2014: ONE OF MY FAVORITE PASTIMES

I have been a bird watcher for most of my adult life. My Hartley Avenue home was just across Newkirk Avenue from Kuser Farm where I spent much of my younger years playing in the woods, and as I grew and matured, walked in Kusers Woods and the surrounding area. Prior to the township taking over the farm, there was an unbelievable number of birds which I have added to my "Lifelist." I believe the Audubon Society coined that phrase for those who are "birders" list all the countless birds which are native to our area and pass through on their migratory journeys to the north or south. Kusers woods were originally very heavily overgrown with marshes, thickets, dense foliage and other habitats favored by various members of the bird community. It would be impossible for me to recall all that I have on my Kuser Farm lifelist, I will name a few: Baltimore Oriole, Redstart, Scarlet Tanager, Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Woodcock, Brown Thrasher, Catbird, Wood Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Cardinal, Blue Jay, Grackle, Red Wing Blackbird, Phoebe, and countless Warblers. Ironically, in all those years, I had to wait until May 8, 2014 to see the Indigo Bunting that visited my feeder hear at the library. The very poor out of focus 3x zoom doesn't do justice to the sheer beauty of this, one of God's masterpieces of nature.