Wildlife – Page 4 – The Jersey Birder

A little birding in Downeast Maine

A ruby-throated hummingbird hovers just to the right of a tall stock of cardinal flower, with bright red blossoms.

My wife and I headed to New England for a few days, with a stop in the Berkshires of Massachusetts on our way to Bar Harbor. On the 1,500-mile roundtrip, I didn’t have a lot of time for birding. But at Acadia National Park, we had some lovely close encounters with ruby-throated hummingbirds, and IContinue reading “A little birding in Downeast Maine”

The Dinky Line Trail: Gem or joke

While I dearly love the parks and trails I regularly traverse, I am always on the lookout for something new. By fiddling with the explore function in e-Bird yesterday, I clicked a map pin on a nearby trail I never knew existed. It’s the Dinky Line Trail, a short path near the Princeton Junction trainContinue reading “The Dinky Line Trail: Gem or joke”

The (bird) dog days of summer

An indigo bunting, photographed from below, sits on a bare tree branch below a deep blue sky.

We are in the “dog days” of summer. The dog star, Sirius, dips low on the horizon, and our canine companions, sapped by the heat, are low on energy. For birders, this time of year brings a lull in species sightings. The migrant warblers are in their northern breeding grounds, many weeks off from whenContinue reading “The (bird) dog days of summer”

Braving shoe-sucking mud for photos

A green heron, feet obscured by grasses, stands on a downed log in a swamp.

The Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal has been drawing lots of birders to check out the little blue herons that have taken up residence for the last week or so. I’d stopped by a few days ago and went back Sunday afternoon. At this time of year, the trees are thick withContinue reading “Braving shoe-sucking mud for photos”

Sedge wrens enliven birding in Princeton

Sedge wren perched atop a plant, partially obscured by branches.

It’s always fun when a rare visitor comes to town, and the birding buzz around Princeton the last few days has been about a pair of sedge wrens who have come calling at the Mountain Lakes Preserve. Reports on the wrens had been coming in from e-Bird, and this morning I decided to take myContinue reading “Sedge wrens enliven birding in Princeton”

Ironic twists add to my birding experiences

A view of a creek running through the botanic garden from above.

While it didn’t quite rise to the nemesis stage, a broad-winged hawk had been one of the species I’d been itching to add to my life list. One of them has again taken up residence near an overpass on Interstate 295 only a few miles from my home. My birding buddy Jim Parris had spottedContinue reading “Ironic twists add to my birding experiences”

A goldfinch saves the day on the photo front

Male American goldfinch sitting on tree branch with dark green leaves behind him.

One of the things I love about birding is its unpredictability. Some days birds abound, other days they hunker down. Then there’s a day like yesterday, when plenty of birds were out but only a few came into view for photos. When I got back home from the Pole Farm, I took stock of whatContinue reading “A goldfinch saves the day on the photo front”

A mid-year report on New Jersey birding

A female orchard oriole perches in tall green grasses.

We started the second half of the calendar year today, and I figured this would be a good time to assess how my birding adventures went in the first half. I’ve done OK. My species total in New Jersey stands at 104, lagging a bit behind my total of 116 at the same point lastContinue reading “A mid-year report on New Jersey birding”

Birding before the heat wave rolls in

Female common yellowthroat, with beak wide open, sits on a small tree branch.

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”

Farewell to a good birding friend

Andy aiming his long lens toward a tree, with a car in the foreground.

My friend Andy was one of the first birders I got to know when I began birding regularly about 6 years ago. I’m saddened to report that Andy died on June 6 at age 90. Andy was a regular presence at Colonial Lake and at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, where we most often encounteredContinue reading “Farewell to a good birding friend”