Late Summer Nature in New Jersey. Sourland Mountain Preserve.
Green Heron Gone Fishing at a Pond in the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens + TC-E III 20 teleconverter (ISO 800, 600 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec).
Gone to See America 2014 Road Trip. Day 4: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Green Heron on a Perch Warming in the Morning Sun. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec).
I went out for a walk this morning in the local Sourland Mountain Preserve. I was stalking a small Green Heron trying to get some images of it catching a fish or frog. All of a sudden there was a commotion in the middle of the pond. Two Canada Geese started a full out smackdown. It was like a junior high school fight. The other geese in the pond formed a circle and made noises supporting their team. The small Green Heron didn’t know what to think.
I used the images taken with a Nikon N1 V2 camera, FT1 adapter, and 180 mm f/2.8D lens to create a short time-lapse video.
Fall Nature in New Jersey. Sourland Mountain Preserve.
The sky finally cleared. I was wondering if the rain in Spain (which fell on more than the plains) followed me back home. I went to Sourland Mountain Preserve to see what changed since I left for the voyage in mid-August. September is usually the time to see the Monarch butterflies as they prepare for their trip to Mexico. The first thing I saw when I got out of the car was a Great White Heron working a pond. I watched it for a while, and managed to get some “grab” shots as it captured a frog for breakfast. I hiked up the gas pipeline trail and only saw one thistle plant still in bloom. All of the other thistle plants had already gone to seed. When I returned down the trail, I waited at the thistle in bloom and was rewarded by two late season Monarch butterflies. Then when I was going back to my car, I saw this Green Heron fishing in the pond. All in all a great day at the Sourland Mountain Preserve.