photogrpahy – The Jersey Birder

At last, a red-eyed vireo appears (also, butterflies)

A red-eyed vireo is bathed in sunlight while perched on a tree branch.

I have noted that I have a devil of a time spotting red-eyed vireos, a bird that I hear on most outings to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm and many other spots in my part of New Jersey but rarely see. So it was a delight this morning when at the Pole Farm, my friendContinue reading “At last, a red-eyed vireo appears (also, butterflies)”

Bobolinks abound at Alpha Grasslands Preserve

A bobolink turns its head while perched atop a green shrub. The bird's head is mostly tan with a yellow beak, and the breast is yellow below a streaky brown neck.

I’m plodding along on my quest to go birding in all 21 of New Jersey’s counties, and today I registered No. 14. My pal Jim and I drove north along the Delaware River to visit the Alpha Grasslands Preserve in Warren County. Google Maps took us to a trailhead on Oberly Road, where a signContinue reading “Bobolinks abound at Alpha Grasslands Preserve”

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”

Another day in the New Jersey pines

A red-headed woodpecker pokes its head out from behind a thick tree branch.

If you’re wondering if warblers are still hanging around in New Jersey in mid-July, the answer is yes. It helps to travel to the Pine Barrens to find them, as my pal Jim and I did this morning. We headed to the MIchael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve, stopping in two areas. The first was aContinue reading “Another day in the New Jersey pines”

Cold-weather birding is back

A red-bellied woodpecker pauses on a tree branch before attacking the bark for bugs.

It was a chilly 13 degrees Fahrenheit when I reached the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm yesterday morning. Even without a breeze, few birds were out half an hour after sunrise. But avian activity picked up as I reached the woods up the central trail. First to appear were several robins flitting about the trees. IContinue reading “Cold-weather birding is back”

Sometimes, the birds come to us

You can tramp for an hour through the woods and fail to find a bird to photograph, and sometimes all you have to do is look up from the kitchen table to find something magnificent paying you a call. The latter happened yesterday as my wife and I sat down to lunch. I was oneContinue reading “Sometimes, the birds come to us”