Saturday (02-May-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

More birds at the feeder today. In the morning: Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, and Chipping Sparrow. In the afternoon: Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Carolina Wren. The Carolina Wren actually was on the roof with a grub in its mouth. It was also calling out letting folks know it had a grub. I’m not sure if it was trying to attract a mate, or to get a young bird to fledge and get out of the nest. In the afternoon, I mowed the lawn for the first time this year. The grass was getting to be ankle high. I hadn’t mowed earlier because a tire on the lawn tractor was flat. While mowing, I noticed a number of small wildflowers already blooming. I haven’t planted andy wildflower seeds yet this spring, so these are either native, or have self-seeded from last year. Later in the afternoon, I went for a walkabout in the yard to document the early May flowers: Johnny-Jump-Up, Blue Forget me Not, Grape Hyacinth, Plum Tree, Siberian Wallflower, Five-Spots, Prunella Vulgaris (also known as Self-Heal, Heal-All, and Woundwort), Baby Blue Eyes, wild Violet (Viola), Jack in the Pulpit, Lilac, California Poppy, Allium bud, Star of Bethlehem, Strawberry, Yellow Tulip.


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


Birds in the Afternoon and Early Evening. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Carolina Wren with a slug. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 320, 80 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Carolina Wren with a grub. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 320, 80 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)


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


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

Daily Electric Energy Used (45.9 kWh) from meter readings the Sense Home Energy Monitor. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (69.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny, but the power was out for a couple of hours in the afternoon. A surplus of 23.6 kWh.


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Wednesday (29-April-2020) — Florida

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Not many birds at the feeder today: Blue Jay, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Northern Cardinal. Both the Cardinal and Cowbird are female, Jay sex undetermined.

Blue Jay below a birdfeeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Blue Jay below a birdfeeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Brown-headed Cowbird at a birdfeeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Brown-headed Cowbird at a birdfeeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Female Northern Cardinal at a birdfeeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Female Northern Cardinal at a birdfeeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (52.5 kWh) from meter readings the Sense Home Energy Monitor. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (34.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Clouds and sun. A deficit of 17.6 kWh.


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Saturday (21-March-2020) — New Jersey

Outdoor Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Blue Jay reminding me that the bird feeder is empty.

Blue Jay at an empty bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 180, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Blue Jay at an empty bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 180, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Blue Jay at an empty bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Blue Jay at an empty bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 450, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Blue Jay at an empty bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 280, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Blue Jay at an empty bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 280, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (53.6 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (67.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Bright and sunny day with a surplus of 13.9 kWh.

Current Weather Conditions


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One-Year Ago (06-March-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the Day viewed from my backyard patio: Canada Goose, Turkey Vulture, Blue Jay, Red-winged Blackbird, and Northern Cardinal.

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

Sunday (01-March-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Blue Jay eating sunflower seeds at the bird feeder. Unlike the cardinals and finches, the Blue Jays need to work harder to open the sunflower seeds.




Individual images in the above slideshows can be accessed in my PhotoShelter gallery here.

Daily Electric Energy Used (73.7 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (58.8 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny with some clouds. A deficit of 14.9 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (492 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (250 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. A deficit of 242 kWh. It was relatively cold at the end of the week requiring the Geothermal HVAC system to run most of the time.

Current Weather Conditions


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