Tag: summer

Monday (09-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

It had been overcast and cool much of the day. In the late afternoon we finally got some much needed rain. Not enough, but something. The clouds started clearing from the west and I noticed sunlight coming in my bedroom window. When I looked outside I saw a double rainbow. I ran outside with the first camera I found with a wide-angle lens. Three views — a 360 degree panorama, a little planet view, and an inverse little planet/tunnel view.

Rainbow. 360 Pano View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. 360 Pano View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. Little Planet View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. Little Planet View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. 360 Tunnel View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Rainbow. 360 Tunnel View. Composite of 46 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 19 mm f/4 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 19 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and composite created using AutoPano Giga Pro. (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (36.4 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (35.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy much of the day. Still cool enough that the windows can be left open and no need to run the Geothermal HVAC. Overall a net deficit of 0.9 kWh.

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Sunday (08-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

A flock of small yellow birds have been feasting on the flowers and seeds in my wildflower meadows. The first two images I took from inside the house through a window of an immature Pine Warbler and an immature Goldfinch. Later on when I went out to check the back wildflower meadows I found one of the electric fences destroyed. Over 20 of the fence posts were broken near the ground the fence and wires pulled into the woods. Looks like a stampede passed through the meadow.

Immature Pine Warbler(?). Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 640, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Immature Pine Warbler(?). Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 640, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Immature Goldfinch. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Immature Goldfinch. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Southwest Wildflower Meadow Fence. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)
Southwest Wildflower Meadow Fence. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)
Southwest Wildflower Meadow Fence. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)
Southwest Wildflower Meadow Fence. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (35.5 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (49.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Partly cloudy all day. Still cool enough that the windows can be left open and no need to run the Geothermal HVAC. Overall a net surplus of 13.6 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (288 kWh) and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (307 kWh) for a net surplus of 19 kWh.

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Saturday (07-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Three of the Sourland Spectacular Bicycle routes passed by my house. The Sourland Spectacular is a charity event that supports the Sourland Mountains. I put a Garmin VIRB-360 camera up on my mailbox to record the early morning riders. Unfortunately, the plug to the external battery pack fell out, so the camera only recorded an hour of activity. There were a couple of heavy dump trucks that passed by. I wouldn’t want to be a bike rider on these narrow roads with those trucks passing.

Daily Electric Energy Used (37.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (55.8 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny in the morning, some clouds in the afternoon. Still cool enough that the windows can be left open and no need to run the Geothermal HVAC. Overall a net surplus of 18.7 kWh (almost making up for yesterday.

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Friday (06-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Although we got a small amount of rain (0.26 inches) this week, the pond is very low. I am only seeing one or two frogs at this time. Not the dozens that were there a few weeks ago. I don’t know if they have moved onto another pond, or if there has been a predator. The ones that remain are very skittish and I can only get close enough to get pictures with the Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. The field of view for this camera at 300 mm is equivalent to 810 mm on a full frame camera.


Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.


Daily Electric Energy Used (36.9 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (14.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Very cloudy, and cooler for a net deficit of 22 kWh.

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Friday (06-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Cloudy, cool, and practically no wind. Hurricane Dorian passed well to the east of the state. During my daily walkabout, I saw a large number (flock?) of Goldfinches feeding on the smaller Sunflowers. A number of the birds must have just fledged, and their parents were feeding them cracked sunflower seeds. Apparently the young birds haven’t figured out how the crack the seeds yet. Another immature Goldfinch appeared to be pecking at the Sunflower stalk for food. Later on I saw an immature Goldfinch appear to be eating Zinnia flower petals

Adult feeding immature Goldfinch Sunflower seed. Image taken with a Nikon 1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Adult feeding immature Goldfinch Sunflower seed. Image taken with a Nikon 1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Adult feeding immature Goldfinch Sunflower seed. Image taken with a Nikon 1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Adult feeding immature Goldfinch Sunflower seed. Image taken with a Nikon 1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)


Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slide show.



Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slide show.



Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slide show.


Immature Goldfinch on wire. Image taken with a Nikon 1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Immature Goldfinch on wire. Image taken with a Nikon 1V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (36.9 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (14.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Very cloudy, and cooler for a net deficit of 22 kWh.

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