Friday (03-August-2012) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey: Sourland Mountain Preserve.

I went for a walk at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Lots of images of Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies and Dragonflies. Not that many wildflowers that butterflies are interested in at this time. I did see one Monarch butterfly, but it never stopped long enough to take an image. Same thing with a black swallowtail butterfly. I did see one Robber-fly, but it didn’t have a meal yet…

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on a Joe Pye Weed Bloom at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on a Joe Pye Weed Bloom. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Dragonfly at the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 450, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec) (David J Mathre)
Dragonfly. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 450, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec) (David J Mathre)

GPS: N40°28’21 W74°41’39

Wednesday (01-August-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Rabbit Eating Clover in the Rain. My first day of Retirement. I’ve been working for Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey; Boulder, Colorado; and West Point, Pennsylvania for the last 27 years. I can now spend more time with my new passion of photography and travel. I took a series of images of this rabbit in the rain. I was sitting in my car in my driveway while listening to “The Race” on SiriusXM. Now that I am not commuting 3+ hours a day I can photograph the local wildlife while listening to books on satellite radio.

Rabbit Eating Clover in the Rain. Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)
Rabbit Eating Clover in the Rain. Image taken with a Nikon D800 and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)

Four-Years Ago (31-July-2008) — Colorado

Summertime Nature in Colorado. Rocky Mountain National Park.

I found some wild blue Columbine wildflowers while walking around Lily Lake. It wasn’t until I processed this image that I noticed a small grey spider lurking in the flower — waiting for a meal.

Blue Columbine Wildflower with a Small Spider at Lilly Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 800, 105 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec) with fill flash. (David J Mathre)
Blue Columbine Wildflower with a Small Spider at Lilly Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 800, 105 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec) with fill flash. (David J Mathre)

[bingMap width=600 location=”N40°18’21 W105°32’23” maptype=”AerialWithLabels” zoom=4 pp1=”N40°18’21 W105°32’23”]

GPS: N40°18’21” W105°32’23”

Sunday (29-July-2012) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Red-Tailed Hawk Looking for Dinner. I was wondering why the rabbits and squirrels were being scarce this afternoon. The song birds were making a lot of noise, more than usual late in the afternoon. Then I saw this Red-tailed Hawk keeping watch above the backyard. I grabbed the first camera & telephoto lens I could find to capture it both watching the yard, then as it started a dive. It went behind some trees, so I didn’t see if it caught dinner.

Red Tailed Hawk Looking for Dinner in My Backyard. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Red Tailed Hawk Looking for Dinner in My Backyard. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Red Tailed Hawk Looking for Dinner in My Backyard. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 500 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec). (David J Mathre)
Red Tailed Hawk Looking for Dinner in My Backyard. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 500 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec). (David J Mathre)