On Sunday, I made my first stop at the Charles Rogers Preserve in Princeton, where other birders have been reporting good warbler traffic. As I stepped out of my car at the parking lot, plenty of birds were calling. My warbler brain has not been challenged much this fall, and I struggled at first toContinue reading “A beautiful weekend for birding, part 2”
Tag Archives: Reed-Bryan Farm
Great light brightens the birds
My last two outings to Mercer Meadows brought lighting challenges and opportunities. Each morning started with heavy fog, with the sun ultimately breaking through and burning off the gray stuff. Sometimes, the fog makes for interesting, moody shots. I went to the Reed-Bryan Farm side of the park today. The fog was heavy, and throughContinue reading “Great light brightens the birds”
Common yellowthroats are still with us
I am not shy in sharing my enthusiasm for common yellowthroats. Consider this another stanza in a long-running poem in tribute. As with many species, the yellowthroat’s territory-claiming, mate-seeking songs of spring subside over the summer. Over the last few weeks, I’ve heard scant few of their familiar “wickety-wickety-wickety” proclaimings from the parks and preservesContinue reading “Common yellowthroats are still with us”
Birding before the heat wave rolls in
We’re headed for 100-degree temperatures the next few days. How do I feel about that? The facial expression of the common yellowthroat above is a reasonable interpretation. I spotted Ms. Yellowthroat perched on some small branches Saturday morning on the Reed-Bryan Farm side of Mercer Meadows. I got a few shots of her in profileContinue reading “Birding before the heat wave rolls in”
A couple of yellowthroats. But are they a couple?
One of the joys of birding in my area is hearing and seeing common yellowthroats. My sightings of the males vastly outnumbered those of the females, and days when I get photos of both sexes are rare. I’ve given the female yellowthroat top billing on this post. I spotted her amid the tall grasses nearContinue reading “A couple of yellowthroats. But are they a couple?”
The glorious sights and sounds of Spring migration
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. So goes a well-known Christmas carol, but the tune plays in my head during Spring bird migration. It plays, that is, when it’s not drowned out by the abundant birdsong that fills the woods and fields on my birding outings. This morning, I went to the Reed-BryanContinue reading “The glorious sights and sounds of Spring migration”
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”
Backup plan: shooting birds at the home feeder
Today I made two trips to Mercer Meadows, to the Pole Farm at mid-morning and to the Reed-Bryan Farm in late afternoon. The only bird shots I took were of an American kestrel sitting atop a bird box, too far off for a clear photo. When I got home this afternoon, I spotted a chickadeeContinue reading “Backup plan: shooting birds at the home feeder”
Surviving a scare with my camera
The camera I use on my birding outings, a Canon SL2, is getting on in years, and I’ve had a few cases of the shutter failing to fire in recent months. None was so alarming as what I experienced this morning while visiting the Reed-Bryan Farm side of Mercer Meadows. The camera wouldn’t even turnContinue reading “Surviving a scare with my camera”
It’s not all birds at the Pole Farm
While birds are my primary photographic target on my outings, I also get to encounter other forms of wildlife, most often white-tailed deer. The fact is, I see deer almost every day, and sadly most of them lay mangled and dead on the side of many of the roads and freeways in my part ofContinue reading “It’s not all birds at the Pole Farm”
The Jersey Birder 