Category: Nature

Views of nature and the natural world. Plants, animals, and wildlife from around the world.

Friday (28-August-2020) — New Jersery

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Midday at the Birdfeeders: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Northern Cardinal.


Midday at the Birdfeeders. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (60.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (48.0 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun, clouds, and hot outside. A deficit of 12.6 kWh.

Thursday (27-August-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Morning at the Birdfeeders: Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, European Starling, Gray Catbird, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Northern Cardinal.


Morning at the Birdfeeders. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (68.3 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (58.7 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun, clouds, and hot outside. A deficit of 9.6 kWh.

Wednesday (26-August-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

The Montgomery Township work crew finally came back to pick up the remaining logs and brush from the two downed Oak trees at the top of my driveway. They pushed the remains from the tree on the west side back upright into the whole created by the root ball. They also cut the remains of the tree on the east side that was laying over the wall into the street. There is some damage to the rock wall. The panorama image shows the current status of the front driveway (note the tree crews in the image are not the Township, but another crew working on the damage across the street). While the township crews were working I mowed the lawn (time-lapse video). Later in the afternoon, I took some images of the Coreopsis and Zinnia flowers in the soft pots on my patio garden.

Isaias Aftermath -- Cleanup. Composite of 32 images taken with a Nikon N1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Isaias Aftermath — Cleanup. Composite of 32 images taken with a Nikon N1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)


Wildflowers in Soft Pots on the Patio. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Wildflowers in Soft Pots on the Patio. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (51.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (61.6 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun, clouds, and not as hot outside. A surplus of 10.0 kWh.

Tuesday (25-August-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Afternoon at the Birdfeeders: Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, Song Sparrow, and Northern Cardinal.


Afternoon at the Birdfeeders. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (63.9 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (58.9 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun, clouds, and hot outside. A deficit of 5.0 kWh.

Monday (24-August-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

I spent the morning working on the patio (time-lapse little planet video). The Grow Towers are doing well. I’ve been harvesting large radishes, broccoli rabe, Swiss chard, and dill. Zinnia and Coreopsis are blooming in the outer cloth pots. I planted Marigold and Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) in the inner set of cloth pots. No Marigold flowers yet, and five of the Roselle are growing fast. Several volunteer tomatillo and/or ground cherry plants also sprouted in the inner set of cloth pots.

A herd of deer passed through the backyard just before it started to rain. Then before the sun went down I noticed a partial double rainbow.


Deer in the Backyard. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Partial Double Rainbow. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (62.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (62.0 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. More sun and a bit of rain. A deficit of 0.7 kWh.