I took a quick trip down to the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in Galloway, NJ. The birds are definitively on the move.
The “Flasher”
Got Crab?
Cattus Island in Toms River is only a couple of miles from my home. It’s a great place to shoot birds and sunsets over the meadows. The park closes at 6 PM, so many times it’s tough to catch the sunset. This night, the Park Ranger was a little late making his final round. Turns out the Ranger is a wildlife photographer and has the perfect job. He patrols all the County parks. The bay and estuaries were almost still and the lighting provided the reflections.
I went down to Island Beach State Park to check out the ocean prior to the big storm. If the sky is right, I usually make a stop at the Judge’s Shack. It’s amazing that this shack, which sits on the dunes right at the beach, has survived Sandy and several other hurricanes. It was built in Island Beach around 1911 and was moved to it’s current location in 1952. It’s called the Judge’s Shack because Judge Richard Hartshorne from Newark purchased the property in 1942 for $200. If you want to read the interesting chronological history of the Judge’s Shack click here.
The skies were so overcast and cloudy that I decided not to head anywhere to shoot the eclipse. A little before 10 PM, I walked out on my back deck just to take a look. I was shocked, it had cleared up and I could even see some stars. So, I dragged out my tripod and my 500mm lens. I had been used to shooting a normal moon, so it took a while to get my settings straight. About 10 minutes in, I was in business. It was pretty cool to watch this transformation. When the eclipse was at it’s peak, the moon was a copper red. The first photo is the actual color, no color enhancements were made. The color red is caused by the Earth’s atmosphere, most sunlight colors are filtered out, but red is the least affected. It was taken at 10:49 PM. The next Super Moon Eclipse will be in 2033.
Blood Moon at it’s peak.
The last stages of the eclipse.
I ventured into something a little different for me. Friends of mine, in The NJ Photo Crew, had a photo shoot scheduled for a junkyard in Egg Harbor Township last Saturday. I decided to join them. I had a blast with the group and photographed so many interesting things. Many of the cars brought back sweet memories of growing up in the 50’s and 60’s.
’51 Hudson, Pacemaker.
It’s past it’s peak for hummingbirds, but I took a chance and headed to Leaming’s Run Gardens in Cape May Coyrthouse, NJ. August is the best month, as many hummingbirds stop here on their migration south. There were still a few hanging around. The light was harsh, but still a fun day.
A Black Swan in Cape May.
My resident female Ruby-throated Hummingbird was really showing off this night.
A really bad haircut.
I spent this night at Island Beach State Park during the Perseid meteor shower. It was a gorgeous, calm night with clear skies. There were so many meteors over the park, but I only managed to catch one in my frame. This small fireball over the Judge’s Shack came streaking down around 3:20 AM.
Some clouds rolled on by.
Just before sunrise.
Little Long Pond is just down the street from the cottage we rent in Seal Harbor. It’s part of Acadia National Park in Maine. It’s where all the dogs come to swim. Otter Cliffs is a favorite spot for rappelling by the climbers in the park.
Foggy afternoon near Otter Cliffs.
Seal Harbor across from Little Long Pond.
Otter Cliffs in Acadia.
This was our last visit to see the loons on Upper Hadock Pond in Acadia National Park, Maine. The chick was getting big and doing fine. See you guys next year.
We met this guy on our last kayak trip.
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