Horseshoe Crabs 2021

Tags

east point light house, horseshoe crab, oyster creek, postaday

Two days ago, the 2021 Horseshoe Crab season was at its peak with bright sunny skies during the day and a full moon at night. Horseshoe Crabs (which are not really crabs), came ashore and gathered along the geotubes in front of East Point Lighthouse. The females laid their eggs in the sand and the males attached to them tried their best to fertilize the eggs.

Geotubes and Horsehoe Crabs at East Point Lighthouse.

In late May of each year, similar mating scenes occur at many beaches in South Jersey, especially those fronting the Delaware Bay. Migratory birds swoop down to gorge themselves on the eggs. There seems to be enough eggs for such feasts. A female, which is usually 20-30% larger than a male, can produce as many as 120,000 eggs each season.

Horseshoe Crabs mating. The larger ones are females.

Birds landing on a shoreline where Horseshoe Crabs gather during their mating season.

Small island at the mouth of Oyster Creek near Fortescue, NJ where thousands of migratory birds gather to consume Horseshoe Crab eggs buried in the sand.

While I was photographing the above scene, a Bald Eagle flew overhead with a long fish, perhaps an eel, in its talons.

Bald Eagle with eel.

Not far from where I was, a Barn Swallow perched on an electric wire was looking at the scene and singing .

Barn Swallow.

Barn Swallow singing.

East Point Lighthouse Update

Tags

east point lighthouse, photography, postaday

Six years ago, in 2015, I went to the East Point Lighthouse in Heislerville on the Delaware Bay coastline at the southern end of New Jersey. It is a small but working lighthouse which somehow survived Hurricane Sandy but was in danger of the next major storm as the sea continually eroded a sandy beach less than 100 ft (30 m) away.

Here are a couple of pictures taken in 2015.

East Point Lighthouse

Beach at East Point Lighthouse in 2015.

Yesterday, I went back to see the lighthouse. Over the past several years, the Maurice River Historical Society which has managed the lighthouse since 1972, has done its best to restore the lighthouse. It definitely looks much improved from the outside.

East Point Lighthouse in 2021.

To try and deal with the real danger of beach erosion and flooding, in 2019 the state of New Jersey spent $460,000 installing giant sandbags called geotubes on the beach near the lighthouse.

Geotubes at East Point Lighthouse.

East Point Lighthouse view from South without geotubes.

Critics say that the geotubes are not high enough to prevent waves at high tide from spilling over and flooding the lighthouse. In a major storm, all bets are off, and anything could happen.

In the meantime, New Jersey authorities and the Maurice River Historical Society are in a contract dispute, and the inside of the lighthouse is closed to all. Visitors could still come and walk around the beach to look at horseshoe crabs in their annual mating rituals.

Silent Sunday

Tags

peony, photography, postaday

Peony.

Peony.

Peony.

Peony.

Peony.

Peony.

Brood X, 17-Year Cicada

Tags

brood x cicada, cicada, postaday

2021 is the year when brood X of the 17-year cicada emerges from the ground to mate and procreate. A few weeks ago, I saw many small holes in our backyard and one corner near the woods had been turned over by some animals, perhaps red foxes, hunting cicadas for food. Not to worry, for billions of cicadas will emerge this year in North America. There will be plenty of them and enough will survive to give us their next generation.

This morning I went out with my camera to look for them. They were on tree trunks and branches, and on the grass. I had never seen so many!

Cicadas and their shells on the ground surrounding an oak tree.

Cicada and dried shells.

Cicada emerging from shell.

Cicada and shell on a garden wire cage.

Empty cicada shell.

Cicadas in various stages.

Cicada emerging from shell.

Over the next few weeks, the cicadas will mate and the females will lay eggs on tree branches. Their mating calls is already starting to be a constant din that will annoy some people. Their eggs will hatch and cicada nymphs will fall to the ground and bury themselves there, eating sap from tree roots without damaging them.

Monday Monochrome

Tags

big leaf magnolia, magnolia tripetala, postaday, umbrella magnolia

On a recent visit to Sayen Gardens, I noticed several tall (30 ft or more) magnolia trees with white flowers shooting straight up to the sky. The tree is Magnolia Tripetala, also called Big Leaf Magnolia or Umbrella Magnolia, a native plant to the Appalachian mountains in the eastern United States , the Ozarks, and the Ouachita Mountains further West. Here is a monochrome shot of this magnolia.

Umbrella Magnolia Magnolia Tripetala.

Monday Monochrome

Tags

azalea delaware white, bleeding hearts alba, photographjy, postaday

For this Monday, here are some white flowers from our garden.

Bleeding Hearts Alba.

Bleeding Hearts Alba.

Azaleas Delaware White.

Azaleas Delaware White.

Deciduous Azaleas

Tags

azalea, photography, postaday, sayen Gardens

On a sunny day, Sayen Gardens near our house displayed hundreds of deciduous Azalea bushes and small trees. Their colors were vibrant and sunlight was just about perfect in highlighting them.

Azalea.

Azalea.

Azalea.

Azalea.

Azalea.

Azalea.

This last one is a Columbine with colors rivaling those of the Azaleas.

Columbine.

Spring Scenes at the Refuge

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, osprey, photography, postaday

Last Saturday was a very breezy and cold day, with wind chill temperatures below freezing. It was also low tide when the refuge did not offer its best views.

Part of Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge at low tide.

Most birds were sheltering from the wind and cold, although many Canada Geese were strolling around, showing off this year’s offspring. The Goslings were busy foraging and tasting food.

Gosling 2021.

The Osprey nests were empty at first sight and, for a moment, I thought they had flown to warmer places. However, when looking again, I could see part of a head peeking out from one nest. A female Osprey was chirping, her head clearly visible as she scanned the sky for her mate. I decided to stop and wait, but kept my window closed because of the strong wind.

Suddenly I saw the male Osprey flying in with a fish in his talons. By the time I got the window rolled down and my camera out he was already landing on the female bird.

Male Osprey landing on female Osprey.

The next photos show the Osprey mating rituals which lasted less than a minute.

Male Osprey jumping off female Osprey.

Male Osprey landing on female, again.

Male Osprey on top of female. Meanwhile she was probably beginning to eat the fish he had brought.

Male Osprey, business finished.

He landed a short distance away, watching her for a few minutes before flying off again, perhaps to find for more fish for her.