Tag: Bald Eagle

Monday (28-February-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Mourning Dove, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, American Crow. The Bald Eagle returned for a second day. At this point, most of the carcass is gone, with two Turkey Vultures waiting for the leftovers. On the right leg of the eagle there is a green tag (D 99). This may identify the eagle as a nearly eight-year old male born at Duke Farms. While the big birds are around, the smaller song birds have been hiding.


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


Bald Eagle and Turkey Vulture. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Turkey Vultures. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Indoor Hydroponic Updates. Bounty-01 (Day 43). Bok Choi doing well. Two more plants harvested this last week. It was important that I thinned it down to 1 plant per position. Even then the plants are crowded in the Bounty. I also have to top off the water every day, and add fertilizer every other day. Bounty-02 (Day 43). The Dill is growing tall. I started harvesting the top of the Dill. The Black-seeded Simpson and Rouge d’Hiver lettuce doing well. Harvesting leaves every other day. The Genovese Basil is doing well. Needed to trim some of the Dill and lettuce so the basil gets more light. I’ve needed to top off the water every day and add fertilizer every other day. Bounty-03 (Day 35). Dill and Genovese Basil doing well. The Italian and Curly Parsley starting to get bigger. Bounty-04 (Day 20). Heirloom Red Tomatoes (5/5). Golden Harvest Tomatoes (4/4). The Heirloom Red Tomatoes are about ready to be thinned and transplanted to a Farm module.


Bounty-01, Bounty-02, Bounty-03, Bounty-04. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-01L (Day 42). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-01R (Day 42). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02L (Day 42). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02R (Day 42). Oriental Poppy, Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy, Red Poppy, Red Poppy, Somn Blend Poppy.


Farm-01L, Farm-01R, Farm-02L, Farm-02R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-03L and Farm-03R (Day 35). Kale, Collard Greens, Spinach, Mustard Greens. I initially thought I also planted Swiss Chard but during the transfer from the seed starting tray probably swapped with Sage. The Swiss Chard ended up in Farm-04L and Farm-04R. All of the greens are growing fast, and producing large leaves. I am having to harvest the largest leaves to provide light to the smaller plants. I also harvested the Swiss Chard in Farm-O4L/04R to make room for the Sage from Farm-03L/03R. Next time I should probably only plant a single type of greens in each Farm with a limit it to 4 or 6 plants. AeroGarden Farm-04L and Farm-04R (Day 35). Oregano, Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme, and now Sage.


Farm-03L, Farm-03R, Farm-04L, Farm-04R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-06L (Day 26). Transplanted from seed starter Farm-09R. Snapdragon (A1); Chrysanthemum (A2, A3); Iceland Poppy (B1, B2); Sweet William (B3), Columbine (C1, C2, C3); Osteospermum (D1, D2); Blue Daisy (D3). AeroGarden Farm-06R (Day 8). Various types of lettuce. Red Sails (A1, A2, A3, B3); Deer Tongue (B1, B2); Black-seeded Simpson (C1, C2); Rouge d’Hiver (C3, D3); Paris Island (D1, D2). AeroGarden Farm-07L (Day 8). Heirloom Red Tomatoes and Golden Harvest Tomatoes. AeroGarden Farm-0RL (Day 8). Bok Choi (12/12) already sprouted.


Farm-06L, Farm-06R, Farm-07L, Farm-07R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-08 (Day 42). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. The odd plant is Celosia. AeroGarden Farm-08R (Day 42). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-09L (Day 42). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-09R Seed Starter (Day 4). Nine different Basil varieties. Row A: Dark Opal Basil (6/9). Row B: Cinnamon Basil (8/9). Row C: Genovese Basil (5/10). Row D: Holy Basil (2/11). Row E: Italian Large Leaf Basil (8/8). Row F: Lemon Basil (9/10). Row G: Lime Basil (9/11). Row H. Sweet Basil (9/9). Row I: Thai Basil (5/8).


Farm-08L, Farm-08R, Farm-09L, Farm-09R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-10L (Day 26). Row A (1-3): Calendula; Row B (1-3): Osteospermum; Row C (1-3): Sweet William; Row D (1-3): Snapdragon. AeroGarden Farm-10R (Day 26). Row A (1-3): Calendula; Row B (1-3): Osteospermum; Row C (1-3): Sweet William; Row D (1-3): Snapdragon. AeroGarden Farm-11 (Day 26). Row A (1-3): Chrysanthemum; Row B (1-3): Iceland Poppy; Row C (1-3): Chrysanthemum; Row D (1-3): Iceland Poppy.


Farm-10L, Farm-10R, Farm-11. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (89.3 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (55.3 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sunny. Deficit of 34.0 kWh.

Monthly Electric Energy Used (2564 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (834 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Deficit of 1730 kWh.

Sunday (27-February-2022) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Mourning Dove, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Red-Tailed Hawk, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Tufted Titmouse, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Cardinal. A “wake” of both Turkey and Black Vultures returned just after sunrise to continue feeding on a dead critter. Mid-morning all of the vultures disappeared when a Bald Eagle showed up for a late breakfast. After the eagle left, the vultures returned. Then in the early afternoon a Red-tailed Hawk showed up. The vultures and hawks alternated feeding on the remaining carcass.


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


Black Vultures. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Turkey Vultures. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Bald Eagle. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Red-tailed Hawk. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (92.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (54.0 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sunny but cold. Deficit of 35.4 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (629 kWh) from Sense. Weekly Solar Electric Energy Produced (224 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Deficit of 405 kWh.

Thursday (10-September-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Afternoon at the Birdfeeders: Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Gray Catbird, Song Sparrow, and Northern Cardinal.


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

Contact me if you are interested in a Time-lapse Video of the Morning or Afternoon session at the Birdfeeders. My setup for the birdfeeder images is a Nikon D850 camera and 200 mm f/2 VR lens set to take one image every 5 seconds over a 5 hour period (~3600 images). The new time-lapse video format is 720p (1080 x 720 pixels) and 1 frame/second. The length of the video is about 1 hour in a 1 GB MP4 file. The previous time-lapse videos of the birdfeeders were at 12 frames/second, and to be honest were too fast to identify the birds.

I wondered why there were periods of time when all of the birds at the feeder disappeared. Then I saw a Bald Eagle in a tree. First time I have seen a Bald Eagle in my backyard. Soon after a bunch of American Crows started harassing the Bald Eagle causing it to fly away. A bit later, I saw a Cooper’s Hawk in the same tree that the Bald Eagle had been perched. As before, a bunch of American Crows started harassing the Cooper’s Hawk causing it to fly away. Finally, some Turkey Vultures showed up.


Bald Eagle. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

alt_title. (David J Mathre)
American Crow. Image taken with a Leica SL2 camera and Sigma 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 DG DN lens. (David J Mathre)


Cooper’s Hawk. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

I also noticed an Eastern Chipmunk under my birdfeeders. A new resident in the neighborhood. It appears to have a tick above its nose.


Eastern Chipmunk. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (54.2 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (35.1 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Lots of clouds. A deficit of 19.1 kWh.

Seven-Years Ago (30-August-2009) — Alaska

Gone to See North America Road Trip. Day 09: Alaska Marine Highway on the MV Columbia.

Bald Eagle on Channel Marker 54 along the Wrangle Narrows.  From the deck of the MV Columbia on the Alaska Marine Highway. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 280 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec).

Bald Eagle on Channel Marker 54 From the deck of the MV Columbia (Alaska Marine Highway). Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 280 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)
Bald Eagle on Channel Marker 54 From the deck of the MV Columbia (Alaska Marine Highway). Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 280 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)

Six-Years Ago (30-August-2009) — Alaska

Gone to See North America Road Trip. Day 09: Alaska Marine Highway on the MV Columbia.

Bald Eagle on Channel Marker 54 along the Wrangle Narrows.  From the deck of the MV Columbia on the Alaska Marine Highway. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 280 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec).

Bald Eagle on Channel Marker 54 From the deck of the MV Columbia (Alaska Marine Highway). Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 280 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)
Bald Eagle on Channel Marker 54 From the deck of the MV Columbia (Alaska Marine Highway). Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 280 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)