August, 2012 - David Mathre Photography

Monday (06-August-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Inquisitive Fawn with Spots. One of the first images with a new Nikon D4 camera. It really was darker than this looks. This was taken at ISO 1600, and I have not done any noise reduction in post processing. Focusing was fast and accurate.

Inquisitive Fawn with Spots. Summer Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre) — Inquisitive Fawn with Spots. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)

Sunday (05-August-2012) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey: Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Monarch Butterfly Being Stalked by a Praying Mantis. Today while hiking in the Sourland Mountain Preserve I had a Monarch Butterfly stay long enough to get some images. I then saw that there was a praying mantis stalking the butterfly. The praying mantis is well camouflaged. In this case the butterfly took off before it became breakfast. Last year I got some images of a praying mantis stalking and then eating a hummingbird moth. 21-august-2011.

Monarch Butterfly on a Joe Pye Weed Bloom at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Look Closely Below to See a Praying Mantis Staking the Butterfly. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec). . (David J Mathre) — Monarch Butterfly on a Joe Pye Weed Bloom at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)

GPS: N40°28’19 W74°41’41

Friday (03-August-2012) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey: Sourland Mountain Preserve.

I went for a walk at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Lots of images of Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies and Dragonflies. Not that many wildflowers that butterflies are interested in at this time. I did see one Monarch butterfly, but it never stopped long enough to take an image. Same thing with a black swallowtail butterfly. I did see one Robber-fly, but it didn’t have a meal yet…

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on a Joe Pye Weed Bloom at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec). (David J Mathre) — Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on a Joe Pye Weed Bloom. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec). (David J Mathre)

Dragonfly at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 450, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec) (David J Mathre) — Dragonfly. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 450, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec) (David J Mathre)

GPS: N40°28’21 W74°41’39

Wednesday (01-August-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Rabbit Eating Clover in the Rain. My first day of Retirement. I’ve been working for Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey; Boulder, Colorado; and West Point, Pennsylvania for the last 27 years. I can now spend more time with my new passion of photography and travel. I took a series of images of this rabbit in the rain. I was sitting in my car in my driveway while listening to “The Race” on SiriusXM. Now that I am not commuting 3+ hours a day I can photograph the local wildlife while listening to books on satellite radio.

Rabbit Eating Clover in the Rain. Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre) — Rabbit Eating Clover in the Rain. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)