Category: Nature

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

Saturday (24-December-2011) — Florida

Gone to See America. December 2011 Florida Road Trip. Day 5: St. Petersburg.

Sun Rising from under the Sunshine Skyway bridge viewed from Fort De Soto Park. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Sunrise Rising Under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from Fort Desoto County Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 70-200 mm f/2 VRII lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/16. 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sunrise Rising Under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from Fort De Soto Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 70-200 mm f/2 VRII lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/16. 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)

Wednesday (21-December-2011) — Florida

Gone to See America. December 2011 Florida Road Trip. Day 2: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

After arriving at my hotel in Cocoa Beach I drove to Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. It took about 40 minutes to get to the headquarters to buy a new America the Beautiful pass. They were going to give it to me for the senior rate of $10, but to be ethical I paid the full price. I then went for one round through the 7 mile, one-way Black Point Wildlife drive before sundown. They close the road at sunset. The following are some images I took along the road.

Great Egret Hunting. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Preserve, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/4, 1/800 sec). (David J Mathre)
Great Egret Hunting. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/4, 1/800 sec). (David J Mathre)
Late Afternoon Great Blue Heron Hunting. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Preserve, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 330 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Late Afternoon Great Blue Heron Hunting. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 330 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Late Afternoon Great Blue Heron Hunting. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Preserve, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Late Afternoon Great Blue Heron Hunting. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Great Blue Heron Swallowing a Frog. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Preserve, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1800, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Great Blue Heron Swallowing a Frog. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1800, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Great Blue Heron Doing the Chicken Dance. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Preserve, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1800, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Great Blue Heron Doing the Chicken Dance. Black Point Wildlife Road, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1800, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Great Blue Heron. On Black Point Wildlife Drive in iMerritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 2000, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec) (David J Mathre)
Great Blue Heron. On Black Point Wildlife Drive in iMerritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 2000, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec) (David J Mathre)
Lone Great Egret Hunting on a Small Island. On Black Point Wildlife Drive in iMerritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec) (David J Mathre)
Lone Great Egret Hunting on a Small Island. On Black Point Wildlife Drive in iMerritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec) (David J Mathre)
Lone Wood Stork. On Black Point Wildlife Drive in iMerritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/4, 1/640 sec) (David J Mathre)
Lone Wood Stork. On Black Point Wildlife Drive in iMerritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/4, 1/640 sec) (David J Mathre)
Alligator with Reflected Eye. On Black Point Wildlife Drive in iMerritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 2200, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec) (David J Mathre)
Alligator with Reflected Eye. On Black Point Wildlife Drive in iMerritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 2200, 400 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec) (David J Mathre)
Sunset from Merritt Island, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 800, 200 mm, f/22, 1/320 sec) (David J Mathre)
Sunset from Merritt Island, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 200-400 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 800, 200 mm, f/22, 1/320 sec) (David J Mathre)

Wednesday (21-December-2011) — South Carolina to Florida

Gone to See America. December 2011 Florida Road Trip. Day 2:  South Carolina to Florida.

I set up a Nikon 1 V1 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod rigged into the passenger seat, and started driving south. The camera was set to take images every 10 seconds, auto ISO, f/2.8, focus manual (infinity), auto shutter speed. I would have to stop and change the battery every hour or so. The images were then used to produce the following time-lapse video of the road trip.

Tuesday (20-December-2011) — New Jersey to South Carolina

Gone to See America. December 2011 Florida Road Trip. Day 1:  New Jersey to South Carolina.

I set up a Nikon 1 V1 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod rigged into the passenger seat, and started driving south. The camera was set to take images every 10 seconds, auto ISO, f/2.8, focus manual (infinity), auto shutter speed. I would have to stop and change the battery every hour or so. The images were then used to produce the following time-lapse video of the road trip.

Sunday (11-December-2011) — New Jersey

Gone to See New Jersey: Aerial View.

A friend took me on a flight in his single-engine Cessna Scout airplane. We took off at the nearby Princeton Airfield (which is closer to Rocky Hill than Princeton). I was able to see the local high school, the J&J site, my backyard, and the local mine. The mine used to be owned by 3M, but is now owned by Gibraltar Rock. We also saw the Merck Corporate headquarters at Whitehouse station (large hexagon building).  During the flight I took images with my new Nikon 1 V1 camera using the 10-100 mm VR lens. I also took video images of take-off and landings as viewed from the back seat. I made a movie using both time-lapsed images and the video clips.

Midair Shadow while Landing in a Small Airplane at Vansant Airport. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 14.4 mm, f/4.8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Midair Shadow while Landing in a Small Airplane at Vansant Airport. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V1 and 10-100 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 14.4 mm, f/4.8, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)