Monarch Waystation

Tags

moarch waystation, monarch butterfly, painted lady, photography, postaday

After photographing waves crashing on the beach, I walked back to Barnegat Lighthouse and could not help but notice at least two Monarch butterflies flying around. One of them landed and held still long enough to have its picture taken.

Monarch on the beach.

Later I went to the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences, located in the nearby community with the unusual name of Loveladies, NJ. It is named after Thomas Lovelady who owned an island near the area. Over time the name of the place evolved into its current version, with a very visible sign welcoming visitors to Loveladies community…

As I walked around the grounds of the foundation, I stumbled on its Monarch butterfly waystation where many Monarch butterflies were feeding on milkweed and other kinds of flowers to replenish their energy for their annual migration to as far South as Mexico. This was the most I had seen in over 40 years!

Monarch butterflies.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterflies.

There were also other butterflies, fellow diners.

Painted Lady butterfly.

Yellow Cabbage Butterfly.

Painted Lady.

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Waves

Tags

barnegat lighthouse, photography, postaday, waves

The remnants of Hurricane Jose were way out on the ocean, but the weathermen predicted big waves for New Jersey shoreline, so I went there today. The waves were indeed more violent than usual, a little bit higher, but nowhere near the big Kahuna that surfers crave for.

Waves near Barnegat Lighthouse.

Waves near Barnegat Lighthouse.

Waves near Barnegat Lighthouse.

Waves near Barnegat Lighthouse.

Heirloom Cosmos

Tags

cosmos, heirloom, photography, postaday, z food farm

Near our house, there is an organic farm, Z Food Farm, that grows heirloom vegetables and flowers. I pass by it on my way to work every morning, but it was always too dark so I didn’t notice their flower beds until today. They had many flowers, and I may come back for more. Today, the heirloom Cosmos were stunning, and I took a lot of pictures of them.

Cosmos at Z Food Farm.

Cosmos at Z Food Farm.

Cosmos at Z Food Farm.

Cosmos at Z Food Farm.

Cosmos at Z Food Farm.

Cosmos at Z Food Farm.

Bird Diversity

Tags

black skimmer, peacock, photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird, snow goose, snowy egret

Going through some unpublished photos I took over the last few months, I am struck by the many different kinds of birds that live in our small part of New Jersey. Here’s how diversity looks among birds.

Juvenile Red-winged Blackbird.

Black Skimmer.

Snow Geese. They are not all white.

Peacock.

Snowy Egret.

End of Summer Flowers

Tags

Agapostemon, cosmos, green bee, sedum, sedum autumn joy

At the end of the summer about the only annual flowers that remain are the ever reliable Cosmos, while fall flowers are getting ready to put on their own show.

Green Bee visiting Cosmos.

Close-up of Green Bee (Agapostemon).

Cosmos.

Sedum “Autumn Joy” just starting to bloom.

Flying Birds – Continued

Tags

great blue heron, great egret, photography, postaday

There must have been at least a hundred Egrets and several Great Blue Herons at the refuge yesterday. They were very active fishing and flying from spot to spot, a golden opportunity for me to capture more BIF photos.

Great Egret.

Great Egret.

Here’s a sequence of a Great Blue Heron taking off.

Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron..

Flying Birds

Tags

BIF, great egret, hummingbird, photography, postaday, saegull

Most of us are fascinated by photos of birds in flight (BIF), probably one of the hardest kinds of photography. Ever since I started to become serious in photography five years ago, I have occasionally attempted to shoot BIF pictures, most of the time with disappointing results. I still have a long way to go, but over the past few months I have kept the following photos to post.

Great Egret.

Great Egret.

Seagull.

Seagull.

The birds shown above are relatively large and easy to photograph. The hardest one, for me anyway, is the tiny but very fast Hummingbird.

Hummingbird.

Osprey Drama – Continued

Tags

edwin b forstythe national wildlife refuge, osprey, photography, postaday

In my first Osprey Drama post, I wrongly attributed selfishness to the male Osprey who denied food to what I thought was his mate. As Donna pointed out, that younger Osprey was in fact an Osprey chick, his child. Adult Ospreys, male or female, encourage their fledglings to go find their own food by intentionally denying them the food they usually bring back to the nest. Once hungry enough the young ones have to fly out and find fish on their own.

Today I went back to the nest and found the father with another fish in his talon.

Osprey father with fish in his talon.

He kept looking around, as if searching for the young one.

He looked to his left.

He looked to his right.

I too waited for the young one to return to the nest, for almost 20 minutes. When I left him, he was still waiting.

Osprey at empty nest.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Waiting

Tags

blue jay, photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird, weekly photo challenge

The link for this challenge is: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/waiting-2017/

Blue Jay waiting.

Juvenile Red-winged Blackbird waiting.

Osprey Drama

Tags

edwin b forstythe national wildlife refuge, great black-backed gull, osprey, photography, postaday

This post is now updated to reflect the correct information given by bayphotosbydonna in her comments below. Thank you Donna!

This morning I drove to the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Many of the Osprey nests were empty, perhaps because the young chicks have fledged and have begun migrating South with their parents. At one nest, however, the male Osprey had caught a big fish.

Male Osprey with big fish.

He ate the head of the fish while I could hear the young chick clamoring for food at their nest nearby. It called out to its father, asking him to hurry up and bring the fish back to their nest.

Osprey chick calling out to father.

He went on eating.

… and eating. That sashimi must really taste good.

Osprey chick called him several more times.

Finally, after waiting 25 minutes, it flew over to his perch.

It attempted to peck at the fish.

He flew away. Osprey parents usually hold back giving food to their fledged chicks to encourage them to be independent and go find food on their own.

The chick could only look at him. Neither of them noticed a juvenile Great Black-backed Gull flying toward their nest.

Osprey chick dejected.

Meanwhile, the Gull had snatched something from the Osprey nest.

The chick saw the intruder and immediately flew back. It made repeated alarm calls, but the Gull had already left.

Osprey father came back with the fish.

The chick was very agitated, spreading out its wings.

Not a happy Osprey chick.

When I left them, it was still fussing around the nest, not bothering to eat the fish.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Structure

Tags

mortar and pestle, photography, postaday, sapa, weekly photo challenge

The link for this challenge is: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/structure/

Last year I took the two photos shown below in Sapa, on the Northwest corner of Viet Nam. They show a water-driven mortar and pestle used to pound grains of rice to remove husks. The structure still works but maybe it is now only displayed for tourists to snap pictures.

Water powered mortar and pestle: accumulation.

Water powered mortar and pestle: release.

Magnolia Fruit

Tags

magnolia grandiflora, photography, postaday, souther magnolia

Two months ago, the Southern Magnolias (Magnolia Grandiflora) in our yard were blooming and I posted a photo of a flower much like the one below.

Southern Magnolia flower.

The flowers have now matured, losing all their curvaceous petals, and have become fruit.

Southern Magnolia fruit.

The fruit is still immature, with seeds embedded inside. When ripe it will split apart, revealing seeds that birds love to eat. I will try to photograph a ripe fruit when the time comes.

Grounds for Sculpture – Continued

Tags

Daniel Clayman, grounds for sculpture, horace farlowe, Isaac Witkin, photography, postaday, seward johnson

Grounds for Sculpture extends over 42 acres (17 hectares), which will take several hours for anyone to walk around and view, even partially, what is on display. In addition to sculptures by Seward Johnson, there are also works by other artists.

“Eolith” by Isaac Witkin.

“Radiant Landscape” by Daniel Clayman.

“Double Check” by Seward Johnson.

“Portal Rest” by Horace Farlowe.

Grounds for Sculpture

Tags

grounds for sculpture, photography, postaday, seward johnson

Grounds for Sculptures is a sculpture park in Hamilton, NJ, nor far from where I live. Its founder is Seward Johnson whose work has long been criticized by art critics as “kitsch”, with some even refusing to call him an artist. From the throngs of visitors yesterday, it seems that the public does not share those views. It was a beautiful, sunny day for photography, and here is a sample of what I saw. They are mainly sculptures based on famous paintings that you will easily recognize.

Entrance to Grounds for Sculptures.

A sculpture based on Edouard Manet’s Olympia looks on the entrance and parking lot.

A Turn of the Century, based on Dance at Bougival by Pierre Auguste Renoir.

Sculpture based on Claude Monet’s Woman with a Parasol.

Welcome Home, a sculpture of Van Gogh’s bedroom.

Were you Invited? Based on Pierre Auguste Renoir’s ‘The Luncheon of the Boating Party’.

Sculpture of The Scream by Edvard Munch.

Forever Marilyn, in small size inside.

Herring Gulls

Tags

assateague island, chincoteague bay, herring gull, photography, postaday

Herring Gulls are large birds, not shy of humans, and easy to photograph. I saw the ones below on the shore of Chincoteague Bay on Assateague Island in Maryland. The younger ones were flying back and forth, while two adults stood and rested not far from where I was.

Herring Gull:”Did you see my baby fly?”

“There he goes? Isn’t he handsome?”

She: “Junior does quite well by himself, right dear?” He: “Just as you said, dear.”

Juvenile Herring Gull flying over the above pair.

Deep-Cut Gardens

Tags

deep-cut gardens, mafia, photography, postaday, vito genovese

Deep-Cut Gardens is a park in Middletown, NJ located on 54 acres of land, most of which used to belong to Vito Genovese, a Mafia don that may have inspired some of the stories behind the Godfather (Vito Corleone) movies. Don Genovese purchased the land in 1935 and had it built up in a mixture of Italian (Naples was his hometown) and English style. Its centerpiece was a rose garden with a Pergola, both of which are still in existence.

Rose garden and pergola at Deep-Cut Gardens.

One of the features that Genovese insisted on was a model of the cone of Mt Vesuvius, a volcano located only 5 miles (9 km) from Naples.

Vesuvius at Deep-Cut Gardens.

The Mafia boss fled to Naples 1937, and since then the property has changed hands several times. The last owners donated it to the county, which acquired additional land to make it into today’s very peaceful and popular park, dedicated to home gardeners.

I took the following photos last Sunday as I walked around various areas of the gardens.

Tiger Swallowtail.

Silver-spotted Skipper.

Painted Lady.

Bee on Cosmos.

‘Grandpa Ott’ Morning Glory.

Hydrangea.

Dragonfly.

Summer Magnolia

Tags

jane magnolia, magnolia, photography, postaday

“Jane” Magnolia, although not as prolific as earlier blooming Magnolias, never suffer from frost damage, and usually have a second blooming period in mid summer. When most other flowers have come and gone, the Jane Magnolias peek out proudly from upper branches, like the one I captured this morning.

Jane Magnolia.

Pawpaw

Tags

asimina, asimina triloba, pawpaw, photography, postaday

Pawpaw (Asimina Triloba) is a fruit tree native to the Northeast of the United States. I have been growing several of them for five or more years. At first, the deer tried to destroy them by chewing on their bark and branches. However, the trees kept growing bigger and bigger, and this year two of them are finally bearing about a dozen fruit. They are still ripening so I can’t tell how good they are yet, but they are said to taste like custard apple and cherimoya. So far the deer have spared the fruit.

Pawpaw.

Pawpaw from another tree.

Pawpaw.

Monochrome Monday

Tags

fern, monochrome, photography, postaday

Ferns on the forest floor amid fallen tree trunks. Their color and shape stood out from an otherwise drab background, and monochrome seems the better way to display them.

Ferns.

Those Deer!

Tags

cosmos, milkweed, photography, postaday

Last week, in Prairie Sun Redux I posted a photo of three Rudbeckia Prairie Sun which had bloomed after their predecessors had been eaten by deer. Well, those deer also ate them and there is no bud left to bloom for the rest of the year. Sigh.

Only milkweed and Cosmos flowers remain. Here are a few shots of them at the height of the season.

Bee and butterfly on milkweed.

Cosmos

Cosmos

Wordless Wednesday

Tags

cosmos, crape myrtle, marsh mallow, photography, postaday, Rudbeckia Prairie Sun

Cosmos

Crape Myrtle

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun

Marsh Mallow

Osprey Feeding Time

Tags

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

Just before I arrived at the Osprey nest, I saw the father finishing the head of a big fish that he had caught. He flew with the rest of it to the nest, handed it over to the mother, then perched up high, keeping watch.

Thank you dear!

Go on with your feeding. I’ll keep watch.

Open wide!

There! That will make you grow up to be a strong Osprey.

Monarchs in Backyard

Tags

asclepias incarnata, milkweed, monarch butterfly, photography, postaday

There are definitely two Monarch butterflies in our backyard. We have been seeing them fluttering back and forth among the pink milkweed plants, or flying in tandem up and down. As soon as I got home yesterday, they swung by the glass patio door, challenging me to come out and take their pictures.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Monarch butterfly.

Prairie Sun Redux

Tags

photography, postaday, Rudbeckia Prairie Sun

A few weeks ago, our Rudbeckia Prairie Sun flowers were all eaten by deer. However, the plants continued sending up more flowers and yesterday I took the following photo of them. Their colors are not as vibrant and intense as the earlier ones, but they still put on a good show this second time around.

Rudbeckia Prairie Sun. The cut stems are remains from the first flowers a few weeks ago.

Pas De Deux

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, photography, postaday

These two Great Egrets looked like they were dancing a pas de deux. Actually they were being chased away from a fishing spot by a fierce Great Egret that was overzealous in guarding its feeding station.

Great Egrets.

Monarchs and Milkweed

Tags

asclepias tuberosa, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, milkeed, monarch butterfly, photography, postaday

While driving at the Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge this past Sunday, I saw a few Monarch butterflies from time to time. What made me stop and take the following pictures is the intense orange of the milkweed flowers (Asclepias Tuberosa) which perfectly matched the Monarch’s colors. There were many other weeds around the area, but the Monarchs did not mind.

Monarch butterfly and milkweed.

Monarch butterflies and milkweed.

Monarch butterfly and milkweed, and a tiny green insect.

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.