All posts by Sean

Blog, New Jersey, New York City, Photography, Places

Mill Creek Marsh (it’s for the birds)

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I made my first visit to the Mill Creek Marsh in the NJ Meadowlands this weekend. The preserve is located a few miles from NYC next to the Mill Creek Mall. I really didn’t know what to expect, and I was initially a little put off by the place.

Mill Creek Marsh NYC Skyline

As you can see above, NYC is just a few miles away, and the area is bordered by a shopping mall, sewage treatment plant, and the NJ Turnpike. There was a distinctive “low tide” smell which I assume came from the actual low tide. The marsh itself was a bit strange looking, with cedar stumps poking out of the water. There is a good overview of the area at NJWildLifeTrails.Org

Mill Creek Marsh Cedar Stump

White Cedar Stump and Red Winged Blackbird

Mill Creek Marsh Mallard

The first signs of life I saw were seagulls, and the ducks. Since it is still early spring, the foliage was just beginning to fill in. The trail around the marsh seems fairly new, and there are signs along the trail that give an overview of the foliage and wildlife to be seen. The place seems to be a work in progress, as I also saw tires, and other refuse scattered about in the marsh.

Mill Creek Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs near the waters edge

Mill Creek Marsh Red Winged Blackbird

Red Winged Blackbird

Mill Creek Marsh Myrtle Warbler

Myrtle Warbler

As I wandered about, I began to appreciate the abundant bird life. Apparently, the recovery work at this site is already having a very positive impact.

Mill Creek Marsh Robin

American Robin

I’m not a regular Birder but I’ve added the Mill Creek Marsh to my list of places to return to. Check it out if you want to get a little taste of the NJ Wetlands. All of the photos were taken with a Nikon D200 and 300mm f/4 or 18-35mm lens.

Blog, Miscellaneous, People, Photography

Another kind of photo blog…

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My older brother is building a plane in his garage. He has been working on it for over 4 years now, and it is nearing completion. As a kid, he was always building model planes, modifying cars and anything else he could try. His dedication, skill and attention to detail are quite inspiring… I would love to have even a small bit of each. Over the years he has documented every step of the build with photographs, including the set up of his workshop. He has put up the site to help other builders (and let them know what they are in for). For a taste of the work he is doing, check out the “instrument panel” section.

Check out his site here : http://701builder.com/

Blog, Looking Back, Photography

Looking Back – It’s almost spring!

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The weather has been keeping me inside, so I have decided to start posting some of my favorite older pictures. I’ve added a new category to the site called “Looking Back” that these posts will get filed under.

The first picture is from the New York Botanical Garden from 2003 or so :

Bee on a flower
Bee on a Flower

I was shooting with a Nikon D100, and the 28-105mm. I’m pretty sure I had my 6T close up filter on when I took the shot. The combination of the 28-105 in macro mode, and the 6t and get very close as I mentioned in a previous post.

The next photo was from 2005, also with the D100 and a 300mm f/4 prime lens taken in my backyard:

Butterfly on flowers
Butterfly on Flowers

In my rush to get the butterfly before it took off, I slightly overexposed the flowers, and got the white balance wrong. Thanks to the magic of Raw image processing, I managed to salvage the shot to some extent. The 300mm f/4 is another one of my favorite lenses. If it wasn’t so heavy I would carry it with me everywhere.