A Northern Cardinal Braves the Snow

We are on the western edge of the large snowstorm that is coming up the east coast, and all we are seeing right now is a light, but very wet, snow. Here is a photo of a female northern cardinal that decided to come out and brave the snow.




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A Smiling Fox Squirrel

In our city, I swear there are as many fox squirrels as there are people. We have several squirrels that are frequent visitors to our backyard. While we have a squirrel-proof bird feeder, it doesn’t stop the squirrels from coming around to get the seed which drops onto the ground.

I had just started to fill the feeder when a squirrel came up and sat on a branch right above me, I swear it was smiling at me, seemingly hoping that I would drop the entire cup of feed right onto the ground. He/she was kind enough to pose for a photo, sporting that same grin. How could I not “accidentally” drop some feed after that?





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When A Blizzard Nears, Head to the Beach

With blizzard conditions literally knocking on northeast Ohio’s doorstep, I decided to make a trip to Mentor Headlands. As the temps climbed to the low 50s, the rain stopped temporarily, and there was a slight break in the clouds, it made for a rather pleasant walk. Well, except for the wind, which really didn’t die down much, and is only expected to increase in strength as this massive winter weather system approaches. Since I live in the “snow belt,” we can only wonder how much snow the dreaded “lake effect” will drop on our doorstep. The amount of snow can vary, based on wind direction over the open lake, and the wind speed. The higher the wind, the less time it has to pick up moisture as it crosses the lake, so the weather forecasters tell us. And weather forecasting is sometimes dicey when it comes to factoring in lake effect. To paraphrase long time Cleveland meteorologist Dick Goddard, there is nothing quite like waking up to “six inches of partly cloudy” in your yard.

Here are a few photos from my trip to Mentor Headlands this morning. (Click on any image for a larger view.) The dark clouds, mixed with splashes of sun, made for some very interesting colors in the sky and on the lake.







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Cleveland’s Innerbelt Bridge Time Lapse Video

Things have been a little slow on my other blogs so I decided to create this time lapse video of Cleveland’s I-90 Innerbelt Bridge, showing all the traffic on the bridge and the activity around it. It is a compilation of many video segments taken over a 24 hour period on December 3-4, 2009. The bridge crosses the Cuyahoga River and is a major connector to I-77 and I-71. This view is from the northeast end, looking towards the southwest. (The city skyline can’t be seen as it is behind the camera.)

Some things to watch for: the Lorain-Carnegie (AKA Hope Memorial) Bridge is on the right side at the center; at about 1:11 a brightly glowing mystery vehicle drives under the bridge and stops on the left; just before the two-minute mark, a barge on the Cuyahoga River enters at the center right, and can barely be seen exiting in the same area at about 2:50; the Cuyahoga River is more visible when the sun causes the water to sparkle at about 2:40. Also, the pyramid-looking objects are piles of crushed stone, and at times, an optical illusion makes it appear that the cars are moving backwards at high speed. Various trains can also be seen moving in an out of the left center.

Concerns about the deteriorating bridge structure has barred truck traffic from the bridge, and some lanes and ramps had been closed to all traffic. The bridge recently had those lanes and ramps re-opened to car traffic. Plans to replace this span are in progress.

So, for your enjoyment, is my video of the “day in the life” of this major Cleveland artery.







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Fall Colors – The Last Gasp

Most of our leaves are down, save for a few stragglers. It was time for one last walk around the yard and the adjacent area to take a few snapshots. Enjoy!

















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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.)








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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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High Winds And Waves On Lake Erie (Video)

As I mentioned yesterday, I took some video of the high waves on Lake Erie on September 28, which were being churned up by high winds. The video is a little shaky and wobbly as it was hard to hold the camera steady, much less keep myself standing at the same time. I uploaded it to YouTube anyway for all the weather fans out there. By the way, that constant noise is the wind hitting the camera's microphone, and it was the same sound that I heard as the wind hit my ears. It was nearly deafening.





Mentor Headlands - in more tranquil times




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High Winds Means An Angry Lake Erie

It’s a very windy day here in Northeast Ohio, which means it’s a great day to head to Mentor Headlands to catch a few pictures of a turbulent Lake Eire. The beach was almost deserted, with only 4 (crazy) people besides me trying to walk the mile long beach. Wind gusts in the area were reported at 50 mph and it was very hard to stand up, much less walk near the shore. I took a few hundred photos, and have included a few of them below. (I also took some video, but since it was hard to stand up or hold the camera steady, I am not quite sure if they will be watchable. If they are, I’ll get it up on my YouTube channel.)

For the birders out there, I saw quite a few gull-like birds flying against the wind, and doing a pretty good job at holding steady. I think I caught some ring-billed gulls in these photos, but since identifying gulls is my weak spot, I hope someone will tell me if I am wrong.

Now I have to figure out how to get sand out of my ears. I took quite a sandblasting out there.










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Happy 60th Birthday To My Sister in Law, Chris

Today is the 60th birthday of my sister in law, who is also named Chris. (This day is also known as the 20th anniversary of her 40th birthday.) I thought this was a good time to go through some of the old family photos to help remind her of, and to celebrate, her younger days.

Living in the Pittsburgh area for a short time made Chris (at left) a Cleveland Browns fan.

Chris (at left) loves to travel. Here, she is getting ready to pilot her first flight.



Cleveland winters are why she moved to Arizona (Chris at right). I think those eyeglasses are back in style.

Chris had the latest "do" for her senior picture and looked fabulous!

Every woman must be photographed in curlers. It's just one of those passages of life.

Chris eats a bite of cake while the rest of the gang are drinking and being merry.

This is what happens after eating, drinking, and being merry.

Celebrating your 40th Birthday - Happy 20th Anniversary!

Happy 60th Birthday!

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