Category: Nature

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

Three-Years Ago (04-February-2014) — Florida

Gone to See America. February 2014 Florida Road Trip. Day 4: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Almost in — Great Egret Swallowing the Fish. Biolab Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 320, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec).

Almost in -- Great Egret Swallowing the Fish. Biolab Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 320, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
Almost in — Great Egret Swallowing the Fish. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 320, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (23-January-2016) — Pacific Ocean

Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 18: Crossing the Pacific Ocean.

Pair of Laysan Albatross fishing behind the MV World Odyssey. Somewhere east of Japan crossing the Pacific Ocean. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 55-200 mm lens (ISO 6400, 200 mm, f/4.8, 1/1000 sec).

Pair of Laysan Albatross Fishing from the aft deck of the MV World Odyssey. Crossing the North Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Japan. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 55-200 mm lens (ISO 6400, 200 mm, f/4.8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Pair of Laysan Albatross Fishing from the aft deck of the MV World Odyssey. Crossing the North Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Japan. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 55-200 mm lens (ISO 6400, 200 mm, f/4.8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (23-January-2016) — Pacific Ocean

Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 18: Crossing the Pacific Ocean.

We must be getting close to land — more seabirds have shown up. I don’t know the ID of this one. Somewhere east of Japan crossing the Pacific Ocean.

We must be getting close to land -- more seabirds have shown up. I don't know the ID of this one. View from the deck of the MV World Odyssey crossing the North Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Japan. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 55-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 156 mm, f/4.5, 1/950 sec). (David J Mathre)
We must be getting close to land — more seabirds have shown up. I don’t know the ID of this one. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 55-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 156 mm, f/4.5, 1/950 sec). (David J Mathre)
We must be getting close to land -- more seabirds have shown up. I don't know the ID of this one. View from the deck of the MV World Odyssey crossing the North Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Japan. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 55-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/4.8, 1/100 sec). (David J Mathre)
We must be getting close to land — more seabirds have shown up. I don’t know the ID of this one. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 55-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/4.8, 1/100 sec). (David J Mathre)

Friday (20-January-2017) — New Jersey

Backyard Winter Sky in New Jersey. Red Clouds at Dawn.

From my bedroom window and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the sky light up at dawn. I rushed to get a camera with a wider angle lens and got out just in time to catch this from my back door. The colors faded within minutes. Two versions, one 9 x 16 format, the other 4 x 5 and includes the moon. Let me know which you like best.

Backyard Winter Sky in New Jersey. Red Clouds at Dawn. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 16 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 16 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Backyard Winter Sky in New Jersey. Red Clouds at Dawn. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 16 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 16 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Backyard Winter Sky in New Jersey. Red Clouds at Dawn. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 16 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 16 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Backyard Winter Sky in New Jersey. Red Clouds at Dawn. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 16 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 16 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)

Nine-Years Ago (20-January-2008) — New Jersey

New Jersey Winter Nature: Sourland Mountain Preserve

A flock of European Starlings roosting on a tree. I guess that they stay around for the winter.

A flock of European Starlings roosting on a tree at the Sourland Mountain Preserve on a cold winter day. The image was taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 102 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec). (David J Mathre)
A flock of European Starlings roosting on a tree at the Sourland Mountain Preserve on a cold winter day. The image was taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 102 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec). (David J Mathre)