One-Year Ago (21-July-2013) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Paper wasps working at the nest. Eggs and larvae at various stages of development.  Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm VR macro (+ TC-E 20 III) [ISO 100, 210 mm, f/40, 1/60 sec] plus SB-910 flash.

Paper Wasps Working at The Nest. Eggs and Larvae at Various Stages of Development. Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 105 mm VR macro (+ TC-E 20 III teleconverter) [ISO 100, 210 mm, f/40, 1/60 sec] plus SB-910 flash. (David J Mathre)
Paper Wasps Working at The Nest. Eggs and Larvae at Various Stages of Development.  Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 105 mm VR macro (+ TC-E 20 III teleconverter) [ISO 100, 210 mm, f/40, 1/60 sec] plus SB-910 flash. (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (18-July-2013) — New Jersey

Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey.

Grey Catbird singing to me on the deck. Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 1600, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec). Hand-held, the vibration reduction on this new lens is good for an exposure this long.

Grey Catbird Singing. Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 1600, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec). (David J Mathre)
Grey Catbird Singing. Backyard Summer Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D4 and 80-400 mm VRII lens (ISO 1600, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec). (David J Mathre)

Three-Years Ago (02-July-2011) — New Jersey

Summer Nature in New Jersey. Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Kermit the Bullfrog in the pond at the local Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 500 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5.

Kermit the Bullfrog at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 500 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)
Kermit the Bullfrog at the Sourland Mountain Reserve. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 500 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 500 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, Nik Define, and Photoshop CS5. (David J Mathre)

Sunday (15-September-2013) — New Jersey

Late Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

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.

Saturday (14-September-2013) — New Jersey

Backyard Late Summer Nighttime Sky Over New Jersey.

Last night the sky was clear, and the waxing gibbous moon (61%) bright, so I set up a couple of cameras with big lenses out on the deck. One of the systems (Nikon D4 camera TC-E III 20 teleconverter and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 400, 1200 mm, f/8, 1/60 sec)) was set to record video (1080p, 30 fps). While reviewing the videos I noticed one with something (a bird?) passing in front of the moon. Played back at 10 fps shows the transit to occur over 25 frames.