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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Saturday (25-April-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Morning birds: Female Northern Cardinal and Chipping Sparrow. Midday birds: Carolina Wren and Black-capped Chickadee. Evening bird: Male Northern Cardinal.

Female Northern Cardinal. 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)
Female Northern Cardinal. 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)
Chipping Sparrow. 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)
Chipping Sparrow. 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)
Black-capped Chickadee. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 640, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Black-capped Chickadee. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 640, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Carolina Wren. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 800, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Carolina Wren. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 800, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Male Northern Cardinal. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Male Northern Cardinal. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (60.0 kWh) from meter readings the Sense Home Energy Monitor was offline for several hours after a power glitch, and had to be rebooted before it started recorded again. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (64.8 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy (and confirmed by a meter reading). Some clouds, but lots of sun. A surplus of 4.8 kWh.


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Tuesday (14-April-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Three types of birds at the bird feeder this morning. Northern Cardinal, House Finch, and Carolina Wren.

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Pair of Northern Cardinals in a tree. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
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Male Northern Cardinals at a bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1100, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
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Female Northern Cardinals below a bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
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House Finch with a sunflower seed. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 6400, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
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Carolina Wren looking up. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1250, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
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Carolina Wren about to take off. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (54.6 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (61.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Lots of sun (some clouds). A surplus of 7.3 kWh.


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Sunday (12-April-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Happy “shelter in place” Easter. Stay well. Carolina Wren and House Finch at the bird feeder today. Not getting much traffic at the bird feeders these days… A dozen deer in the backyard foraging on the new green grass. Looks like they are starting to lose their winter coats. At least six Tulips the the deer didn’t get are now blooming.

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Carolina Wren feeding at a bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/4, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)
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Female House Finch feeding at a bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
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Male House Finch feeding at a bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
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Young Doe with plenty of fresh green grass to forage. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1250, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)


Easter Tulips. Images taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 105 mm f/1.4 lens. Individual images from the slideshow can be viewed in my PhotoShelter gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (69.6 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (49.8 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Lots of sun with short intermittent clouds. A deficit of 19.8 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (390 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Weekly Solar Electric Energy Produced (408 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. First week this year with a surplus!! of 18 kWh 18 kWh. It is getting warmer out and more hours of sunlight (when the clouds stay away).


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One-Year Ago (29-January-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Carolina Wren, House Finch, Black-capped Chickadee, and Mourning Dove.

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Carolina Wren at a bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR telephoto lens (ISO 1100, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec).
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
House Finch at a bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR telephoto lens (ISO 2500, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec).
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Blacked-capped Chickadee at a bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR telephoto lens (ISO 800, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec).
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Mourning Dove below a bird feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR telephoto lens (ISO 2500, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec).