Friday (07-January-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Red-bellied Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco. Note, after about 6 inches of snow.


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

Daily Electric Energy Used (74.0 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (0.1 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Solar panels covered with snow. Geothermal HVAC heating the house, much of the day stage 2 since it is cold outside. Deficit of 73.9 kWh.

Tuesday (26-October-2021) — New Jersey

Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, House Finch.


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

After the rain stopped, I rode my bike down to Rock Brook to see how far the water level had risen. The last storm when we got 6-7 inches of rain Rock Brook overflowed and damaged the one-lane bridge. This storm we got a little over 3 inches. The water was running fast, but still under the roadway. There was a new tree down, downstream of the bridge.


Rock Brook after a Heavy Rainstorm. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

On the way back from the bridge, I took several images of a local field that had just been mowed, and the hay rolled up into round bales.

Autumn Hay Bale. (David J Mathre)
Round bales of hay on a local recently mowed field. Composite of six images taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (41.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (19.9 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Cloudy most of the day. Deficit of 21.8 kWh.

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.