Category: Nature

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

Friday (04-December-2015) — New Jersey

Indoor Autumn Nature in New Jersey: Mosquito

The only good mosquito is a dead mosquito. I don’t know why I have them inside my house every fall. But I don’t want to be a meal.

The only good mosquito is a dead mosquito. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 220, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
The only good mosquito is a dead mosquito. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 220, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)

Thursday (03-December-2015) — New Jersey

House Renovation: Outside Views

I set up the Mindrain Astro motion control head to take 360 degree images of my backyard. The house renovation project is in progress. The roof has been replaced, and the new siding is in progress. The deck is gone and the patio just started. The Astro was programmed to trigger a Fuji X-T1 camera with a Zeiss 12 mm f/2.8  lens periodically as it rotated the camera in a complete circle. The images were then processed into the following time-lapsed videos. Later in the evening I tried night sky sequence (but only rotating the camera 120 degrees.

Tuesday (01-December-2015) — New Jersey

Late-Fall Nature in New Jersey: A Wet Red Fox

While driving home from the grocery store I spotted a red fox at the side of the road helping itself to a venison meal (road killed deer). I was lucky to have a camera with a telephoto lens in the car with me to capture this shot. There were also several turkey vultures wait their turn.  It is good to see the foxes returning, as they were almost completely killed off by rabies twenty years ago (along with the raccoons, opossums, and skunks.

Red fox on the side of the road with a road-killed deer. Late Autumn Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 1000, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Red fox on the side of the road with a road-killed deer. Late Autumn Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 1000, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (28-November-2014) — Florida

Gone to See Florida Fall 2014 Road Trip. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Turkey Vulture Eating What Appears to be a Heron chick on Biolab Road at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 640, 500 mm, f/9, 1/2000 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC 2014.

Turkey Vulture Having Brunch. Biolab Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 640, 500 mm, f/9, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Turkey Vulture Having Brunch. Biolab Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 640, 500 mm, f/9, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (26-November-2014) — Florida

Gone to See Florida 2014. Day 2: St. Petersburg.

Dad chasing a hen running loose at his Urban Farm in St. Petersburg. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 23 mm f/2 lens (ISO 100, 23 mm, f/3, 1/640 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC.

Dad Chasing a Hen Running Loose at an Urban Farm in St. Petersburg. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 23 mm f/2 lens (ISO 100, 23 mm, f/3, 1/640 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One 8, Focus Magic, and Photoshop CC. (David J Mathre)
Dad Chasing a Hen Running Loose at an Urban Farm in St. Petersburg. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 23 mm f/2 lens (ISO 100, 23 mm, f/3, 1/640 sec). (David J Mathre)