Snow Goose

This image of a Snow Goose was captured by Joseph Pescatore at Osborne Pond in Basking Ridge, NJ.  It was taken early in the morning on January 1st, 2012.  Happy New Year, indeed!

(c) 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Ice Ice Baby

All photos (c) Bill Lynch 2011

Wordless Wednesday: Dreaming of Warmer Weather

(c) Jimmy Mac 2010

(c) Bill Lynch 2009

 

(c) Eric Driver 2010

(c) Shelly493 2010

(c) Jim Schill Sr. 2009

(c) Richard Wolfert 2010

All of these wonderful photos and more can be found in our Flickr group –
http://www.flickr.com/groups/njoutdoors/

Wordless Wednesday: Winter Wonderland

(c) William Dalton 2010

(c) Christine Fusco 2011

(c) Elena Tartaglia 2011

(c) Kenneth Norris 2011

(c) Bill Lynch 2010

(c) Bill Lynch 2010

(c) Jay Cassario 2011

Check out our Flickr page for more great photographs from New Jersey’s outdoors!  http://www.flickr.com/groups/njoutdoors/

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

Please click on the images for larger sizes and for their respective Flickr pages.

Photos from a Geocaching Adventure

My favorite photo of the day...it reminded me of looking through a stained glass window.

For those of you who may have been curious to know how my geocaching adventure went on 10-10-10, the day that Groundspeak was hoping to break the record for the number of caches in one day, there’s good news and bad news.

The bad news first: the cache I attempted could not be found and unfortunately, that means it did not count for the day’s total number of caches.  (Because I went online to www.geocaching.com and logged the cache as unsuccessful, the creator will check it out and either take it down or fix it for future geocachers.  This happens sometimes, but is not too common.)

The good news:  I had a lot of fun looking for the cache and was able to get some great photos along the way.

The cache wasn’t too far from my house, so my journey was on foot.  It was an absolutely beautiful, clear day.

Of course, any geoacaching adventure is subject to a hike through overgrown or difficult terrain.  Here, I am snagged by some thorny flora.

I’m pretty sure that this is where I should have found the geocache.  I’ll check back on the website in a few weeks and see if it’s been updated.  It would be nice to complete the cache now that I know where it should be!

Before giving up and heading home, I took a moment to look around.  As usual, the geocache had taken me to a beautiful and scenic destination.  Yup, this is New Jersey.

~Melissa

Featured Photo

Our first featured photo from the new NJ Outdoors Flickr Group belongs to Ray Skwire.  The image was taken on June 1st, 2010 in Egg Harbor Township.

The 30 second exposure was shot at f/5 at a focal length of 35mm @ 400ISO.  It was taken with a Nikon D60.

“I had been looking for a good scene to practice my long exposure shots when I happened onto the fishing pier underneath the main bridge and then walked down to the water’s edge. It was there that I really noticed the perfect stillness of the water providing such a great reflection of the bridge and support structure as lit from the lights on the fishing pier.”

You can view more of Ray’s photography at http://phillyphoto.wordpress.com/ or http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillybits/

Rutgers Gardens

Mere minutes from the hustle and bustle of downtown New Brunswick, you can find Rutgers Gardens, owned and operated by Rutgers University. The grounds include a recently expanded flower and herb garden, as well as a log cabin used for various events. They are joined by Helyar Woods, a wonderful tract of mature forest which houses a leisurely trail system and plenty of wildlife.

Mating Skippers

The many flowers of the gardens bring spectacular numbers of insects and birds. Countless numbers of butterflies and moths fill the blooms as they spread pollen and gather sustenance for their long migrations to warmer climates. It’s not difficult to spot these species engaging in a variety of ecologically interesting acts. Each insect even mates different, with Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) performing very disparate acts – at least as they appear to us.

Mating Monarchs

From the tiny butterflies and moths that flit just above the ground, to the relatively massive dragonflies and swallowtails that cruise above your head, there’s never a dull moment. Giant predatory Hymenoptera (bees and wasps) attack and eat other insects. Skippers bounce from flower to flower in a constant game of musical chairs.

Blue Dasher

Eastern Tailed Blue

Dragonfly with personality

American Goldfinch with supplies

This American Goldfinch is bringing supplies back to its nest, seen below:

American Goldfinch nest

American Goldfinch

Snacking Goldfinch

The Gardens are home to a variety of bird species, including the pair of House Finches seen below. During migration you can find quite a few different birds flitting about the gardens and Helyar Woods: Scarlet Tanager, Black-and-White Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, and Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, among many others.

Female House Finch

Male House Finch

Check out the Rutgers Gardens web-page here and visit on Fridays during the weekly Farmers Market!

All photos were taken at Rutgers Gardens by Bill Lynch, (c) 2010.

NJ Outdoors Flickr Group

New Jersey Outdoors has just launched our new Flickr group!  You can find it here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/njoutdoors/

This will be a place to share any photos you take while outside in the Garden State, whether you’re hiking, surfing, fishing, or watching wildlife.  So check it out, add your photos, and invite your friends!  We may even have contests to see which photos will be featured right here on NJO!

Sunrise at Sandy Hook

Thanks, everyone!

Photo Essay on Bradley Beach, NJ

When we think of travel, we often think in terms of visiting new locations and exploring the unknown.  However, travel can also be exciting when we return to a special destination.  This summer, that special travel destination for me has been the beach at Bradley Beach, NJ.

Early this summer, after getting to Bradley Beach around 9:00am and staying until about 4:00pm, I was hooked.  I’ve been back to this beach numerous times – more so than any other beach.  (Actually, more so than most other places this summer.  My usual quest for new adventures has given way slightly in order to soak up as much of this seasonal opportunity as I can.)

Morning is my favorite time of the day – no matter where I am.  Waking up with the entire day ahead of you is a feeling that can’t be matched at any other part of the day.  So, relaxing on the quiet beach, sipping a cup of coffee, with views like the one above, is the perfect way for me to start my day.

Since visiting the beach is a special treat for me, I like to watch the people who live nearby and are lucky enough to make the beach a part of their daily routine (like the man in the picture above).  Some local people run or take their morning strolls on the beach along the water.

Even when the beach gets more crowded here, there is still a certain sense of calm.  I like to feel that I have space around me when I’m on the beach.  I think it’s nice when you can’t fully hear anyone else’s conversations – they’re just background noises – and the only sounds you hear clearly are those of the waves.

A fun thing about sitting on the beach is that though you don’t move, your view constantly changes.  The tide ebbs and flows, ships and boats pass by, planes fly banners overhead, and clouds continuously dance in the sky.  It’s like a never-ending show put on for you as long as you want to stay and watch.

Of course, seagulls are part of the beach experience.  (I don’t mind them – as long as no one nearby is feeding them!)  Their curiosity amuses me when they walk the perimeter of my belongings, checking out the situation and looking for food.  And when you have a camera with you (as I do), whether soaring though the air or grooming themselves on the beach, they make pretty interesting subjects.

This year, I’ve done most of my summer reading on Bradley Beach.  Once my coffee is finished and I’m settled, I can easily get lost in a book for a few hours.  It seems somewhat ironic though, to think of a travel destination as a place you go to only to intentionally leave once again through a book.  But really, reading books in many ways is similar to traveling, and like a special travel destination, when we’re really lucky, we come across a book we want to visit over and over again.

If you’re interested in spending the day on Bradley Beach, a daily pass at Bradley Beach costs $7 per person and since there’s about half the season left, beach badges are $35 (the full season was $60).

~Melissa

This article was first published with The Jersey Girl, August 14,2010.