I’ve been hearing common yellowthroats for the past couple of weeks, and I’d managed to catch glimpses of them a couple of times. I knew that if I were patient, I’d eventually get a clear shot. That happened this morning, and in an unexpected way. Common yellowthroats typically lurk in the grasses and often popContinue reading “Patience paid off: My first common yellowthroat photos of 2025”
Tag Archives: Pole Farm
A cuckoo surprise to start the day
Unpredictably is one of the true pleasures of birding. You simply have no clue when something unusual will appear. So it was Saturday when I pulled into the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm parking lot around 7 o’clock in the morning. I had just put my car in park when Lee pulled in beside me. I’dContinue reading “A cuckoo surprise to start the day”
Bird counts ramp up as the weather warms
There’s no denying that Spring brings out the birds. It was sunny and light-jacket warm this morning when I visited the Pole Farm, and I was hoping to get a few shots of the common yellowthroats that have returned to the fields. I heard many but was only able to spot one, a male whoContinue reading “Bird counts ramp up as the weather warms”
Welcome back, lusty-voiced birds!
I love this time of year, when our seasonal visitors return. I had the pleasure of welcoming back two full-throated birds to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning. After clearing the fields and reaching the woods, I was on alert for whatever migrants might be stopping by or arriving for a longer stay. ThenContinue reading “Welcome back, lusty-voiced birds!”
All hail the Northern cardinal
What is it about Northern cardinals that makes us homo sapiens swoon? Whenever I post a batch of bird photos to Facebook, if there’s a cardinal in the lot, it usually draws the most likes and comments, The cardinal is the state bird of my native Ohio, and I’ve always known them since I wasContinue reading “All hail the Northern cardinal”
A suprisingly good morning for photos
After a few days of rain and a forecast for heavy clouds today, I wasn’t expecting good conditions for photos as I headed to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm this morning. I was hoping that I might be able to spot a few early arriving warblers in the trees, which wasn’t to be. But IContinue reading “A suprisingly good morning for photos”
Let’s hear it for the field sparrow
I had little opportunity to go birding during the work week, so getting out Saturday morning was a priority. The sun was out as I arrived at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, but a wall of clouds soon moved in. Nonetheless, it was bright enough when I reached the old AT&T Building One site aboutContinue reading “Let’s hear it for the field sparrow”
A real estate rush at the Pole Farm
Even without the formal arrival of Spring on the calendar, you know it’s a new season at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. The tree swallows are back, jetting over the fields and checking out the bird boxes. The boxes are cozy quarters for the swallows and Eastern bluebirds, the latter staying in the park year-round.Continue reading “A real estate rush at the Pole Farm”
A meadowlark serenade
My birding opportunities are limited this week, so with the sun shining and the temperature flirting with 60 degrees, I decided to make a quick dash to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm after work. The highlight of my 2-mile stroll was a chorus of Eastern meadowlarks singing in the fields as I made my wayContinue reading “A meadowlark serenade”
My big zoom is back!
I was able to pick up my Sigma 150-600 mm Contemporary lens from the camera shop on Friday afternoon. I am happily back out shooting with it again. The problem with the zoom mechanism locking up is gone, and the repair gave me another fix I wasn’t expecting. Ever since my Canon R7 arrived severalContinue reading “My big zoom is back!”
The Jersey Birder 