Saturday (04-September-2021) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, Northern Cardinal.


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

Flowers of the day: Blanket Flower, Butterfly Bush, Canna, Cosmos, Evening Primrose, Four O’Clock, Marigold, Morning Glory, Rose Mallow, Sunflower and Zinnia.


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


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

I took my bike out for a spin to see the damage from Tropical Storm Ida on Hollow road. The bridge on Grandview road crossing Rock Brook to Hollow road is closed (blocked by a downed tree). Once on Hollow road I was amazed by the damage. The brook must have been many feet over its bank. There were homes destroyed, vehicles in the woods, pavement washed away. It will be some time before everything can be repaired. The following is a Little Planet time-lapse video of the bike ride.

Daily Electric Energy Used (46.4 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (59.7kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Mostly sunny. Surplus of 13.3 kWh.

Thursday (02-September-2021) — New Jersey

Hurricane Ida Aftermath.

Yesterday afternoon and night the remnants of Hurricane Ida passed through New Jersey. My weather station recorded nearly 7 inches (175 mm) of rain. There were several tornado warnings, and I spent some time down in the basement. The rain stopped around midnight. As soon as the sun came up this morning, I went for a walkabout down Grandview Road to the single lane bridge over Rock Brook. There was a pickup truck with a very long trailer having problems trying to turn around. Also, a dump truck that needed to back out. Once I got close to the bridge, the asphalt roadway had been washed off of the road. Water was running across the roadway, and the bridge was blocked with several fallen trees. It will be some time before the bridge and roadway can be repaired. I can’t complain as I still have power, and no flooding.


Damage from the Remnants of Hurricane Ida. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Damage from the Remnants of Hurricane Ida. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Damage from the Remnants of Hurricane Ida. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Damage from the Remnants of Hurricane Ida. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Damage from the Remnants of Hurricane Ida. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (63.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (64.0 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. The sun returned. A surplus of 0.3 kWh.

Sunday (22-August-2021) — New Jersey

Tropical Storm Henri Aftermath.

Last night and early this morning lots of thunder, lightning, and rain as Tropical Storm Henri passed through. My weather station didn’t record much wind, but nearly 5 inches (125 mm) of rain. After the rain stopped, I went for a walkabout down Grandview Road to the single lane bridge over Rock Brook. Normally, Rock Brook is a quiet stream. It was running hard today. A tree had been washed onto the side of the bridge. We could get some more rain through the day and overnight. Somerset county has reported several locations where roads are closed due to flooding.


Tropical Storm Henri. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (48.4 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (9.8 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Rainy most of the day. A deficit of 38.6 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (396 kWh) from Sense. Weekly Solar Electric Energy Produced (226 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. A deficit of 170 kWh.

Friday (16-April-2021) — New Jersey

Springtime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Visitors backyard and the patio birdfeeder: Turkey Vulture, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal. The Turkey Vultures were back on the patio. Initially, trying to get the apple in the “Havahart” trap. Fortunately, they are too big to fit in the trap. One of them roosted a while on the sensor for my new WS-5000 backyard personal weather station. Unlike my previous weather station, the combination sensor for this weather station has no moving parts. It uses an array of ultrasonic sensors to determine wind direction and velocity. Since there are no moving parts, the vendor provides metal spikes to install on the sensor to repel birds. The Turkey Vulture didn’t read the manual. The vendor now recommends finding a commercial odorant that repels Vultures. Fortunately, the weather station is still working — and can be accessed via Weather Underground.


Daily backyard visitors. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Turkey Vulture (portrait mode). Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Turkey Vulture (landscape mode). Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Early spring flowers blooming: White fruit tree (cherry, pear, crabapple???)


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

Late planting starter seeds in the indoor AeroGarden Farm for the outdoor GrowTowers (Part 1). Seeds planted this year include Arugula, Butter Head Lettuce, Black Seed Simpson Lettuce, Collard Greens, Kale, Mustard, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Summer Squash (Saffron), Zucchini (Black Beauty, Emerald Delight).

Daily Electric Energy Used (43.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (43.3 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun and clouds. GeoThermal HVAC still on to heat the house. A deficit of 0.4 kWh.

Three-Years Ago (07-March-2018) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey

Afternoon walkabout on a snowy day. Images taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens.


Landscape images in B&W. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Portrait images in B&W. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.