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Monday (17-August-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Morning at the Birdfeeders: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Brown Thrasher, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Northern Cardinal.


Rainy Morning at the Birdfeeders. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

With all of the rain, I haven’t had a chance to mow the yard. The grass is getting high, and the invasive “mile-a-minute” vine is starting to take parts of the yard and shrubs over.

Daily Electric Energy Used (55.5 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (59.6 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. A surplus of 4.1 kWh.

Friday (07-August-2020) — New Jersey

Tropical Storm Isaias Aftermath. Backyard Summertime in New Jersey.

A Montgomery Township maintenance crew arrived in the morning to begin clearing out some of the cut logs and brush from the two downed Oak trees. Before they got here some folks with pickup trucks had been picking up a few of the logs for firewood. The Township crew removed the stuff next to the rock wall on the other side of Grandview road. They told me they would be back to collect the stuff on my side of the street but needed to leave so PSE&G and the phone companies could work on the remaining downed lines.

Tropical Storm Isaias Aftermath Day 4. Rock Wall on the other side of Grandview Road. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tropical Storm Isaias Aftermath Day 4. Rock Wall on the other side of Grandview Road. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tropical Storm Isaias Aftermath Day 4. Montgomery Township clearing the downed trees and debris on Grandview Road. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tropical Storm Isaias Aftermath Day 4. Montgomery Township clearing the downed trees and debris on Grandview Road. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tropical Storm Isaias Aftermath Day 4. East downed Oak tree resting on rock wall. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tropical Storm Isaias Aftermath Day 4. East downed Oak tree resting on rock wall. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tropical Storm Isaias Aftermath Day 4. East downed Oak tree resting on rock wall. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tropical Storm Isaias Aftermath Day 4. East downed Oak tree resting on rock wall. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (51.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (28.4 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. A deficit of 23.4 kWh.

Friday (26-June-2020) — New Jersey

Early Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the Day: American Goldfinch, LBJ, Tufted Titmouse, and Chipping Sparrow. Not sure if the LBJ is a female/immature House Finch, or female/immature Brown-headed Cowbird.

American Goldfinch. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
American Goldfinch. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
LBJ (not sure if it is a female/immature House Finch or female/immature Brown-headed Cowbird). Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
LBJ (not sure if it is a female/immature House Finch or female/immature Brown-headed Cowbird). Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tufted Titmouse. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tufted Titmouse. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Chipping Sparrow. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Chipping Sparrow. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)

Early Summer Wildflowers: It appears that at least one Sunflower self-seeded, and grew high enough to bloom out of reach of the ravenous deer. I’ve seen several other sunflower plants clipped off before they could bloom. It looks like the bee (Bumblebee) likes Sunflower pollen.

Bee collecting pollen on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon N1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Bee collecting pollen on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon N1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Bee collecting pollen on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon N1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Bee collecting pollen on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon N1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)

Spent some time in the morning working on the patio Grow Towers. Still several to set up and plant.

Daily Electric Energy Used (53.3 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (78.3 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun and intermittent clouds. A surplus of 25.0 kWh. The solar panels continue to produce more energy than required to keep the house cool with the energy efficient Geothermal HVAC system.


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Tuesday (16-June-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Wildflower Meadow -- Little Planet View. Image taken with a Garmin VIRB-360 camera (ISO 100, 1 mm, f/2, 1/1996 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Wildflower Meadow — Little Planet View. Image taken with a Garmin VIRB-360 camera (ISO 100, 1 mm, f/2, 1/1996 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)

Birds of the Day — Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, Gray Catbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Blue Jay, and Tufted Titmouse. The Eastern Phoebe continues to sit on the nest.


Birds of the Day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Spring flowers of the day — Red and Pink Poppies, Larkspur/Delphinium, and Blanket Flower


Spring Flowers of the Day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Kermit (and his brothers) in the pond.


Bullfrogs in the pond. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

A Groundhog started digging a nest into the rock wall supporting my patio. I need to deal with this before it destabilizes the wall. ARRG!


Young Groundhog on my patio. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (38.1 kWh) from Sense. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (86.9 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Lots of sun. A surplus of 48.8 kWh.


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Friday (05-June-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the Day — Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Blue Jay, and Eastern Phoebe. One chick remains in the Eastern Phoebe nest. Waiting to see if it is an Eastern Phoebe or Brown-headed Cowbird.


Birds of the Day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Lots of Poppies. Even after the thunderstorm last night knocked the old flowers down, new ones opened this morning. Spring flowers of the day — Red, Pink, Icelandic, Oriental, and California Poppies. Foxglove, Spiderwort, Evening Primrose, Daisy, Sweet William, Lance-leaf Coreopsis, and Tulip Tree.


Poppies — Landscape. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Poppies — Portrait. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Poppies — Landscape. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Spring Wildflowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (44.7 kWh) from meter reading. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (38.7 kWh) from meter reading. Clouds and rain. A surplus of 6.0 kWh. Two days in a row with power outage.



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