You are browsing the archives of New Jersey.

On October 21, a White-tailed Kite was found in part of the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Barnegat Township along the NJ coast. Interestingly, this was one week after the Connecticut White-tailed Kite was last seen. The bird was not seen again until last week. Since then, it’s been enjoyed by many observers. I’ve seen [...]

When I wrote my last post about NJ birding, I mentioned that there were two factors that make NJ a great birding spot: its geographic location and the different habitats found in a small state. There is a third factor that I’d like to throw into the mix — NJ has an unusually high number of [...]

First, let me say how thrilled I am to be a beat writer here at 10,000 Birds. I look forward to interacting with all of the readers out there while posting about all things New Jersey and butterfly-related. I might even combine those two topics together! Wow! Let’s start with a post about birding in [...]

As was already stated in the post about tracking down and watching the Roseate Spoonbill, I spent Sunday birding at Brigantine, or, more properly, the Brigantine Division of the Edward B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.  There were many more birds seen than the spoonbill and some of them showed amazingly well despite the thick fog [...]

A good friend of mine from way back in high school got married on Long Island this weekend (Congrats Aaron and Mel) and to get to the wedding and reception and to run some errands Friday night Daisy and I decided to rent a car.  The deal we got was so good we decided to [...]

Believe it or not, New York City and its surrounding area is underrated. The Big Apple may deservedly be considered one of the most original, incredible, and important cities on Earth, perhaps even the cultural capital of the world. Yet, among all of the accolades, encomiums, and epithets heaped upon my hometown, the phrase “natural [...]

This report on The Razorbills’ day at the World Series of Birding was submitted by Hope Batcheller, the impetus behind the New York State Young Birders Club.  In it she details the day’s efforts, efforts that were hopefully supported by at least some 10,000 Birds readers (you can still support the team for more info [...]

While I was in Cape May this past weekend I came across a trio of Fish Crows, two of which quickly took off and flew a short distance away from me.  The third held its ground and proceeded to pick through sticks, bark, and other objects on the ground, seemingly trying to decide if any [...]

A couple of weeks ago, when Daisy asked if I wanted to go away for the last weekend of April, and suggested Cape Cod or Cape May, well, as a birder, I had no choice but to say “Why yes I would like like to go away for the last weekend of April. Let’s go [...]

Memorial Day at Sandy Hook was sunny. Memorial Day at Sandy Hook was windy. A strong south wind and a very bright sun battled all afternoon as we (we being Daisy, me, and various and sundry of Daisy’s relatives) tried to eat outdoors and enjoy ourselves at Sandy Hook, NJ. Of course, like the last [...]

Now that summer is officially over, we can turn our attention to affairs of fall. Few events on the North American birding calendar are more autumnal than Cape May Autumn Weekend. Cape May in New Jersey is one of the magnetic poles of East Coast avian observations, a vortex that seems to exert an irresistible [...]

I can’t speak to other parts of the world but if you live in the northeastern United States, every moment of May birding matters. Lightning can strike at any time. Case in point, I’ve only been able to muster about 30 minutes of bird watching in the last week, yet I still pulled a lifer. [...]

Garret Mountain Reservation in West Paterson, NJ has a reputation as a phenomenal site to observe waves of colorful migrants. Patrick of The Hawk Owl’s Nest and I met there this morning to find that, even when the birding isn’t phenomenal per se, it’s still pretty fantastic. Actually, Patrick already knew that, since he seems [...]

In a civilized world, one needn’t strictly segregate business and pleasure. While I am all business when I’m in the office, it helps that said office overlooks a reservoir teeming with exceptional avifauna. New Jersey’s Oradell Reservoir is a large, peaceful body of water that sustains a marvelous diversity of bird species throughout the year. [...]

After our trip to Queens to bring Daisy back to school was put off by a day we decided that the best move would be to drive straight to Steph and Sean’s place (Daisy’s sister and sister’s boyfriend) in northeastern New Jersey. They, despite not being bird-nerds, had suggested a birdwatching trip on a rare [...]

The last time I visited Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Basking Ridge, NJ, mere days after I started this site, I stated that tales of the swamp’s greatness were somewhat exaggerated. I’ve just been again, and the verdict is improving, but still not quite great. Perhaps the swamp isn’t entirely to blame. After all, [...]