Click on thumbnails for more photos
Celery Farm is a gorgeous 107-acre nature preserve with many different kinds of habitat within its boundaries. It's one of my favorite spots to go birding. Click this link to The Fyke Nature Association to learn more about Fyke and the Celery Farm.
10/26/08
Today with John's help I added 2 Celery Farm year birds to my list: a gorgeous Fox Sparrow and 3 flyover Eastern Bluebirds! Also a nice surprise was seeing my first of fall pair of Hooded Mergansers swimming and preening on Phair's Pond. There were many Purple Finches and Goldfinches around the Butterfly Garden area, and plenty of Mockingbirds, Swamp, Song, and White-throated Sparrows too. We saw at least 5 Ruby-crowned Kinglets flitting about, plus a bunch of Downy Woodpeckers, a couple Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, a Red-tailed Hawk, a Sharpie, an Osprey, a Great Blue Heron, lots of Blackbirds, a Palm Warbler, and more.
10/15/08
I lifed Orange-crowned Warbler today! Finally...that bird was my nemesis bird for quite a while. It was a fairly bright looking bird with a bit more yellow on it than a drab one. Got a good look at its faint streaking, its yellow undertail, and the faint line through the eye. YEAH! Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of it, because I was too busy looking through my binoculars. Also, we saw a few White-crowned Sparrows (two immatures and one adult), a couple Yellow-rumped, Palm, and Nashville Warblers, some Pine Siskins mixed in with Goldfinches, 2 Purple Finches, 4 or 5 Turkey Vultures, a large Red-tailed Hawk, a Cooper's Hawk, a Brown Thrasher, a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and some Swamp, Song, and White-throated Sparrows. Many other usual suspects like Blue Jays, Robins, and Catbirds were present too.
9/14/08
Today's walk was part of the Meadowlands Birding Festival. It started off quietly, but we ended up with 7 warbler species and many other great birds. Warblers included Black-throated Green, Northern Parulas, Black & White, Redstart, Magnolia, Northern Waterthrush (heard only), and Common Yellowthroat. We saw 3 American Wigeons who flew by us about 4 times as we stood on Pirie Platform. Raptors included Red-shouldered, Red-tailed, and Cooper's Hawks. A Killdeer and a Common Nighthawk also did flyovers at Pirie as we watched some Wood Ducks hang out with a Green-winged Teal. Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets were fishing in the lake as Carolina Wrens called around us. A pair of Mute Swans floated on the lake too. We saw 3 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds zip by us at various locations.
8/17/08
It was a gorgeous morning, and some great highlights included a soaring PEREGRINE FALCON that came silently from behind me over Pirie Platform. I just happened to be turned around and saw the bird coast over the lake, make a long loop, and then disappear again behind the trees. After about 45 seconds, 3 blackbirds high-tailed it across the lake followed by the falcon! One bird dove down as 2 flew into cover. The falcon dove after the blackbird but narrowly missed it. It didn't try again, and ascended and flew over the lake from left to right. It looped once and then flew off into the distance. What a great thing to see! Other good highlights: 1 male American Redstart, 1 Black and White Warbler, 4 Red-eyed Vireos (one family of 3 and then a single one later), a probable LEAST FLYCATCHER foraging with 2 Eastern Phoebes, a baby male Red-bellied Woodpecker, a few Yellow Warblers, lots of Wood Ducks and Mallards, 1 Great Blue Heron sitting on a nest box in the lake, 2 Cedar Waxwings catching bugs at Warden's Watch near where some Tree Swallows were flying around, a Red-tailed Hawk that had been screaming loudly up at Phair's but then was silent when I saw it near Warden's Watch, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and a Carolina Wren, plus LOTS of Cardinals and Catbirds and the other usual suspects.
8/3/08
I finally made it to Celery Farm today on a gorgeous, nonhumid day with a nice breeze. My highlight of the day came when I was on the Boyscout Platform, when an adorable Ruby-throated Hummingbird posed not 15 feet away on a tree branch. Check out the photos! Other nice highlights: a female or juvie Black and White Warbler near the Dead Zone, a couple Green Herons, one Black-crowned Night Heron, at least 3 Great Blue Herons, lots of Chimney Swifts, Barn and Tree Swallows, 2 Eastern Kingbirds, a Carolina Wren with a baby, a Mockingbird with 2 babies flying around after the parent for food, a calling Fish Crow, a couple Yellow Warblers (one singing an abbreviated half song), lots of Wood Ducks, a few Cedar Waxwings, and a peep species that Rob thinks was a Least Sandpiper (99% sure). A great day!
5/18/08
It was a really nice morning to be outside, and it was especially exciting to get 10 warbler species: Magnolia, Yellow, Wilson's, Black-throated Blue, Prairie (female), Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, American Redstart, Ovenbird, and Northern Waterthrush. Other highlights: 2 Veerys, 2 Baltimore Orioles, a Great Egret hunting for fish, Least and Willow Flycatchers, 2 Green Herons, Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, and a pair of Black-capped Chickadees flying in and out of their nest box.
5/5/08
Highlights from today were many singing Yellow Warblers, one gorgeous Blue-winged Warbler, one Black and White Warbler, 3 Baltimore Orioles, and a single young male Orchard Oriole that flew past Warden's Watch. A pair of Rusty Blackbirds were looking for food under dead leaves in some mucky water, a pair of House Wrens were busy setting up house at Greenway, an Osprey circled overhead, and Warbling Vireos were singing loudly. Click the thumbnail for the full album.
4/15/08
Today there were many RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS all over CF. Also, a few warblers showed themselves: Yellow-rumped and Pine. A Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher was calling and singing loudly in a tall tree at Phair's Pond. I saw my first-of-spring Barn Swallows, plus a few Northern Flickers who have recently started arriving. A gorgeous spring day!
4/9/08
The star of the day was the GLOSSY IBIS that was found yesterday. Luckily, it stuck around and many people got good looks at it today. The photos here are not great, but at least I got a few! Other highlights today: 2 Black Vultures, a Northern Harrier, Wood Ducks, Fish Crows, a Coot, Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, a Wilson's Snipe, Cedar Waxwings, and much more. Click the thumbnail for the whole album.
3/3/08
I took a long walk around Celery Farm today and got some good photos. The best part of the day was watching a GREAT BLUE HERON try to keep a Herring Gull from eating a fish that the gull had caught. Finally the heron gave up and let the gull eat, and then the heron caught a sunfish of its own! Other highlights: 18 PINTAILS, 10 AMERICAN WIGEON, a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS, 2 GADWALL, a FISH CROW, a COOT, and a KINGFISHER. Click the thumbnail for all the pictures.
2/8/08
Lake Appert was open today because of the warm weather, so there was plenty of duck and goose action. Phair's Pond was also completely open, and there were many Hooded Mergansers diving among the geese and Mallards. Highlights included 1 American Coot, 1 Great Blue Heron, 2 Fish Crow flyovers, 2 American Tree Sparrows, lots of Hooded Mergansers, 1 Rusty Blackbird, and much more. 
