Sometimes it takes a while for the bird recognition neurons in my brain to kick in. That happened this morning as I was looking out the windows toward our backyard feeders. I’d watched a female downy woodpecker fly onto the suet feeder and munch a while before flitting off. A few minutes later, another woodpeckerContinue reading “A hairy woodpecker pays a rare call”
Tag Archives: wildlife photography
A cold morning for sparrows
We’re at the front end of a cold snap that will bring temperatures down into the single digits Fahrenheit for a few days. We had two to three inches of snow fall yesterday, and I pulled on my Muck boots to head to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. It was slim pickings for birds. IContinue reading “A cold morning for sparrows”
A sure thing: great blue herons in Princeton
Whether it’s a single bird or one of many, I can count on seeing and photographing great blue herons at the Millstone River Impoundment in Princeton. At first this morning, I didn’t see the heron in its usual spot just off the pedestrian bridges over the Delaware and Raritan canal. I walked on the eastContinue reading “A sure thing: great blue herons in Princeton”
Surprise! It’s a hermit thrush
One of the joys of photographing birds is the unexpected bird that shows up on your computer screen, as happened to me this morning. I was on one of my usual two-mile loops at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, walking the trail counterclockwise, when I spotted a couple of bluebirds in a tree with smallContinue reading “Surprise! It’s a hermit thrush”
The charms of Trenton marsh
A morning appointment kept me from my usual swing through the Pole Farm, but I was able to get out to John A. Roebling Park and Trenton marsh this afternoon. I was rewarded with the usual assortment of ducks and geese. I was disappointed by not spotting any Northern shovelers, but I did see aContinue reading “The charms of Trenton marsh”
A snow goose helps us see in the new year
“What’s that white bird out there?” my wife asked at the breakfast table this morning. “Out there, in the geese.” As there were about 200 Canada geese on the neighboring golf course, just beyond our property line, it took me a while to pick out the white bird. I grabbed my camera, dashed outside andContinue reading “A snow goose helps us see in the new year”
The outdoor avian portrait studio
Like life, birds move pretty fast. But every so often they park in place, giving us photographers an opportunity to compose and take their portraits. I had two cracks at it today, this first day of December. As I was making my way back to my car this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm,Continue reading “The outdoor avian portrait studio”
Savannah sparrows speak to me (and I am corrected)
The grasslands in the fields at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm are prime habitat for Savannah sparrows, and I never tire of taking photos of them. This morning, I found the one topping this post in a tree at the history exhibit for the AT&T radio telephone years that spanned much of the 20th century.Continue reading “Savannah sparrows speak to me (and I am corrected)”
Winter residents return to Trenton
It always seems I’m short on seeing water birds, so this morning I headed to John A. Roebling Park, commonly referred to as Trenton marsh. The marsh had plenty of activity when I arrived about 7:45 a.m. Canada geese and mallards were plying the water — no surprise — and adjoining Spring Lake was suddenlyContinue reading “Winter residents return to Trenton”
A close encounter with a red-tailed hawk (and more)
My birding buddy Jim and I have walked the trails of the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm many times, but today was the first time we pulled into the parking lot almost simultaneously. Within a few minutes, a rare treat was in store. We and other regular Pole farmers have been grousing of late about theContinue reading “A close encounter with a red-tailed hawk (and more)”
The Jersey Birder 