Tag: summer

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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Five-Years Ago (01-January-2015) — Antarctica

Gone to See Antarctica 2014/2015. Hurtigruten Christmas Voyage on the MS Fram. Day 17: Antarctic Peninsula.

After visiting the Argentine Almirante Brown Base we traveled to the British Port Lockroy. A stowaway Snowy Sheathbill hitched a ride on the MS Fram to Port Lockroy. The Gentoo Penguins at were minding their nests, with several hatching and just hatched chicks.

alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Stowaway Snowy Sheathbill that hitched a ride on the Hurtigruten MS Fram from the Argentinian Brown Station to the British Port Lockroy. Maybe it is a spy??. Image taken with a Fuji XT1 camera and 60 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 200, 60 mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Gentoo Penguin at Port Lockroy. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/8, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Gentoo Penguin on a nest and newly hatched chicks at Port Lockroy. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/7.1, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Gentoo Penguin on a nest with egg at Port Lockroy. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Gentoo Penguin on a nest and with egg hatching at Port Lockroy. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Gentoo Penguin on a nest with egg and newly hatched chick at Port Lockroy. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/11, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Gentoo Penguin on a nest with egg and newly hatched chick at Port Lockroy. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Gentoo Penguin on a nest with newly hatched chick at Port Lockroy. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre)

Five-Years Ago (01-January-2015) — Antarctica

Gone to See Antarctica 2014/2015. Hurtigruten Christmas Voyage on the MS Fram. Day 17: Antarctic Peninsula.

The first stop in the morning was at the Argentine Almirante Brown Base. Lots of Snowy Sheathbill and Gentoo Penguins. The Gentoo Penguins were minding their nests, with several hatching and just hatched chicks.

alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Snowy Sheathbill near the landing at the Argentine Brown Scientific Station in Antarctica. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/16, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Snowy Sheathbill on rocks at the Argentine Brown Scientific Station in Antarctica. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 27 mm, f/16, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Snowy Sheathbill on snow at the Argentine Brown Scientific Station in Antarctica. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/16, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Gentoo Penguin nesting site at the Argentine Brown Scientific Station in Antarctica. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/8, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)
alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Gentoo Penguin nesting site at the Argentine Brown Scientific Station in Antarctica. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 18-56 mm lens (ISO 100, 56 mm, f/16, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre)

Saturday (21-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Daily walkabout with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 200 mm f/2 OIS lens. Wildflowers, a Tiger Swallowtail and Bumblebee on a Mexican Sunflower, and immature Goldfinch working the sunflowers.


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.



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


Yesterday Electric Energy Used (53.7 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (52.6 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. More sun and cooler. The Geothermal HVAC was off. Server backup and new hydroponic garden online. Overall a net deficit of 1.1 kWh.

Daily Electric Energy Used (66.0 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (51.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Warmer out so the Geothermal HVAC was back on (5.2 kWh), Using more electricity while running server backups, laundry (3.7 kWh) and new hydroponic garden. Overall a net deficit of 14.7 kWh.

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Thursday (19-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Daily walkabout with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens. Some of the Cosmos plants are nearly 10 feet tall, with blossoms way up. I’ve seen hummingbirds feeding on them, but haven’t been able to capture an image. The strawberry plants in my Grow Towers are sending out runners. I am going to try to transplant some of the runners into an indoor hydroponic system and see if I can produce strawberries in the middle of the winter. The Burma Water Gourd vine put out some more flowers. I think these are female flowers so I may actually get some gourds to set. Although it is probably too late to get 1 meter long gourds.

Cosmos Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/220 sec). (David J Mathre)
Cosmos Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/220 sec). (David J Mathre)
Strawberry Runner. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 335 mm, f/5.6, 1/75 sec). (David J Mathre)
Strawberry Runner. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 335 mm, f/5.6, 1/75 sec). (David J Mathre)
Strawberry Runner. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 243 mm, f/5.6, 1/45 sec). (David J Mathre)
Strawberry Runner. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 243 mm, f/5.6, 1/45 sec). (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (53.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (56.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. More Sunshine. The Geothermal HVAC was off, but using more electricity while running server backups. Overall a net surplus of 3 kWh.


Current Weather Conditions

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