Tag: Wildlife

Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in my backyard: Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch.

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

Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a hummingbird feeder. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

The number of Yellowjacket wasps around the house has been increasing. They seem to be getting food out of the hummingbird feeder. They also have been feeding on suet blocks (which I have now removed). I have been finding dead ones on the floor in the basement, so was worried they had found a way into the basement but not a way out. Today, I found the basement window where they were getting in. Upon further investigation, I found they had built a nest in the ceiling of the basement near where they were getting into the house. I’ve created a time-lapse video of the nest using a Leica SL2s camera with a Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens. The macro probe lens allowed me to get closer to the nest without getting stung. From outside, I noticed that the wasps were returning to the nest with body parts of other bees. Have they attacked a Honey Bee hive?? Now I need to figure out how to deal with and remove the wasp nest.

Daily Electric Energy Used (50.9 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (52.9 kWh) from Sense. Sunny. Surplus of 2.0 kWh.

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