Silent Sunday – Sleeping In

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, northern pintail, photography, postaday

Northern Pintails.

Hooded Merganser – Bad Hair Day

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, hooded merganser, photography, postaday

Hooded Mergansers, especially males with their fan-shaped crest, look dashing in the waters of the refuge. A few days ago, one of them was swimming by himself among several ducks.

Male Hooded Merganser.

He kept diving for food, small fish, crustaceans, mollusks, although I did not see him with any in his bill.

Male Hooded Merganser diving.

It happened to be windy that day, and when he came up strong wind gusts played freely with his crest.

Hooded Merganser.

Hooded Merganser.

Hooded Merganser.

Hooded Merganser.

Finally, the wind subsided a little, and he regained his normal looks.

Hooded Merganser.

Last and First

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, moon, photography, postaday, sandpiper

Last December 21st I went out at night to photograph the conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon. There were too many clouds for that, but after a few minutes the clouds cleared just enough to allow me this last photo for the year.

Moon on December 21, 2020.

Three days ago, I went out on a sunny day to the refuge for my first shoot of 2021 to be greeted by this sandpiper.

Sandpiper, January 19, 2021.

Buffleheads

Tags

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

Buffleheads are the smallest diving ducks in North America, often seen at the refuge in late fall and winter. In early December of 2020 I saw one male and two female Buffleheads there.

Buffleheads, male in between two females.

The male gave a signal and all three of them decided to take off, giving me a unique opportunity to capture them in flight.

Buffleheads in flight.

Buffleheads in flight.

Buffleheads in flight.

Buffleheads in flight.

Silent Sunday

Tags

common tern, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

Common Tern.

Common Tern.

Common Tern.

Common Tern.

Wordless Wednesday

Tags

american flag, photography, postaday

American flag.

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Tags

bald eagle, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

Following are unpublished photos of a juvenile Bald Eagle I took on October 1st, 2019. It was cruising over the marshes hunting for fish.

Juvenile Bald Eagle.

Juvenile Bald Eagle.

Juvenile Bald Eagle.

Juvenile Bald Eagle.

Happy New Year to everyone of you!

Flying Egrets

Tags

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

I took the following photos on October 1st, 2019 but did not post them as I temporarily stopped blogging to concentrate on finishing my second book. Now, more than a year later, here they are. A large group of Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets (with the black bills) was taking off at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Never had I seen so many flying together.

Flying Egrets.

Flying Egrets.

Flying Egrets.

Flying Egrets.

Lewis Center for the Arts

Tags

Lewis Center for the Arts, photography, postaday

Princeton University Lewis Center for the Arts was completed in 2017. Since that time, I have been meaning to go there and photograph it, but because it was so close to home, guess what, it took me three years to finally do it. The following photos show what it looked like in early afternoon last Sunday.

Lewis Center for the Arts: Wallace Dance Building and Theater.

Lewis Center for the Arts: Wallace Dance Building.

Lewis Center for the Arts: Administrative Building.

Lewis Center for the Arts: Administrative Building.

Lewis Center for the Arts: inner plaza.

Lewis Center for the Arts: Administrative Building and Music Building on the right. In the Music Building you can see some individual practice rooms that are suspended and acoustically isolated from one another.

Lewis Center for the Arts: side of Theater Building.

I did not go inside any of the buildings which were built with esoteric materials including 21-million-year-old Lecce Stone from Italy. I would have liked to see how geothermal wells have been used to heat and cool the complex, but maybe another time. This new art center took $330 million dollar to build, including costs associated with relocating the Dinky train station and a WaWa convenience store pictured below.

Dinky train station and Wawa store.

Silent Sunday

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, european starling, photography, postaday

Starlings standing in Osprey nest: “No evidence whatsoever that we stole this nest!”

On One Sunny Day

Tags

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

This week has been rainy with only one sunny day in the middle. I drove to the refuge and by the time I arrived the sun was out but the clouds were many. The Great Blue Heron that used to stand by a sluice gate was now standing by the water.

Sunning Great Blue Heron.

There was a flash of white among the dried reeds. A Great Egret took off as soon as it saw me, but I managed to take a few shots of it flying away.

Great Egret taking off.

Great Egret in flight.

Great Egret in flight.

Toward the end of Wildlife Drive one tree still had its leaves on.

Autumn scene at Edwin B. Fosrsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

Wordless Wednesday

Tags

christmas cactus, photography, postaday, wordless wednesday

Christmas Cactus.

Snow Geese Migration

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, snow geese

Snow Geese fly south in the Fall, and a week ago some passed by the refuge. There were only a few hundred of them, not as many as during Spring migration.

Snow Geese flying south.

Snow Geese, a closer look.

There was a group of about ten Snow Geese flying in apparent perfect formation.

Snow Geese flying in perfect formation.

But, somehow something happened.

Note one head pointing downward. “Oops, I dropped my lunch.”

A Week of Flowers Day Four 25th November 2020

Tags

allium, cosmos, goldenrod, hibiscus, perilla, photography, plantain, postaday

I took the following pictures a while ago but did not post them. Today I just saw the following post from Cathy and decided this would be a good time to do so: https://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com/2020/11/25/a-week-of-flowers-day-four-25th-november-2020/

End of summer Cosmos.

End of summer Cosmos.

Two bees and goldenrod.

Summer scene with hibiscus, purple perilla, flowering plantain, and dried allium.

Northern Shovelers

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Northern Shoveler, photography, postaday

Overheard a pair of Northern Shovelers foraging for food:

Female Northern Shoveler in foreground: “Uh-oh dear, we forgot to wear our Covid masks!”

EBF National Wildlife Refuge

Tags

bald eagle, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

All this time I have shown you the birds and animals at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Yesterday, I shot the following photos so you can see what the refuge actually looks like at least in the fall when the green has given way to brown and sepia. The same juvenile Bald Eagle from last week was also there, ruling over the fall landscape.

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Dabbling ducks in the distance.

Juvenile Bald Eagle.

Cee’s Flower Of The Day Challenge

Tags

photography, postaday, star magnolia

This is a close-up of a Star Magnolia in our backyard. I took  the photo in March of this year. As the Covid-19 pandemic was starting and lockdowns were imposed, I just could not feel like posting the image then.

This is my response to Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge at:

https://ceenphotography.com/20

Star Magnolia.

Monochrome Monday

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, lesser yellow legs, photography, postaday

Two monochrome views of a Lesser Yellow Legs at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on November 7, 2020.

Lesser Yellow Legs.

Lesser Yellow Legs.

The Eyes Have It!

Tags

american avocet, common grackle, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, european starling, great blue heron, mute swan, photography, postaday

Some different interpretations of “The Eyes Have It”:

American Avocet.

Common Grackle.

Great Blue Heron.

European Starling.

Mute Swan.

Silent Sunday

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, lesser yellow legs, photography, postaday

Lesser Yellow Legs.

Lesser Yellow Legs.

Lesser Yellow Legs.

Lesser Yellow Legs.

Painted Turtle

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, painted turtle, photography, postaday

At the end of my drive through the refuge today, I saw a Painted Turtle ahead, in the middle of the road! I got out and took these two photos.

Painted Turtle.

Painted Turtle.

After that I moved the turtle gently to the side of the road. Still, it withdrew inside its shell as soon as I touched it.

Painted Turtles are small creatures and have been around for 15 million years. Today was very warm, 76 °F or 24 °C, which may explain why this turtle came out and tried to cross the road. When it gets colder, they will go into deep hibernation.

Wordless Wednesday

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Northern Shoveler, photography, postaday

Northern Shovelers.

Northern Shovelers.

Northern Shoveler.

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Tags

bald eagle, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

Yesterday was cloudy and cool, ending up with heavy rain. Only a few people showed up at the refuge while the birds were even more scarce. I got some lucky shots of a juvenile Bald Eagle before it flew away from its perch. It is probably between two and three years old.

Juvenile Bald Eagle.

Juvenile Bald Eagle.

Juvenile Bald Eagle.

Two other cars stopped by and it finally had enough of the photography sessions.

Juvenile Bald Eagle. Atlantic City in the background.

Spooky

Tags

halloween, photography, postaday, spooky

Two contributions to a spooky Halloween:

Abandoned house in southern New Jersey.

Abandoned car at the entrance to Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

Moon and Mars

Tags

mars, moon, photography, postaday

Last night was the last of three nights during which the Moon and planet Mars appeared close together in the night sky. The first two nights (October 28 and 29) were cloudy and rainy, but last night around 9 PM the full moon and Mars were clearly visible.

Moon on October 30, 2020.

The red planet, however, was too far to the side for my lens to photograph it together with the Moon. It was reddish and of course not as bright as our Moon. I tried to take some shots, but I could not get a fix on it.

Mars with a shaky camera, October 30, 2020.

Mars will remain bright until the end of 2020 and I will try to get a better picture with a tripod next time.

Silent Sunday

Tags

barnegat lighthouse state park, harlequin duck, photography, postaday

Male Harlequin Duck.

Harlequin Ducks.

Non-breeding Male Harlequin Duck.

Harlequin Ducks.

Wings

Tags

great egret, herring gull, long-tailed duck, monarch butterfly, Northern Shoveler, photography, postaday

I took the photos below at different times of this year, from January 1st on.

Herring Gull.

Long-tailed Duck.

Great Egret.

Northern Shovelers.

Monarch Butterfly.

Silent Sunday

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Forster's Terns, photography, postaday

Forster’s Terns.

Forster’s Terns.

Ruddy Turnstones

Tags

barnegat lighthouse, photography, postaday, ruddy turnstone

I took the following photos of Ruddy Turnstones in January of this year near the Barnegat Lighthouse, but only now have I found the time to post them here.

Several groups of these birds were congregating on rocks covered with seaweed. Some slept, others were starting to look for food, but none cared the least about a photographer getting right above them. The early sun was shining bright, making it appear as if I was using a flash.

Ruddy Turnstones on top of seaweed.

Ruddy Turnstones, with one apparently yawning.

Ruddy Turnstone drill sergeant: “Up, everybody up!”

Ruddy Turnstone looking for something to eat.

Ruddy Turnstone looking for food.

Ruddy Turnstone pulling up seaweed.

Silent Sunday

Tags

northern cardinal, photography, postaday

Female Northern Cardinal.

Red-winged Blackbirds

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, european starling, photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird

Starting in late summer, when you drive on Wildlife Drive, flocks of birds often fly in and out of both sides of the road in front of you. There could be hundreds of them, and they are mostly Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings, and sparrows, sometimes mixed together. The moment you stop your car to look closer, the birds land and disappear in the dried reed and grasses. Last week I stopped long enough to find them and take some photos.

Dried reed. Deceiving, right? The birds were there.

Male Red-winged Blackbird.

Female Red-winged Blackbird.

Female Red-winged Blackbird eating a fruit.

Male Red-winged Blackbird.

Male Red-winged Blackbird.

Finally, a European Starling perched above the reeds, on a road sign.

European Starling.

Nice Catch

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, laughing gull, photography, postaday

It was high tide again, and this Laughing Gull came out of the marsh water with a very nice catch:

Laughing Gull with fish.

It played with the fish for a long minute then got ready to swallow it.

Laughing Gull just before swallowing fish.

 

Silent Sunday

Tags

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

Great Egret.

Mute Swans and Cygnet

Tags

cygnet, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, mute swan, photography, postaday

Several Mute Swans were swimming and feeding in one of the fresh water pools at the refuge.

Mute Swan.

Mute Swan.

In a more secluded pool, a cygnet was swimming by itself.

Mute Swan Cygnet.

Great Blue Heron Up Close

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great blue heron, photography, postaday

A new sluice gate has recently been built on Wildlife Drive at the refuge to channel ocean water into and out of Vogt Pool North. As I drove by a few days ago, a Great Blue Heron was standing guard at the gate and would not budge even as I parked no more than 20 ft (6 m) away from it. There was plenty of morning sunlight and the conditions were perfect for photography.

Great Blue Heron at sluice gate.

Great Blue Heron ignoring photographer.

Seven minutes later, it was still on the same rock, staring into emptiness.

Great Blue Heron.

Wordless Wednesday

Tags

arrowhead, colonial lake, goldenrod, photography, postaday, primrose

Arrowhead flowers by Colonial Lake.

Primrose flower by Colonial Lake.

Goldenrod by Colonial Lake.

Double-crested Cormorants

Tags

double-crested cormorant, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, laughing gull, photography, postaday

Yesterday, when I arrived at the Brigantine unit of the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge the tide was high and ocean water was pouring into the salt marshes, bringing with it fish and other sea creatures to feed the Egrets, Double-crested Cormorants, Seagulls, and various smaller birds. Some juvenile Cormorants were having a feast and kept diving into the churning water and coming up with fish in their hooked bills.

Cormorant holding fish in its bill.

Another Cormorant was so happy to have caught a fish that it danced around in the water.

Juvenile Cormorant with fish.

Suddenly, it dropped the fish and dove in the water to retrieve it. However, many Laughing Gulls were hovering in the air, and one quickly swooped down.

Laughing Seagull diving after fish.

The Laughing Gull snatched the fish and left the young Cormorant clamoring for its lost meal.

Laughing Seagull flying away with fish despite Cormorant’s protests.

Sunrise 1-1-2020

Tags

coronavirus, pandemic, photography, postaday, sunrise

On January 1st of this year, I went on a photo trip to the shore of Long Beach Island, NJ. As I was driving, at 7:24 AM a colorful sun rose to the East. I stopped by the side of the road to photograph it.

January 1st, 2020 sunrise. Note flock of geese flying on upper right.

The sun was a fiery yellow and red, and I found the resulting pictures somewhat disappointing and did not want to post them.

Today I think perhaps nature was trying to let me know that turmoil was coming in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic was about to spread throughout the world and affect millions of people.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 114: Negative Space

Tags

crappie, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Lawrenceville, lens artists photo challenge, Lens-Artists, lesser yellow legs, negative space, photography, postaday

For the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 114: Negative Space, here are two images I shot recently. The first one is from 12 days ago.

Lesser Yellow Legs at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

The second one is from yesterday at Colonial Lake In Lawrenceville, NJ when a fisherman caught a fish with the name of Crappie! He threw it back as soon as I finished taking the photo.

Crappie caught at Colonial Lake.

Diving for Food

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Forster's Tern, photography, postaday

As temperatures dropped, a good number of birds have left the refuge. Some non-breeding Forster’s Terns remain, displaying their skills at diving and plucking food out of the water. I finally managed to photograph one of them in a successful dive.

Non-breeding Forster’s Tern looking for fish.

Dive! Dive!

Forster’s Tern in the water.

Coming out, with a fish.

Definitely with a fish.

Triumphantly with a fish!