Foraging Great Egret

A Great Egret, lit by late afternoon overcast skies forages at low tide in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge New Jersey. On my short visit to the reserve, I counted well over 100 Great and Snowy egrets. The Refuge includes more than 47,000 acres of protected New Jersey coastal habitat with hiking trails and an eight mile long one-way circular drive. It is along an Atlantic Flyway route making it a popular place to see seasonal, migrating birds.

Great Egret - Goin Fishing

A Great Egret wading through marsh waters looking for a meal at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in NJ. The Refuge consists of 47,000 acres of protected coastal habitats with hiking trails and an eight mile drive through the Refuge. It is located along the Atlantic Flyway and a well known location for birders to see a variety of birds all through the season. On my visit, I was able to see Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Osprey, Great Blue Herons, Terns, Cormorants and a variety of gulls and 'peep' shorebirds. Unfortunately most were too far in the distance for photographys.

Harvest Moon over NYC and Hudson River

A vertical format image of the September Harvest Moon as it rises above the Hudson Yards area of NYC.. The moon and Golden Hour colors of the skyscrapers are reflected in the Hudson River.

NYC Golden Hour Harvest Moonrise

The September Harvest Moon rising over midtown Manhattan with the city bathed in the last of the golden sundown light. By the time them moon was visible on its climb from the horizon, it was quite far away and looked small relative to the city skyscrapers.

Fishing Pier at Sunrise NJ Shore

The Ocean City NJ fishing pier surrounded by a golden sunrise glow.

Atlantic Ocean Sunrise NJ Shore

An oceanscape of the sun rising over the ocean with the reflection repeated over and over in the waves as they roll ashore. A tranquil, meditative scene in blues and yellows at Ocean City New Jersey.

NJ Beach at Sunrise

A view of the beach at Ocean city NJ at sunrise.

Hazy Day Breakfast Time at the Beach

Such a wonderful treat to be walking on the beach at Ocean City NJ early in the morning on a hazy, cloudy day as a variety of gulls and tiny shorebirds scurried around to catch their breakfast morsels as the tide flowed in and out.

Morning Light and Empty Beach NJ Shore

Early morning light on a hazy day at the New Jersey shore with only one other beach walker in view. What a serene and marvelous way to start the day.

Fun at the Beach Mural NJ

One of several colorful and fun to see murals on the boardwalk at Ocean City NJ. It pretty much sums up my weekend away - beach, lots of things to see and do, lots of snacking and meals with all of the tempting options availalbe. It rained or was threatening rain about half the time I was there but still had a wonderful time getting together with my three children for the first time in four years with all of us together. The weekend was a surprise birthday gift to me from them.

Hazy Day Surf and Sky NJ Shore

A view of the surf rolling onto the beach and a cloudy sky on a hazy day at the NJ shore.

Great Falls Park Paterson NJ

A view early in the week of the Great Falls of Paterson NJ as the water flows from the Passaic river above flows over the falls and continue on its journey. Great Falls National Historic Park.

Sunflower Skky and Bumble Bee

A vertical format view of a tall sunflower and a bee feasting on the nectar with a blue sky behind.

Golden City Sundown NYC

Late summer sundown light transforms the city, gilding it with glowing, shiny hues of gold, yellow and orange at the peak of the golden hour..

Big , Bold, Beautiful Sunflower Pair

A pair of richly golden sunflowers with orange halo effect at the base of the petals viewed against a blue sky.

Monarch on Orange Gold Zinnia

A vertical format view of a monarch butterfly feeding on the nectar of an orange and gold zinnia flower.

Oxeye Sunflower and Lavender Bee Balm

A close up view of a yellow oxeye (false) sunflower glowing bright and golden among lavender bee balm blossoms.,

Twin Towers Memorial Beam at Empty Sky NJ

The Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial at Lerty State Park NJ is dedicated to 746 New Jerseyans killed in the World Trade Center attacks, as well as those who died on September 11, 2001, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The goal of the momorial is to "reflect the legacies of those whose lives were lost, that their unfulfilled dreams and hopes may result in a better future for society. this beam from one of the the fallen World Trade towers sits at the entrance to the Memorial.

Tribute in Light NYC- 20 Years After

A view of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower) with the twin blue beams of the 9/11 Tribute in Light Memorial shining high into the sky in remembrance of the attacks on the USA on that day 20 years ago.

Empty Sky Composite - Remembering Sept 11

A visit to the memorial last evening. A composite image of several scenes from the Empty Sky Memorial at Liberty State Park NJ, directly across the river from New York City's Ground Zero where the twin towers stood before the attack on Sept 11, 2001. The memorial recognizes all of those lost on that day but the names of all New Jersey residents who perished are etched on the inside walls. At sundown the golden light transforms the walls of the gray walls and highlights the names.

Memorial Lights 9/11 - 20th Anniversary

A view of the 9/11 Memorial anniversary lights with Hoboken NJ in the foreground, the Hudson River and One World Trade Center and lower Manhattan across the river. The twin blue beams will be lit to shine through the sky and into the air as far as the eye can see at twilight on 9/11 and will stay on until first light the next morning. Here the two beams appear as one, with the second beam directly behind the visible one. To see both beams from the NJ coastline, one must drive South to where the tip of Manhattan curves around. Photographed this week when the lights were briefly turned on for testing purposes.

Sunflower Glory Days

A sunflower field in full gorgeous bloom in Northwest New Jersey. While I hate to have the summer end, the end of season NJ sunflower fields in bloom are a sight and experience that I look forward to each year. There are three fields that are on my 'go to' list each year and this is the second of them.

Teddy Bear Sunflower Portrait

A close up view of the many layers of petals and center area of a freshly opened sunflowers. I believe this is one of the Teddy Bear variety sunflowers.

Monarch in a Zinnia Garden

A beautiful monarch butterfly feeding on the nectar of a deep pink blossom in a zinnia garden in northern New Jersey.

Sunflower Field and American Flag

A big, beautiful American flag blowing gently in the breeze over a sunflower field with a deep blue sky. Thank you so much to everyone who posted birthday greetings yesterday.

Birthday Joy

A beautiful and treasured gift to help celebrate a milestone birthday. Feeling very pampered and spoiled eating delicious chocolates and enjoying these gorgeous flowers and cheerful birthday balloon.

Storm Cloud Retreat

A view of the Hudson River with Hoboken and Jersey city NJ in the foreground and lower Manhattan in the background across the river. Layer upon layer of storm clouds still hover above, tinted with warm colors of a half hearted sundown golden hour. This was just after storm Henri. Who would have guessed that days later, we would be pummeled by Ida with her e devastating tornadoes, rain and floods

Monarch Butterfly in Zinnia Patch

A beautiful monarch butterfly having a nectar feast in a patch of colorful blooming zinnias.

Sundown Sailing NYC

Two sailboats in the light of sundown reflections on the Hudson River, dwarfed by the skyscrapers of New York City .

Snowy Egret in NJ Meadowlands

A Snowy Egret perched on a dead tree branch framed agasint the waters of Mill Creek Marsh, NJ Meadowlands, with the colors of the blue sky above reflected in the water.