Saturday (20-June-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the Day — Northern Cardinal, House Finch, American Crow, Gray Catbird, Turkey Vulture, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove, and Red-bellied Woodpecker. The Eastern Phoebe appears to be reconstructing the top of the nest?


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


Spots and his sister Spots. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

First day of Summer Flowers: Including Poppies (Red, Pink, Oriental, and California). Daisy, Foxglove, Cosmos, Delphinium, Cornflower, Lance-leaf Coreopsis, Love-in-a-mist (seed pod), and Prickly Pear Cactus.


Poppies (portrait mode). Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Poppies (landscape mode). Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Wildflowers (portrait mode). Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Wildflowers (landscape mode). Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (50.8 kWh) from Sense. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (63.6 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. More clouds. A surplus of 12.8 kWh.


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Monday (15-June-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the Day — Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, Gray Catbird, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Tufted Titmouse. I’m having a hard time differentiating the female/immature House Finch from the immature Brown-headed Cowbird. One of my photography mentors called all small brown birds LBJ’s (little brown jobs). Good practice to photograph birds, but will drive you crazy trying to identify.


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

Spring flowers of the day — Red Poppies.

Red/Oriental Poppies. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Red/Oriental Poppies. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Red/Oriental Poppies. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Red/Oriental Poppies. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (41.5 kWh) from Sense. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (77.5 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun and clouds. A surplus of 36.0 kWh.



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Friday (29-May-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the Day — Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Mourning Dove, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Eastern Phoebe. The Eastern Phoebes are feeding the two remaining young chicks in the nest.


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

Spring flowers of the day — Oriental, Red and Pink Poppies.


Poppies — Portrait. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Poppies — Landscape. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (55.2 kWh) from meter readings the Sense Home Energy Monitor. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (39.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Fog in the morning and clouds in the afternoon. A deficit of 15.7 kWh.



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Wednesday (27-May-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

While taking the trash out for the weekly pickup, one of the tiny hatchlings from the Eastern Phoebe nest jumped out of the nest. It could barely fly, mainly a controlled landing. I got some pictures of the bird on the ground. I have a strong suspicion that it is a Brown-headed Cowbird. The remaining two birds in the nest are much smaller. Also, the Eastern Phoebe parents didn’t seem to be too concerned about the bird down on the ground and continued to feed the two birds in the nest.


Eastern Phoebe or Brown-headed Cowbird?. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Birds of the Day — Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Northern Cardinal, Chipping Sparrow, Carolina Wren, and Red-bellied Woodpecker. Many of the birds at the feeder these days are young and are trying to figure out the pecking order.


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

Spring flowers of the day — Poppies (California, Oriental, Red), Allium, Cosmos, Forget-me-not, Rhododendron, Baby Blue Eyes, and Johnny Jump Up.


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


Poppies of the Day – Portrait. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Poppies of the Day — Landscape. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (43.0 kWh) from meter readings the Sense Home Energy Monitor. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (58.6 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Fog in the morning, Sun and clouds in the afternoon. A surplus of 15.8 kWh.



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Saturday (23-May-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the Day — Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue-Jay, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Eastern Phoebe. There continues to be lots of action at the Eastern Phoebe nest with both parents feed the new hatchlings.


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

Spring flowers of the day — Poppies (California, Oriental, Red), Dame’s Rocket, Five-spot, Rhododendron, Johnny Jump Up, Babies Blue Eyes, Bachelor Button, Cornflower, Sweet William, Dianthus, Siberian Wallflower, Daisy, Foxglove, and Tulip Tree.


California, Red, and Oriental Poppies. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


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

Barely a week old, and the new Fawn with spots is running around the yard. So far lucky that there are not many cars on the road as its only natural predator is the automobile.


Spots. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (47.7 kWh) from meter readings the Sense Home Energy Monitor. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (32.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy much of the day. A deficit 0f 15.2 kWh.


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