One of my indoor cacti started blooming last night. The flower is bright red. It looks like there will be four more flowers. I am going to try to do a time-lapsed video as they open. I will also put the plant outside in the sun tomorrow to see if the local bees find it. Otherwise, I will need to try to manually pollinate the flower.
Cactus in Bloom. Indoor spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/16, 1/30 sec) and SB-900 flash. (David J Mathre)Cactus in Bloom. Indoor spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 100, 105 mm, f/16, 1/30 sec) and SB-900 flash. (David J Mathre)
Three LBJ’s (litte-brown jobs) in my backyard on a cold late-winter day. Two of the birds are white-throated sparrows. The other one, I am not sure about its ID.
White-throated sparrow getting some sun. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)White-throated sparrow singing in the vines. Late winter backyard wildlife in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/12, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)Sparrow hiding in the bushes. Late winter backyard wildlife in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/12, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)Icicles on the vines. Late winter backyard nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9.5, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
A late-winter walkabout in my backyard. Fresh snow on the ground. Tracks from a neighbor’s cat in the front yard, and tracks from many deer in the backyard. Based on the droppings, there was not much for the deer to eat. There were birds out. A turkey vulture soaring, a white-throated sparrow, a male house finch. I am not sure if the one with the crossed bill is a female house finch or something else.
Cat tracks in my front yard. Late winter snow in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 80 mm, f/11, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Deer tracks in my back yard. Late winter snow in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 80 mm, f/12, 1/640 sec). (David J Mathre)Based on theses remains, not much for a deer to eat at this time of the year. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)Turkey Vulture in flight. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)White-throated sparrow on a vine. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 400 mm, f/7.6, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)Male house finch on a vine. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre)Crossed-bill/beak finch or female house finch (?) on a vine. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 400 mm, f/11, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)Crossed-bill/beak finch or female house finch (?) on a vine. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)Crossed-bill/beak finch or female house finch (?) on a vine. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 400 mm, f/10, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)Pine cones in the afternoon sun. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 220 mm, f/8, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)
Images from a walkabout in my backyard after a morning rain shower. The deer look like it has been a long winter. These are the birds that spent the winter.
Three scrawny does. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 360, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)Female northern cardinal in the vines after a morning rain. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 280, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)Male northern cardinal in the vines after a morning rain. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec). (David J Mathre)White-throated sparrow in the vines after a morning rain. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 500, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)
Water droplets on a vine after a morning rain. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 280, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)
I have two sycamore trees that frame my backyard. Theses are a few shots of the sycamore seed balls (pods). One by itself, one that a squirrel is checking out, and the final one of a black crow watching me from the tree. Unfortunately, the limbs on these trees are pretty brittle, and every winter more branches come down. I will see how much they block the solar panels on the south side of the house later this spring as the leaves emerge.
Lone sycamore seed. Late winter backyard nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)Squirrel checking out a sycamore seed. Late winter backyard nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 640, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)Crow in a sycamore tree. Late winter backyard nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec). (David J Mathre)
