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”

A yellow warbler plays coy

Having missed the prothonotary warbler Sunday, I took a quick trip to the Dyson Tract this morning hoping to spot it. Again, however, a yellow warbler stole the show. As I stood facing the swamp from the canal towpath, a yellow warbler flew down into some leaves clustered around the bottom of a telephone pole.Continue reading “A yellow warbler plays coy”

In search of yellow birds, with bald eagles as a bonus

For weeks, I’ve been hearing yellow warblers on my birding jaunts but until this morning I hadn’t seen one. For days, I’ve been seeing reports of a prothonotary warbler nearby, and I hoped I might spot it today on my first attempt. I went to the Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal withContinue reading “In search of yellow birds, with bald eagles as a bonus”

Big days in May: chasing the rare prothonotary warbler

When I first started paying attention to the Spring migration a couple of years ago, I saw sporadic, excited reports of prothonotary warblers being spotted here in New Jersey. What a weird name for a bird, I thought, and I’ll be darned if I’m going to chase all over kingdom come to find one. AContinue reading “Big days in May: chasing the rare prothonotary warbler”