I love too many types of birds to pick a favorite, but common yellowthroats are in the mix if you ask me to pick a handful of birds that bring me maximum joy. The yellowthroats began returning to New Jersey over the past couple of weeks, and this morning my birding friends and I gotContinue reading “Welcoming back the common yellowthroats”
Tag Archives: Pole Farm
A great day for hawks
It was another sunny morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, and my friend Andy and I set off for adventure about 7:20 a.m. I’ve been in a hawk drought of late, having seen just one red-tailed hawk a few days ago but otherwise having gone weeks without seeing any, let alone another variety. ThatContinue reading “A great day for hawks”
A magnificent surprise: a great horned owl
As we headed up the trail this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, my friends Jim and Andy and I had no clue of the wonderful surprise awaiting us in the woods. We were hoping we’d see a few of the warblers that have been trickling into the park this week. The weather wasContinue reading “A magnificent surprise: a great horned owl”
An unexpected milestone: 1,000 Mercer County checklists
I reached a birding milestone today, submitting my 1,000th e-Bird checklist in Mercer County, New Jersey. By happenstance the day before I discovered I had completed 998 checklists, and I added No. 999 yesterday afternoon with a short visit to Colonial Lake Park in Lawrence Township. It was an easy decision on where to goContinue reading “An unexpected milestone: 1,000 Mercer County checklists”
Awaiting the warblers but still having plenty to see
While my social media feeds are awash in warblers, I have been waiting to see them in my neck of the woods. I went to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm today with high hopes to spot one. My friend Andy caught up with me shortly after I arrived, and — to relieve you of theContinue reading “Awaiting the warblers but still having plenty to see”
Come a little closer, kestrel
The sun shone bright this morning, and I was optimistic for a trip to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. It’s still a bit early for warblers to be passing through, but the Eastern towhees are back and I spotted a couple of brown thrashers earlier in the week. Today’s highlight was more about encountering myContinue reading “Come a little closer, kestrel”
Springing into Spring
After enduring three dreary days of rain, I was pleased to wake up to a clear sky this morning. Lifting my spirits higher was the sight of an Eastern bluebird perched atop one of our backyard feeders. Although bluebirds are common in parks near home, it’s a rare day when I see one in ourContinue reading “Springing into Spring”
With Ping-Pong song, field sparrows reveal themselves
When I stepped out of the car at the Pole Farm parking lot, it took only a few moments for the sound to register. There it was, the unmistakeable dropping-Ping-Pong-ball song of the field sparrow. Field sparrows may actually hang around all year long in this part of the country, but they stop singing sometimeContinue reading “With Ping-Pong song, field sparrows reveal themselves”
A wild duck chase, and an unassisted walk
That grin on my face emerged with that gesture of triumph this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, where for the first time in many months I went birding on my own two feet, without a cane. Since troubles with my knees crossed into acute territory over the summer, I’ve been trying hard toContinue reading “A wild duck chase, and an unassisted walk”
In praise of the American tree sparrow
One of the pleasures of birding is when you suddenly realize that the bird you’re seeing isn’t what you thought it was but something surprising. American tree sparrows have that effect on me, and it happened again with my two most recent visits to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. The other day, I spotted aContinue reading “In praise of the American tree sparrow”
The Jersey Birder 