with its beak wide open as it perches on a small tree branch.

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?”