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This morning, in the yard
Sitting in the guest room, peering out the window, drinking my coffee: Hutcheson Memorial Forest Caretaker House – Amwell Rd – Somerset, NJ Mourning Dove Downy Woodpecker Blue Jay Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Fox Sparrow – 1 Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird – 2 Common Grackle House Finch
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Winter Finching
Male Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) Originally uploaded by woodcreeper. Inga, Diane, Sandra and I headed north last week in search of the winter finches that have been invading Algonquin Provincial Park in response to the bumper cone crop this winter. This trip was steeped in significance for me; as I’m sure it was for everyone, […]
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Crow Mafia
I had gone out early this morning in hopes of testing out our new microphone and solid-state recorder for our Ornithology class. The usual birds were singing, Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, the occasional White-throated Sparrow. I picked up a Northern Cardinal singing down the trail a bit, so I walked along in an attempt to […]
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Frosty sparrow
Frosty sparrow Originally uploaded by woodcreeper. I took some members of the Rutgers Ornithology class along with some members of the Rutgers Field ID course (a graduate ‘birding’ course) to Barnegat Light and the surrounding salt marshes yesterday. The trip was great, with really pleasant (for February) weather on the jetty. 4 Ipswich Savannah Sparrows […]
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Making Noise
I swear I must have adult-onset A.D.D. So after reading Donald Kroodsma’s book, the Singing Life of Birds, my desire to record birdsong has been totally rekindled. The result is that I’ve assigned our ornithology class a field recording project, and in preparation I’ve been spending any free time recording bird sounds and producing sonograms. […]