Fall Colors Fade

The rainy weather finally cleared and left us with a huge blanket of soaking wet leaves. The light fog this morning kept things damp, but also provided some nice crepuscular rays as the sunlight streamed through the trees.

Here are a few more fall photos. Included is a photo of a jet that was flying high, the light from the sunrise giving it a strange fiery glow. There is also a photo of a section of a large flock of birds flying overhead. Every fall we get huge flocks of birds – I think many are starlings, red winged blackbirds, grackles, etc. that collect in or near the Mentor Marsh. They fly out in the morning and back in the evening, collecting more birds in their group each day, eventually creating huge streams of birds that look like they number in the hundreds of thousands. While I was out this morning, I caught a group of maybe only a thousand or so flying overhead, but with each day, their numbers build so that by the time they leave for the winter, they leave in massive numbers, sometimes taking 30 minutes or more as the stream flies overhead. I’ve included an old video that I took several years ago from one of these events, and I am keeping my eyes open so I can try to film them again this year.

Crepuscular Rays

Japanese Maple Leaves Feature Beautiful Colors

One Lone Maple Leaf in a Sea Of Oak Leaves

Water Droplets on the Japanese Maple

High Flying Jet at Sunrise

A Small Group from a Large Flock of Birds

A Squirrel Snacks on an Apple from Our Apple Tree

Mentor Ohio Bird Migration





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Fall Colors and a Busy Sky

The fall colors have just exploded here within the last 48 hours, so I just had to run out and snap a few pictures of some of the trees and shrubs in the yard as they change color. There was also an interesting mackerel sky; rain is less than a day away. While I was out taking photos, the local medical “life flight” helicopter flew overhead. I also was treated to a noisy group of crows – which is called a “murder” of crows. There were about 15 crows in all, but a few of them very briefly flew in a circle with one crow in the center. One of them split off from the circle right before I got my camera on them and took the picture. They were quite entertaining as they swooped and cawed loudly. It’s amazing what one can see in just 10 minutes in one’s own back yard!












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Squire’s Castle, Revisited

Almost every fall, I like to visit Squire’s Castle in the North Chagrin Reservation in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. It’s not really a castle; it is the shell of a gatehouse built at the turn of the 20th century for a large country estate planned by Feargus Squire, one of the founders of the Standard Oil Company in the late 1800s. (The estate was never built.)

It’s a great area to visit for fall colors or for a nice walk on the grounds and on the trails if you are so inclined. Here are my latest photos. (Click on any photo for a larger view.)











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A Fiery Fall Sunrise

It was one of those sunrises where it starts off dull and gray, and within seconds the sky erupts in flaming colors. I happened to be outside taking photos of the patch of dark clouds that came in off Lake Erie when, in a flash, the clouds appeared to be on fire. In some cases, the clouds looked tinged with green, a color I usually don't see in clouds. Here are a few photos of the clouds during this amazing sunrise. (Clicking on each photo should bring up a larger view.)








All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com


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Fall Colors at Tinkers Creek Gorge

I’ve been very busy in the last few weeks and have quite a few photos to sort through. I decided to work backwards and show one of my recent photographs.

One of the best views of the fall colors here in the Cleveland area is at the overlook at Tinkers Creek Gorge, a National Landmark in the Bedford Reservation, part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and also part of the Cleveland Metroparks system. It provides a spectacular view of the area carved out by Tinkers Creek and by glaciers from long ago. It is hard to imagine that, in the mid 1960s, people were making plans to flood the Gorge to create “Lake Shawnee.” Thankfully, the plans were abandoned, leaving a lovely view and a carpet of color in the fall. It is a "must see" for visitors to Bedford Reservation and to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Here’s a photo I took of the Gorge this past week, the fall colors were just starting to creep in. (Clicking on the photo will open a larger view.) When fall colors are at peak at the Gorge, the view is spectacular.

Tinkers Creek Gorge photo © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com

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