jgrussell – my world

Not like I’ve been busy or anything, but… At least I got out with the camera (in video mode) in this weekend’s nice weather!

Spring 2010 from JG Russell on Vimeo.

Sooooooo far behind in posting…

For a little more than a week, the New Jersey bird lists have all been buzzing with news of an immature ivory gull in Cape May. This is only the fourth or fifth time the ivory gull has been documented in the state — it’s an arctic bird that winters on pack ice. (From All About Birds: “A small white gull of the high Arctic, the Ivory Gull only rarely comes south of the Bering Sea or the Maritime Provinces. In fact, it rarely is found away from pack ice, spending the winter on the ice north of Newfoundland.”)

So when today dawned sunny (for a change!) and I had a day without 8,462 things scheduled (for a change!), I decided to give the 2.5-hour trip a shot. And boy am I glad I did… absolutely stunning bird and very cooperative… The adult is pure white; this youngster is more ivory with grey-black tips and specks.

Playing peekaboo

On the sea wall

Right profile

Left profile

last of the munchies

Off to forage

In flight

The weather was just barely good enough today to risk a trip down to Barnegat Light to see what waterbirds were around. The skies were pretty overcast so the light wasn’t good, and the number of fishermen and walkers on the jetty and pleasure boats in and around the inlet kept all of the really interesting birds (harlequins and eiders) too far out at sea to even try for a photo. But there were a lot of great shorebirds on the jetty, and some day I may even forgive them for being SO far out on the jetty that I had to brave a very long walk (hop, jump) along the rocks way way beyond the concrete walkway to get the shots…

Dunlin

Purple sandipiper

Ruddy turnstone

There are times when the signs at work are all green. And there are times when they’re not…

Work lights

No! It’s not even Thanksgiving yet! It’s just plain wrong!!

TOO EARLY!!!

This is a leaf from a plant in my office. A very special plant, one that I have cared for more and better than any other plant I’ve ever owned. It was the last present I ever received from my mother…

The leaf

Falling farther and farther behind in getting these blog entries up… I may have to continue a while into the new year to catch up! These little bells on my front door were what caught my eye today…

And the clanging of the bells...

I’m about 10 days behind in keeping up with this blog. I have the images, just not the time to get ‘em processed and posted. But I’ll get there eventually. Had a nice but busy day today getting stuff done at work, then a nice dinner with some dear friends, but that left even less time than usual to find a photo for the day. Fortunately, as I turned onto my street, I realized there was a great moon out in a very clear sky tonight…

The moon

I looked up at one point tonight, and realized I was being stared at…

Eyes of cat

You just have to love it. And if you don’t, that’s your problem. Me, I’m a lifelong Yankees fan, and I think it’s wonderful. And I think our slogan now should be: “Do it again in 2010!”

Number 27!!!