Thursday (23-April-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Daily bird images. Early morning: Chipping Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco at and under the bird feeder; Mid-morning: Brown-headed Cowbird and Tufted Titmouse at the bird feeder; Noon: Mourning Dove, pair of Northern Cardinals, Chipping Sparrow, pair of American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, and Red-bellied Woodpecker at and around the bird feeder.

Chipping Sparrow. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/50 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, 1/50 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Female Brown-headed Cowbird. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1400, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Female Brown-headed Cowbird. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1400, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tufted Titmouse. 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)
Tufted Titmouse. 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)
Mourning Dove. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1400, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Mourning Dove. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1400, 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 1400, 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 1400, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 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, 1/1000 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, 1/1000 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Chipping Sparrowl. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Chipping Sparrowl. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Female American Goldfinch. 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 American Goldfinch. 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)
Male American Goldfinch. 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)
Male American Goldfinch. 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)
Black-capped Chickadee. 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)
Black-capped Chickadee. 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)
Tufted Titmouse. 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)
Tufted Titmouse. 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)
Red-bellied Woodpecker. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1400, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Red-bellied Woodpecker. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1400, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (57.7 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (45.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Lots of clouds. A deficit of 12.2 kWh.


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Monday (30-March-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

In the morning, a Dark-eyed Junco looking for food. The sun came out for a bit in the late afternoon in time for the herd of deer to stop by and trim the grass. The grass has turned green and is growing fast. Unfortunately, one of the tires on my tractor is flat and I don’t know when I will be able to get it fixed…

Dark-eyed Junco looking for food on a rainy morning. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/4, 1/640 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco looking for food on a rainy morning. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/4, 1/640 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco looking for food on a rainy morning. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco looking for food on a rainy morning. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 1600, 600 mm, f/4, 1/320 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)


Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter Gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.


Daily Electric Energy Used (58.2 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (13.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy all day. A deficit of 44.7 kWh.

Current Weather Conditions


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Thursday (05-March-2020) — Thursday

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds at the bird feeder. Dark-eyed Junco.

Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 250, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 250, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 220, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 220, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 320, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 320, 600 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dark-eyed Junco. 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)
Dark-eyed Junco. 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)

Daily Electric Energy Used (56.0 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (58.4 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Lots of sun. First day with a surplus (2.4 kWh) this year.


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Wednesday (05-February-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

The new bird today is a Downy Woodpecker. I thought it might be a Hairy Woodpecker, but this bird is smaller. Other birds that stopped by include a House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Tufted Titmouse, and Black-capped Chickadee.


Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter Gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.



Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter Gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.


Daily Electric Energy Used (65.3 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (8.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy all day. A deficit of 57.2 kWh.

Current Weather Conditions


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One-Year Ago (31-January-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

American Crow, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, Tufted Titmouse, and Turkey Vulture.

alt_title. (David J Mathre)
American Crow. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR telephoto lens (ISO 640, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec).
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Blue Jay. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR telephoto lens (ISO 320, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec).
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR telephoto lens (ISO 200, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec).
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Tufted Titmouse. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 500 mm f/4 VR telephoto lens (ISO 640, 500 mm, f/4, 1/500 sec).
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Turkey Vulture in Flight. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 200 mm f/2 lens with 1.4x teleconverter (ISO 160, 280 mm, f/3.6, 1/1000 sec).