Summer 2020 Banter

[gravitylover]

I didn't know that, thanks! I've been trying to add pollinator attracting plants to the yard for a while now. It seems to be working but this year there has been a massive decline in the number of bugs, particularly bees and butterflies. So far it's only been a small problem in my garden because of the attractants but I can drive 300+ miles on the highway and barely have any on the windshield and that's kind of scary. 

[etudiant]

14 minutes ago, gravitylover said:

I didn't know that, thanks! I've been trying to add pollinator attracting plants to the yard for a while now. It seems to be working but this year there has been a massive decline in the number of bugs, particularly bees and butterflies. So far it's only been a small problem in my garden because of the attractants but I can drive 300+ miles on the highway and barely have any on the windshield and that's kind of scary. 

Bugs on the windshield is a pretty reliable way to estimate whether insect numbers are up, down or steady.

As your experience confirms, they are down sharply, which probably also helps explain why bird populations have dropped by 30-80% depending on the species over the past 50 years.

I think the development and widespread use of broad spectrum insecticides is a plausible driver of this decline. We are probably damaging our ecosystem, for very short term benefits.

[stemwinder]

Speaking of insects, fireflies have been scarcer this year in the lawn under my deck.  Fewer insects in general, I think.  I heard the first cicada just minutes ago.  Guessing it has been snatched up already.  Im thinking that some cicadas sing in the twilight, and others in the heat of the day, where they make up whole choruses.  When I hear that, I know that we're deep in Summer, heat or no heat.   The 17 year variety will emerge around here next spring.  They emerged in heaps, last time, Spring 2004.  Their high pitched sound is nonstop during the few weeks they are around.  They are amazing. (The birds will be happy.)

 

[gravitylover]

Over the last 5 years the difference is noticeable, the last 2 is mind boggling and super scary. At least here the bird variety is still really good but I don't expect that to be the case next year. In fact I think the birds of prey variety and numbers is still increasing as well as ducks, I've seen more ducks this year than I can ever remember around here. 

Your broad spectrum idea is most likely the culprit which explains my 2 year observation. Since the current administration relaxed the enforcement of marginally sufficient regulation 3 years ago an already bad situation fell off a cliff. 

[rclab]

13 hours ago, stemwinder said:

Speaking of insects, fireflies have been scarcer this year in the lawn under my deck.  Fewer insects in general, I think.  I heard the first cicada just minutes ago.  Guessing it has been snatched up already.  Im thinking that some cicadas sing in the twilight, and others in the heat of the day, where they make up whole choruses.  When I hear that, I know that we're deep in Summer, heat or no heat.   The 17 year variety will emerge around here next spring.  They emerged in heaps, last time, Spring 2004.  Their high pitched sound is nonstop during the few weeks they are around.  They are amazing. (The birds will be happy.)

 

At dusk Saturday night I observed the first firefly in my postage stamp oasis. It felt so peaceful to just stand and watch. Even though I became a smorgasbord for the mosquito population it was worth it. I viewed at least three of the blinkers. I pray at least two were female. If they are all one gender the postage stamp will be back to hello darkness my old friend. Other than the usual city sounds the postage stamp at night is mute. The sounds of nature are long gone from my inner city locale. As always ....

[JerseyWx]

13 hours ago, stemwinder said:

Speaking of insects, fireflies have been scarcer this year in the lawn under my deck.  Fewer insects in general, I think.  I heard the first cicada just minutes ago.  Guessing it has been snatched up already.  Im thinking that some cicadas sing in the twilight, and others in the heat of the day, where they make up whole choruses.  When I hear that, I know that we're deep in Summer, heat or no heat.   The 17 year variety will emerge around here next spring.  They emerged in heaps, last time, Spring 2004.  Their high pitched sound is nonstop during the few weeks they are around.  They are amazing. (The birds will be happy.)

 

Heard my first one on Saturday, love that sound.  Grey tree frogs are also in full force here as well.  Waiting on the katydids now.

[stemwinder]

1 hour ago, JerseyWx said:

Heard my first one on Saturday, love that sound.  Grey tree frogs are also in full force here as well.  Waiting on the katydids now.

When I hear the katydids, my summer is complete.  Too bad it keeps getting hotter. One thing I miss big time is the song of the Wood Thrush, in the woods nearby.  They seem to be gone locally,.  Used to be a lot of little bunnies around .  People feed the feral cats, so enough said.

 

[stemwinder]

2 hours ago, rclab said:

At dusk Saturday night I observed the first firefly in my postage stamp oasis. It felt so peaceful to just stand and watch. Even though I became a smorgasbord for the mosquito population it was worth it. I viewed at least three of the blinkers. I pray at least two were female. If they are all one gender the postage stamp will be back to hello darkness my old friend. Other than the usual city sounds the postage stamp at night is mute. The sounds of nature are long gone from my inner city locale. As always ....

I'm lucky to live where it's GREEN.  However, I miss NYC very much.  You may be close enough to get to the Promenade, overlooking the East River.  Haven't been there since the 60's, but it is one of Brooklyn's under appreciated gems, I think.  Due to close soon, I understand.  Stayed in a loft on Atlantic Ave Summer of 1978,  NYC was really broken down in those days.  My host would have dinner on his back deck.  Railroad trees were his oasis.  I don't remember well enough, but I'll bet there were cicadas too.  

[Stormlover74]

On 7/9/2020 at 2:08 PM, LibertyBell said:

Sounds like it will peak right around the time the big heat peaks around here- if it's in the Big Dipper at that point it's going to be really high up in the sky and should be visible even over any tall buildings that usually block the view.

 

Apparently its visible in the evenings now (I didn't take this)

 

[JerseyWx]

1 hour ago, stemwinder said:

When I hear the katydids, my summer is complete.  Too bad it keeps getting hotter. One thing I miss big time is the song of the Wood Thrush, in the woods nearby.  They seem to be gone locally,.  Used to be a lot of little bunnies around .  People feed the feral cats, so enough said.

 

Haven't seen as many rabbits as usual either.  Plenty of chipmunks though.

[uncle W]

took this picture about a hour ago  it looked like a partial floating rainbow

 

[Juliancolton]

17 hours ago, stemwinder said:

Speaking of insects, fireflies have been scarcer this year in the lawn under my deck.  Fewer insects in general, I think.  I heard the first cicada just minutes ago.  Guessing it has been snatched up already.  Im thinking that some cicadas sing in the twilight, and others in the heat of the day, where they make up whole choruses.  When I hear that, I know that we're deep in Summer, heat or no heat.   The 17 year variety will emerge around here next spring.  They emerged in heaps, last time, Spring 2004.  Their high pitched sound is nonstop during the few weeks they are around.  They are amazing. (The birds will be happy.)

Fireflies are definitely facing existential threats from multiple directions, although I think year-to-year variations can be attributed more to microclimates than overall population health. This has been the best firefly season of my life up here in the hinterlands. They came early (first sighted on May 25th) and are still going berserk every night as we head deep into July. 

[Juliancolton]

1 hour ago, Stormlover74 said:

Apparently its visible in the evenings now (I didn't take this)

I took this yesterday morning just before 4 am. Looking toward Breakneck from Storm King mtn. Mornings will still be the optimal observing time for the next few mornings, then evening probably takes the spotlight by the weekend.

[gravitylover]

9 minutes ago, uncle W said:

took this picture about a hour ago  it looked like a partial floating rainbow

 

Is that your backyard? Not the worst Coronacation spot   Pretty great pic there too

3 minutes ago, Juliancolton said:

I took this yesterday morning just before 4 am. Looking toward Breakneck from Storm King mtn. Mornings will still be the optimal observing time for the next few mornings, then evening probably takes the spotlight by the weekend.

Sweet shot dude! Tag me when you're headed somewhere to see it again, I've missed almost all of the great celestial events the last few years.

[etudiant]

3 hours ago, stemwinder said:

When I hear the katydids, my summer is complete.  Too bad it keeps getting hotter. One thing I miss big time is the song of the Wood Thrush, in the woods nearby.  They seem to be gone locally,.  Used to be a lot of little bunnies around .  People feed the feral cats, so enough said.

 

Wood Thrushes normally nest in low shrubs, the kind that deer like to munch on. Deer are currently predator free, so they eat themselves out of house and home. Sadly that also means the potential home of the Wood Thrush. Nature usually solves this kind of excess with a plague, for which there are several candidates such as CWD. Meanwhile, deer ticks carry Lyme disease.

Can anyone bring back wolves??

[rclab]

4 hours ago, stemwinder said:

I'm lucky to live where it's GREEN.  However, I miss NYC very much.  You may be close enough to get to the Promenade, overlooking the East River.  Haven't been there since the 60's, but it is one of Brooklyn's under appreciated gems, I think.  Due to close soon, I understand.  Stayed in a loft on Atlantic Ave Summer of 1978,  NYC was really broken down in those days.  My host would have dinner on his back deck.  Railroad trees were his oasis.  I don't remember well enough, but I'll bet there were cicadas too.  

I’m in walking distance of the promenade. I was a letter carrier in the neighborhood In 1978 and probably delivered your mail. Sahadis is still there. The Long Island College Hospital is gone, thanks to the proliferation of high cost housing. Both neighborhoods, Heights and Hill are now under landmarks status. I have often enjoyed the promenade. I use it as a power walk alternative to the full Brooklyn Bridge park route. If you ever come back, preferably when the shooting stops, you should see the Brooklyn Bride Park. Very well done for solo or family enjoyment. On a somber note, the sounds of day or night nature are mostly mute. With a block full of Sycamores, oaks, maples, dogwood there is not a cicadas to be heard nor a cricket for that matter.  Being old, my nights rest is often interrupted by pit stops. If I’m fortunate and It’s just before pre dawn the birds begin singing. It’s only their sound. They sing alone. It is a kind interruption to the dawn silence. With the first strong rays and the waking of the city the singing stops. As always ...

[gravitylover]

The year started out 'bird strong' but has definitely fizzled. I was out in a forest area today that has historically been a bird wonderland but it was mostly quiet today and I don't know that I heard more than just a couple of cicadas. It's so noticeably quiet it's unnerving, the only regular sound is the mosquitoes buzzing in your face. At one point I thought my daughter was behind me so I stopped to point out how dry a terminally wet area was and it wasn't her behind me it was a coyote. It had been running with me for well over a quarter mile. I started talking before I turned around and when I did it was just sitting there looking at me like a dog, it was so cool! Anyway, so bugs in the garden... Japanese beetles and earwigs are a pain in the butt this year, neither of which has been an issue in the past.

[forkyfork]

fay's impact on the sst anomalies was small

[stemwinder]

3 hours ago, etudiant said:

Wood Thrushes normally nest in low shrubs, the kind that deer like to munch on. Deer are currently predator free, so they eat themselves out of house and home. Sadly that also means the potential home of the Wood Thrush. Nature usually solves this kind of excess with a plague, for which there are several candidates such as CWD. Meanwhile, deer ticks carry Lyme disease.

Can anyone bring back wolves??

Thanks - I did not realize the possible connection to the deer overpopulation.  Everything is so interconnected.  Deer are everywhere here in Central NJ.  

BTW another songbird I am missing is the Song Sparrow.  A plus (for me, if the city dwellers will forgive me) is that the English sparrow is seldom seen around forested areas.  OTOH, I have much respect for these tough little critters in the unforgiving urban environment.

[stemwinder]

41 minutes ago, gravitylover said:

The year started out 'bird strong' but has definitely fizzled. I was out in a forest area today that has historically been a bird wonderland but it was mostly quiet today and I don't know that I heard more than just a couple of cicadas. It's so noticeably quiet it's unnerving, the only regular sound is the mosquitoes buzzing in your face. At one point I thought my daughter was behind me so I stopped to point out how dry a terminally wet area was and it wasn't her behind me it was a coyote. It had been running with me for well over a quarter mile. I started talking before I turned around and when I did it was just sitting there looking at me like a dog, it was so cool! Anyway, so bugs in the garden... Japanese beetles and earwigs are a pain in the butt this year, neither of which has been an issue in the past.

Wow.  I may have heard a coyote now and then around here, at night.  More likely I heard foxes.  Unearthly sounds of them fighting, no doubt.  I have new windows in my condo, and hear less now as a result.  Another degree of separation from the outside world.  In September the hooting of the owl is often heard.  By then the windows are open.  Also the strange cry of the screech owl.  Like a baby human, almost.  

[stemwinder]

49 minutes ago, gravitylover said:

The year started out 'bird strong' but has definitely fizzled. I was out in a forest area today that has historically been a bird wonderland but it was mostly quiet today and I don't know that I heard more than just a couple of cicadas. It's so noticeably quiet it's unnerving, the only regular sound is the mosquitoes buzzing in your face. At one point I thought my daughter was behind me so I stopped to point out how dry a terminally wet area was and it wasn't her behind me it was a coyote. It had been running with me for well over a quarter mile. I started talking before I turned around and when I did it was just sitting there looking at me like a dog, it was so cool! Anyway, so bugs in the garden... Japanese beetles and earwigs are a pain in the butt this year, neither of which has been an issue in the past.

Japanese beetles.  My grandmother grew roses in our Jersey City backyard, and they were a real problem there.  This was back in the 40's.

[stemwinder]

2 hours ago, rclab said:

I’m in walking distance of the promenade. I was a letter carrier in the neighborhood In 1978 and probably delivered your mail. Sahadis is still there. The Long Island College Hospital is gone, thanks to the proliferation of high cost housing. Both neighborhoods, Heights and Hill are now under landmarks status. I have often enjoyed the promenade. I use it as a power walk alternative to the full Brooklyn Bridge park route. If you ever come back, preferably when the shooting stops, you should see the Brooklyn Bride Park. Very well done for solo or family enjoyment. On a somber note, the sounds of day or night nature are mostly mute. With a block full of Sycamores, oaks, maples, dogwood there is not a cicadas to be heard nor a cricket for that matter.  Being old, my nights rest is often interrupted by pit stops. If I’m fortunate and It’s just before pre dawn the birds begin singing. It’s only their sound. They sing alone. It is a kind interruption to the dawn silence. With the first strong rays and the waking of the city the singing stops. As always ...

The English sparrows make a lot of noise in the dawn hours.  They are very gregarious, and incredibly tenacious birds.  Not related to the song sparrow I mentioned elsewhere.  I have much respect for letter carriers at any time.  BTW, those are great neighborhoods.  

Someone took a photo of an old IND R4 train which at the time was running the D line to Coney Island.  That's me in 1970, joyriding maybe to the Botanic Garden.  I was renting a dump on upper broadway at the time.  Someone took this photo.  You never know...  They ran these old R cars into the ground, and I wish that they had been overhauled for 20 more years of service.   

[stemwinder]

6 hours ago, Juliancolton said:

Fireflies are definitely facing existential threats from multiple directions, although I think year-to-year variations can be attributed more to microclimates than overall population health. This has been the best firefly season of my life up here in the hinterlands. They came early (first sighted on May 25th) and are still going berserk every night as we head deep into July. 

You are hopefully right about the fluctuations in the firefly population.  Someone else has put pix on Facebook showing them in the Middletown area of NY.  Abundant there too.  Magical creatures for sure.

EDIT - it's after 9 PM, and the fireflies are around, in abundance.  Even picked one off my screen, to avoid it flying around the apartment.  I stand corrected, and am glad of it.  

[stemwinder]

2 hours ago, forkyfork said:

fay's impact on the sst anomalies was small

Since I've been blathering, I'll bump this one down.  interesting that little pool of cold water off Delmarva.  

The SST may not have been affected by such a paltry storm, but the aquifers are happy, I'm sure.  At least here in NJ.  

[ForestHillWx]

Jumping in late on this convo, plenty of lighting bugs out this way. Also got my first nesting pair of blue birds, with babies.

I'm looking into nesting boxes for screech and barn owls now. I need something to curb the chipmunk populations. 

[rclab]

14 hours ago, stemwinder said:

The English sparrows make a lot of noise in the dawn hours.  They are very gregarious, and incredibly tenacious birds.  Not related to the song sparrow I mentioned elsewhere.  I have much respect for letter carriers at any time.  BTW, those are great neighborhoods.  

Someone took a photo of an old IND R4 train which at the time was running the D line to Coney Island.  That's me in 1970, joyriding maybe to the Botanic Garden.  I was renting a dump on upper broadway at the time.  Someone took this photo.  You never know...  They ran these old R cars into the ground, and I wish that they had been overhauled for 20 more years of service.   

Great photo and memory. I rode those trains on the R and N lines ( at that time called the 4th avenue local and Sea Beach Express ) in the 50’s and early 60’s. The seats were rattan and the only ventilation was a bladed ceiling fan and a hopeful functioning open window. The breeze was a trade off for the tunnel aromas. I would enjoy standing at the front car window. Today it’s an engineers cabin  almost impossible to see the ride ahead. 
if your ever back in the city and if it ever reopens you should visit the Transit Museum, either in downtown Brooklyn or Grand Central station. The car type in your photo is on exhibit. You can go in, sit, stand and remember. As always .....

 

[FPizz]

14 hours ago, stemwinder said:

You are hopefully right about the fluctuations in the firefly population.  Someone else has put pix on Facebook showing them in the Middletown area of NY.  Abundant there too.  Magical creatures for sure.

EDIT - it's after 9 PM, and the fireflies are around, in abundance.  Even picked one off my screen, to avoid it flying around the apartment.  I stand corrected, and am glad of it.  

There have been tons here the 4 years that I've lived in this location.  

[forkyfork]

13 hours ago, ForestHillWx said:

Jumping in late on this convo, plenty of lighting bugs out this way. Also got my first nesting pair of blue birds, with babies.

I'm looking into nesting boxes for screech and barn owls now. I need something to curb the chipmunk populations. 

the chipmunks are insane this year. probably because last year was a mast year and winter was mild

[LibertyBell]

On 7/13/2020 at 1:08 PM, Stormlover74 said:

Apparently its visible in the evenings now (I didn't take this)

 

I really want to see it.  I hope it gets higher up in the sky before it fades.  One of my favorite memories with my father is seeing Hale Bopp back in 1997.  He's gone now but seeing this comet is something that'd make me feel closer to him.

I'm hoping to see it either this week or next, I've been looking for it every night....the deadline is July 22nd, after that it's going to get dimmer as it recedes from Earth.

I'm wondering if I should scan the skies with my binos first and if I can find it that way, then look for it with my eyes.

 

[LibertyBell]

On 7/13/2020 at 2:13 PM, Juliancolton said:

I took this yesterday morning just before 4 am. Looking toward Breakneck from Storm King mtn. Mornings will still be the optimal observing time for the next few mornings, then evening probably takes the spotlight by the weekend.

Julian, how many degrees above the horizon would you say it was?  NW sky right?  moon= half degree.  10 degrees = holding your fist at arm's length.

also mind sharing exposure settings- effective focal length, shutter speed, iso, aperture, etc?