David Mathre Photography

Birds

  • Green Heron (26-May-2025)

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    David Mathre
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    Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

    While out taking pictures of the flowers blooming in my back wildflower meadow a large dark bird flew out of the pond landing in a tree next to the pond. I was able to quickly get a picture and identify it as a Green Heron (Butorides virescens). Shortly afterwards a second Green Heron flew out of the pond and away before I could capture an image. Note that this image was taken with a 10-year-old Nikon 1 V3 camera with a 70-300 mm VR lens. I still find this to be a great camera and lens combination for bird images.

    Green Heron. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One and Topaz AI (super focus).

    I have previously seen Green Herons at the local Sourland Mountain Preserve in 2012, 2013, and 2016 but not in my backyard pond. I expanded the pond a couple of years ago, and it is now full of frogs attracting Green Herons and Great Blue Herons. Additional Green Heron images are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

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  • Orchard Oriole (20-May-2016)

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    David Mathre
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    Nine-Years Ago Today. World Life List #446. Sourland Mountain Preserve, New Jersey.

    Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) with a mouth full of something fluffy for a nest, or food for a hatchling? Morning walkabout at the nearby Sourland Mountain Preserve. This was a new bird for me.

    Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius). Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens.

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  • Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (17-May-2025)

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    David Mathre
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    Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

    I set my Birdfy Hummingbird feeder out a month ago and didn’t get any hits on the Birdy phone app. I had been changing the sugar solution regularly. Today, I noticed that the Birdfy cameras were not online. The solar charging panel was connected, however the last several days have been cloudy and raining so the system probably wasn’t getting charged. I had hoped that the internal battery would have held a charge for longer. I recharged the system via the USB-C port. Within a couple of hours, a hummingbird was detected and had its picture taken. The Birdfy AI bird identification was incorrect. It thought the hummingbird was an Allen’s hummingbird that only lives on the west coast (Oregon, California, and Mexico). This was definitely a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Other images of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

    Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Image taken by a Birdfy hummingbird feeder camera.

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  • Wintertime Backyard Birds in New Jersey (05-March-2025)

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    David Mathre
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    Morning backyard walkabout with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. I found a wake of Black Vultures feeding on a dead animal in the far back corner of the yard and a couple of early American Robins looking for grubs or worms.

    Black Vultures. Winter in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 VR lens.
    American Robin. Winter in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 VR lens.
    American Robin. Winter in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 VR lens.

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About the author

I am a scientist by training (Eckerd College, BSc; Caltech, Ph.D.). I worked for 27 years as a Chemist in the Pharmaceutical Industry developing processes to manufacture medicines for human and animal health. I now spend my time as a photographer and world traveler. My interests include the natural world, wildlife, landscapes, sky, and seascapes, travel, and astrophotography. I look for unique ways of viewing the world and presenting my images. I have traveled to over 55 countries in six continents, often on Semester at Sea voyages. While at home in New Jersey, I spend time observing and photographing the plants and animals while expanding a wildflower garden/meadow in the backyard. When the sky is clear, I have telescopes viewing the night sky.

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American Robin American Three-towed Woodpecker American Wigeon Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge Bird in Flight Black Vulture Brandt's Cormorant Broad-tailed Hummingbird Brown Booby California Canada Jay Clark's Nutcracker Colorado Dominica European Herring Gull Gadwall Gone to See America 2009 Road Trip Graylag Goose Green Heron Latvia Lily Lake Magnificent Frigatebird Mute Swan MV Explorer New Jersey North Sea Norway Orchard Oriole Oslo Puerto Rico Purple-throated Carib Red-winged Blackbird Red Crossbill Rock Pigeon Rocky Mountain National Park Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Scotland Semester at Sea Sourland Mountain Preserve Spring Spring 2010 Enrichment Voyage Spring 2013 Enrichment Voyage St. Kitts Topaz AI Winter

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