David's Images of the Day Photoblog
Views of art from around the world
Hummingbird Clearwing moth on Thistle flower. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 6, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5.
Daily Walkabout, today with a Nikon Df camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. The thing I like about this camera is that it light for a DSLR, and has the same full-frame 35 mm sensor as the Nikon D4 camera. I have to admit that the camera failed on me once while in Antarctica when the shutter failed. The 70-300 mm lens is also relatively light. Yesterday, I said it had been some time since I had seen a hummingbird moth. Well, today the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) returned. And I took a lot of pictures. Feeding on Bee Balm flowers, Cosmos flowers, and Zinnia flowers.
Hummingbird Clearwing Moth Feeding on Bee Balm Flowers. Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Hummingbird Clearwing Moth Feeding on Cosmos Flowers. Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Hummingbird Clearwing Moth Feeding on Zinnia Flowers. Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Daily Electric Energy Used (66.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (65.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Fewer clouds and more sun. The WaterFurnace geothermal HVAC had to work harder (25.6 kWh) because the temperature outside went above 90°F. Daily net deficit 0.6 kWh.
One note — the WaterFurnace Symphony software indicated the system used 16 kWh, however the Sense Energy monitor indicated that the geothermal heat pump used 25.6 kWh. I tend to believe the Sense numbers since they more closely the energy being recorded at the external power company (PSE&G) meters. I’ve asked the WaterFurnace folks in the past about the discrepancy, but they didn’t have a good answer. The Sense folks told me they thought that the WaterFurnace/Symphony system was only measuring one phase of the energy even though the system is powered by the 220V circut (using two phases). I wish an electrical engineer that understands this better would correct me here.
Current Weather Conditions
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Daily Walkabout: I came upon a pair of Trolls that found a large Mushroom rising from the pile of black wood chip mulch.
Daily Electric Energy Used (57.2 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (69.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Load of laundry (4.4 kWh) adding to the total used. Daily net surplus 12.1 kWh.
Current Weather Conditions
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The first stop of the morning was to Mono Lake to view the Tufa towers at dawn and in the early morning sunlight. We had to leave Bishop well before sunrise to get there, even then we were a bit late.
Images taken on my second visit to Bodie State Park. California maintains the park in a state of arrested decay. The park is a National Historic District, and is known as a wild-west gold mining ghost town. All of the images were converted to monochrome/sepia to fit with the historic nature of the ghost town. The Schoolroom Marm’s hat is a repeat of an image I took in 2008.
Nikon D3s camera with 50 mm f/1.4 lens. Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Nikon D3s camera with 200 mm f/2 lens. Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Nikon D3x camera with 24 mm f/1.4 lens. Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.