Monday Monochrome: Lotus, Dragonfly

Tags

dragonfly, monochrome, photography, postaday, white lotus

Usually I photograph lotus blossoms in early morning, but yesterday I arrived at the pond around 2 PM. Sunlight was falling almost straight down on top of the flowers. Looking at the results, I thought a monochrome rendering of the images would be appropriate.

White Lotus.

White Lotus.

White Lotus.

Finally, a monochrome dragonfly shot, taken about the same time.

Dragonfly.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Tags

photography, postaday, Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird is a name that is more appropriate for the male bird who does indeed have a throat seemingly adorned with rubies under the proper lighting. He lives in our area and comes to the feeder, but never at the same time as the two females. In fact male and female hummingbirds do not share the same nest like many other birds do.

Today, in the afternoon, lighting was good and perfect for photographing him.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird arriving at feeder.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird flying away.

That’s My Feeder

Tags

photography, postaday, Ruby-throated Hummingbird

For several years, two female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been fighting over the feeder I put out for them. Today was the first time I was able to capture them together, one chasing away the other from “her” feeder.

First female Ruby-throated Hummingbird arriving.

She looked into a feeding hole.

Oh, oh. She saw the other one coming.

Chased away, in a fraction of a second.

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the “owner” of the feeder in a victory dance.

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird enjoying her drink.

First Monarch

Tags

asclepias incaranata, milkweed, monarch butterfly, photography, postaday

Three years ago, I planted pink milkweed, Asclepias Incarnata, in the back of our house to attract and help Monarch butterflies, whose number has been in decline in recent years. The first year several came, and then there were Monarch caterpillars crawling on the milkweed plants. Then after a few days they disappeared, maybe eaten by the many birds flying around our bird feeder. Last year, not one single Monarch showed up.

This year, at least one did appear, captured in the following photos.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Some Regular Bird Visitors

Tags

blue jay, downy woddpecker ruby-throated hummingbird, mourning dove, photography, postaday, turtle dove

The following birds are regular visitors to our backyard, and here are some shots of them near the bird feeder.

This year a band of Blue Jays have come swarming in our neighborhood. You can tell when they come as all the smaller birds have to scatter out of their way. Fortunately, they don’t eat everything at once and they leave enough food for others.

Blue Jay.

Turtle (or Mourning) Doves are always there also, not as aggressive as Blue Jays, but persistent. They will perch on high branches and patiently wait their turn. The one below flew down to our deck to check out some scattered sunflower seeds.

Turtle or Mourning Dove.

The Downy Woodpeckers are also always there, no matter what season it is.

Downy Woodpecker.

A regular summer visitor is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, very small and very territorial. The following female will attack attack any other hummingbird that tries to use the special feeder I put out for hummingbirds. It even tried to shoo away bigger birds.

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovering over feeder.

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird landing on feeder.

The male Ruby-throated Hummingbird either comes out in late evening, or when I am not home. So far I have seen him but it’s been too dark to photograph him.

Midsummer Flowers

Tags

cosmos, photography, postaday

The deer did not eat our Cosmos flowers, which keep putting on a bravura performance in the intense summer heat. Here are some shots I took early this morning.

Cosmos.

Cosmos.

Cosmos.

Cosmos.

Cosmos.

Cosmos.

Red Hot Summer

Tags

northern cardinal, photography, postaday

It was 101 °F (38 °C) when I got out of work this afternoon. The following photos of a handsome Northern Cardinal who has been coming to our bird feeder is illustrative of the red hot summer we have been enduring over these past few days.

Northern Cardinal.

Northern Cardinal.

Cooling rains are coming this weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

Tags

blue dasher, dragonfly, photography, postaday

Blue Dasher dragonfly.

Blue Dasher dragonfly.

Blue Dasher dragonflies: two to tango.

Black & White Sunday: After and Before

Tags

back & white sunday, lotus, photography, postaday

This is in response to a challenge by Paula at the following link: https://bopaula.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/black-white-sunday-after-and-before-2/

White Lotus: converted to B&W.

White Lotus, original in color.

Which version do you prefer?

I’d Rather Be Sailing

Tags

barnegat lighthouse, photography, postaday, sailboat

I’d rather be sailing, but the following sailboats are not mine. I only saw them last week as they left Barnegat Bay to go toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Sailboat at Barnegat Light. The motor boat came close, but not too close.

Sailboat in Atlantic Ocean near Barnegat Lighthouse.

Sailboat in Atlantic Ocean near Barnegat Lighthouse.

Early Lotus

Tags

carnegie center, dragonfly, eatern amberwing, lotus, photography, postaday, white lotus

This morning started with fog, followed by rain, then finally sunshine. After making sure the sun was there to stay, I went to the lotus pond near our house to photograph this year’s flowers. There were not many yet, it’s still too early for them.

White Lotus with visitor.

White Lotus.

Lotus leaves. Note the two fishes at the bottom of the leaf on the left.

There were many dragonflies flying around the pond. The Eastern Amberwings darted here and there, their orange color contrasting sharply with the green lotus leaves.

Eastern Amberwing dragonfly.

Deer Ate Them

Tags

photography, postaday, Rudbeckia Prairie Sun

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun is supposed to be deer resistant. However, they are now all gone, including buds that had not opened yet. At the height they were cut, I am suspecting that the deer ate them. All I have left is this picture, taken the day before they disappeared.

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun, before the deer ate them.

Fawns and Fox

Tags

fawn, photography, postaday, red fox

Yesterday, in late afternoon, Fawns came back to our backyard to graze and eat the still green fruit from our peach tree. They were not the only visitors.

Fawn.

Fawn.

Doe, Fawn, and Red Fox in the back.

Red Fox and Doe.

The Fawns were excited but did not run away.

The Red Fox perked up every time I pressed the shutter on my camera.

Red Fox.

Red Fox.

The Red Fox, with a peach in its mouth, suddenly took off and ran into the woods. My panning skills could be much improved, but you get the idea.

Red Fox with peach.

Seagull and Crab

Tags

great black-backed gull, herring gull, photography, postaday

Yesterday at the end of the Barnegat Lighthouse jetty, a Great Black-backed Gull Seagull grabbed a good-sized crab from the ocean.

Great Black-backed Gull catching a crab. It brought the crab to shore and ate most of it within five minutes.

Meanwhile a Herring Gull hovered, looking for a similar lunch.

Herring Gull.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge

Tags

Bixby, bridge, Carmel, hoi an, new jersey, postaday photography, Princeton, viet nam, weekly photo challenge

URL for this challenge is: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/bridge/

Following are photos that I took of bridges in my travels.

Bridge over Carnegie lake in Princeton, NJ.

New River Gorge bridge near Fayetteville, WV.

Bixby bridge at dusk, south of Carmel, CA.

Japanese bridge in Hoi An, Viet Nam.

Bridge to nowhere, in South Jersey. There is no road on the other side, only a dirt path and weeds.

Empress of India

Tags

empress of india, nasturtium, photography, postaday

While photographing Rudbeckia Prairie Sun (see preceding post from yesterday), I noticed a much smaller flower, a Nasturtium commonly named Empress of India. Its red color was beckoning me, and here’s the resulting photo.

Nasturtium “Empress of India”.

Prairie Sun

Tags

photography, postaday, Rudbeckia, Rudbeckia Prairie Sun

This Spring I planted from seeds a new flower called Rudbeckia Prairie Sun, a cousin of the Black-eyed Susan of yesteryear. It has started to bloom after only a few months, just like a Cosmos. Here are some shots of the stunning first bloom that eclipses all the Cosmos flowers in sheer beauty and vigor.

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun.

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun. In the background are Coreopsis Moonbeam flowers that have lived in the border for some 30 years.

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun.

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun.

Summer Flowers

Tags

asclepias incaranata, butterfly weed, cosmos, daylily, nasturtium, photography, postaday

It rained again last evening. Early today I went out and found our summer flowers in full bloom, still in the shade or gently caressed by rays from a sunrise that was not yet too hot. It was a feast for the eyes, and for my macro lens.

Asclepias Incarnata (Butterfly Weed).

Daylily.

Cosmos.

Nasturtium.

Cosmos.

Cosmos with landing insect helicopter.

Cosmos.

Cowbirds

Tags

cowbird, photography, postaday

I saw Cowbirds for the first time this year. They looked like House Finches, but were visibly bigger.

Female Cowbird.

Female Cowbirds are brood parasites, laying their eggs in other birds’ nests, and letting their children be raised by other birds. These new Cowbirds appeared with the bunch of House Finches that we usually see around our bird feeder, so maybe they had House Finches as surrogate parents and siblings.

Female Cowbird.

For comparison, here’s a shot of a male House Finch.

Male House Finch.

Because of their aggressive brood parasitism, Cowbirds are said to be a threat to other bird specie by overwhelming and outgrowing them