An early morning and a shared interest in birds led a group of students from The College of New Jersey to win the student category at the inaugural Wings Over Mercer Bird-A-Thon. The event, organized by the Wild Bird Research Group, encouraged participants to identify as many bird species as possible across Central Jersey in one day.
The team, known as the TCNJays, included students Theresa Musto ’27, Elizabeth Italia ’28, Lyndsey Williams ’27, Shira Weiss, and Nancy Dominguez. Their participation was coordinated by biology professor Luke Butler. Some members had previous experience with birding through Butler’s avian biology class or personal projects.
Equipped with binoculars and identification apps, the group began their efforts at 7 a.m., starting at Mercer Meadows in Lawrenceville where they recorded over 30 species. They continued to Rosedale Lake in Pennington and observed a bald eagle perched on telephone wires.
“We set up a scope,” said Weiss. “People came by, asked what we were doing, and then we let them look as well. Maybe we were inspiring others.”
Williams described her experience searching for birds off-trail at Delaware Canal State Park: “I was always the one going off the path, looking around corners.”
The TCNJays used eBird to log their sightings and Merlin to identify bird calls they could not see directly. By day’s end, they had documented 54 species.
“It’s pure dopamine,” said Musto about identifying new birds.
Italia commented on how birding offered relief from academic stress: “With all our classes nowadays, we’re so focused on our screens. Birding is a stress reliever and opportunity to get outside.”
Dominguez noted that birding provided her with an experience outside her usual microbiology work: “I don’t typically get to connect with nature in the lab. It’s nice to experience a different side of biology.”
Professor Butler reflected on how birdwatching changes his students’ perspectives: “It forever changes their relationship to their environment,” he said. “They’ll be in places they’ve been their whole life, and then they’ll go birding in that place and see it in a whole new way.”
The College of New Jersey is a public institution located in Ewing Township, New Jersey with roots dating back to 1855. The college offers programs across fields such as arts, business, engineering and sciences, focusing on developing critical thinkers and leaders through undergraduate and select graduate degrees across eight schools. Its campus covers 289 acres in Ewing Township.
