Wednesday (02-March-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Mourning Dove, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, European Starling, Eastern Bluebird, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

I noticed the Purple Crocus starting to bloom across the street. It is not the earliest, but still a sign that spring is coming.


Spring is Coming!. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

One of the indoor Hydroponic Garden California Poppies started to bloom (Day 45). This one is bright Red. Normally, I think of California Poppies as being yellow or orange. The final Bok Choi (Day 46) is ready to harvest.


Indoor Hydroponic Garden. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

The Troll with the Hot Peppers guarding my mailbox. It survived the winter without being hit by the snow plows.

Mailbox Troll. (David J Mathre)
Mailbox Troll with Hot Peppers. Image taken with a Leica SL2 camera and 90-280 mm lens. (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (82.3 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (54.3 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sunny. Deficit of 28.0 kWh.

Friday (25-February-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, European Starling, American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Cardinal. Freezing rain brought the birds back to the birdfeeders.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Images of the freezing rain. The first set monochrome taken before sunrise. The second set taken during the day while bird watching.


Freezing rain before sunrise. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Freezing rain during the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (98.0 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (19.4kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Freezing rain, and rain in the morning. Deficit of 78.6 kWh.

Sunday (23-January-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Colorful Clouds at Dawn. The clouds went from pink to orange in just a few minutes as the sun was about to rise. Composite of several images using the Panorama tool within Capture One Pro.

alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Colorful Clouds at Dawn. Composite of nine images taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. Raw images processed and panorama generated with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Colorful Clouds at Dawn. Composite of eight images taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. Raw images processed and panorama generated with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Hydroponic Updates. Classic 6 #1 Day 7: All 6/6 of the Basil have sprouted. Bounty #1 Day 7: All 9/9 of the Bok Choi have sprouted. Bounty #2 Day 6: 2/2 of the Rouge d’Hiver and 2/2 of the Black Seed Simpson have sprouted. The other lettuce varieties have not sprouted. Classic 6 #2 Day 6: In addition to the Celosia flower, a Dill plant has sprouted. Farm 9R Seed Starting Tray, Day 5: Many more of the poppy seeds have started to germinate.

alt_title. (David J Mathre)
AeroGarden Classic-6 #1. AeroGarden Classic-6 #1. Day 7. Genovese Basil (4/4). Thai Basil (2/2). Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
AeroGarden Bounty #1. Day 7. Bok Choi (9/9). Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
AeroGarden Bounty #2. Day 7. Red Sails (0/2); Rouge d’Hiver (2/2), Paris Island (0/1), Deer Tongue (0/1), Marvel of 4 Seasons (0/1), Black Seeded Simpson (2/2). Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
AeroGarden Classic-6 #2. Day 7. Dill (1/1), Italian Parsley (0/1), Chives (0/1), Orange Gazania (0/1), Phlox Mix (0/1), Celosia (1/1). Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
AeroGarden Farm 9R Seed Sprouting Tray. Day 6. Row A: California Poppy (American Meadows, 2018) 6/8; Row B: Oriental Poppy (American Meadows, 2019) 0/10; Row C: Lauren Grape Poppy Seeds (Marde Ross & Company, 2020) 4/11; Row D: Hungarian Breadseed Poppy Seeds (Plant Good Seed, 2020) 10/10; Row E: Red Poppy Seeds (American Meadows, 2019) 8/8; Row F: Turkish Tulip Poppy Seeds (Waterfall Seeds, 2020) 9/10; Row G: Somniferum Blend Poppy Seeds (Seed Needs, 2020) 10/11; Row H: Red Poppy Seeds (American Meadows, 2019) 9/9; Row I: Mixed Red Poppy Seeds (American Meadows, 2019) 8/8. Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)

When I checked the hydroponic gardens this morning, I noticed a Stink Bug nibbling on one of the Bok Choi seedlings.



Stink Bug nibbling on a Bok Choi seedling. Images taken with a Leica SL2s camera and Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (100.3 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (34.5 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Cold outside. Whenever the external temperature drops below 10°F, the resistance heaters kick in to assist the Geothermal HVAC heating the house. Deficit of 65.8 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (712 kWh) from Sense. Weekly Solar Electric Energy Produced (174 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Deficit of 538 kWh.

Wednesday (15-December-2021) — New Jersey

Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Colorful Clouds at Dawn. Composite of seven, ten, and eighteen images taken with a Leica SL2-s camera and 16-35 mm lens. Images were processed with Capture One Pro 22, including the panorama stitching. This is a new feature in the just released update to Capture One Pro. Previously, I would have stitched the images with AutoPano Giga (a program no longer supported) or PTGui.


Backyard Dawn Panorama. Individual images in the slideshow are best viewed in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco. Not as many birds as yesterday visiting the patio and birdfeeder.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Red Rover time-lapse video of the day.

Daily Electric Energy Used (63.5 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (29.4 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Mostly sunny in the morning. Geothermal HVAC heating the house. Deficit of 34.1 kWh.

Monday (13-December-2021) — New Jersey

Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Colorful Clouds at Dawn. Composite of eleven images taken with a Leica CL camera. Images were processed with Capture One Pro 22, including the panorama stitching. This is a new feature in the just released update to Capture One Pro. Previously, I would have stitched the images with AutoPano Giga (a program no longer supported) or PTGui. The stitched image size is 16309 x 5365 pixels. At 300 dpi, the print would be 54.4″ x 17.9″.

Colorful Clouds at Dawn. (David J Mathre)
Colorful Clouds at Dawn. Composite of three images taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens (ISO 800, 23 mm, f/8, 1/30 sec). Images processed with Capture One Pro 22. (David J Mathre)

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, House Sparrow, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal. I think this is the first time I have observed a House Sparrow at my house.


Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (60.2 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (31.6 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Mostly sunny. Geothermal HVAC heating the house. Deficit of 28.6 kWh.