Some Birds At The Oberly WMA in Alpha, New Jersey

Alan Brady told me that the fields at Oberly Road in Alpha, New Jersey (Warren County) are a great birding resource. Alan Brady is not only a gentleman and an outstanding birder, but he is also a master of understatement. We visited Oberly Road today and the fields were nicely bedecked with a couple of inches of new snow and fresh manure courtesy of the local farmers. It brought in many birds, especially the Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs, all three of whom like to reclaim undigested grain. The bright sunshine afforded lots of photo opportunities. The grasslands adjacent to the farms on Oberly road are preserved and managed as a Wild Management Area and Northern Harriers, Rough-legged Hawks and Short-eared Owls can often be seen there especially the hour before sunset. 

Horned Larks are the only true lark native to North America where it is a common, widespread bird of open country.

The Snow Bunting is a bird of the high Arctic and snowy winter fields.

The Lapland Longspur is a common songbird of the Arctic tundra but it winters
in open fields across much of the United States and southern Canada.

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© Howard B. Eskin 2009                    Please click here to email suggestions or comments to hbeskin@voicenet.com