Chagrin Falls At Christmastime, After Heavy Rain

Here’s a animated photo of Chagrin Falls, taken yesterday. The Chagrin River levels were very high due to the combination of snow melt and heavy rains and the waterfalls were roaring. The stairway to the falls were closed at the time; I assume there was a concern over people slipping on the wet stairway (or the danger from the high water levels from the river).

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A Halo Around The Sun

The sun was rising though some cirrus clouds on this very cold and crisp morning, the perfect conditions to create a halo around the sun. The rainbow colors were faint but it is still a sight that can take one’s breath away! Here’s a photo I took of this lovely weather phenomenon.

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Autumn at Tinkers Creek Gorge in Bedford, Ohio

Another one of my favorite locations to view fall colors: the overlook at Tinker’s Creek Gorge in Bedford Reservation, which is part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and also part of the Cleveland Metroparks system. Despite the fact that the fall colors seem a little dull here in northeast Ohio, this view still is breathtaking. Here’s a photo that I took today (click on the image for a larger view).

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Autumn Colors at Squire’s Castle

Squire’s Castle is one of my favorite places to photograph in the fall. The gray color of the structure is offset by the surrounding colorful foliage. It looks great in both color and in black and white. Here are a few photos I took this morning (click on any image for a larger view).

(Squire’s Castle is in the North Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks in Willoughby Hills, Ohio.)

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And Now for Something Completely Different – Fly Fishing!

Regular visitors to my blog are accustomed to seeing photos of landscapes, birds, and weather. This time I’m featuring something different: fly fishing! Last weekend, we got away from fishing the usual places in northeast Ohio and traveled to the private waters of Smith Creek at Susie Q Farm in Virginia. The fishing was guided by Brian Trow of Mossy Creek Fly Fishing, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I swear that Brian has x-ray vision as he is able to see fish that are invisible to most. As a fly fishing teacher, he has amazing patience along with a high energy level, which makes the fishing experience enjoyable even for someone like me who is just an observer. The waters of Smith Creek were very productive that day and my husband caught several fish. Sadly, I wasn’t around to photograph all of them as I was sometimes distracted by the lovely surroundings - or giant spiders (photo below). Here are a few photos (click on any photo to access the gallery).

John Zimmer & Brian Trow

Black & Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)

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Buttermilk Falls & Shale – North Chagrin Reservation

The water levels were low this weekend when we visited Buttermilk Falls in the North Chagrin Reservation in Lake and Cuyahoga Counties, part of the Cleveland (Ohio) Metroparks. This provided for excellent views of the interesting shale formations in the stream bed. The shale at the upper point of the falls broke off into curvy jagged shapes, while only slightly further down the falls, the shale broke off into rectangular chunks. Here are a few photos.

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Rocky River Reservation – Cleveland Metroparks

It’s been super busy the last few weeks, but for one day we decided to take a break from it all and  visit the Rocky River Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks. It’s a lovely and very active park, with plenty of people walking, running, biking, hiking, golfing, boating, and fishing. I’ve visited most (if not all) of the parks in both the Cleveland and Lake Metropark systems and I think Rocky River Reservation is one of the finest of the group, with many sights to see and plenty of things to do. Here are a few photos of the river views, plus one photo of  a distant downtown Cleveland's Key Tower peeking over the treetops.

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Mammatus Clouds Signal Severe Weather

Many severe storms (along with reported funnel clouds) moved through northern Ohio yesterday afternoon. We were on the northern edge of the first wave of storms with tornado warnings just south. Mammatus clouds, which are indicative of the violent weather, formed on the northern edge of the storm as it passed overhead. Here is a photo.

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Lightning At Sunset

A strong line of thunderstorms moved through the area last night at sunset, bringing some heavy rains, big winds, and lots of lightning. I captured one lightning bolt that shot out from the edge of the storm as it moved into the area, the surrounding sky glowing orange from the setting sun. Here’s the photo.

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Supermoon – The Morning After

It was slightly cloudy/hazy here yesterday when the “supermoon” was rising/setting, so I was unable to get a good photo. But this morning, the sky was clearer and I got a photo of the moon setting over the treetops. The moon picked up a pinkish hue from the rising sun (and possibly a light haze). Here’s a photo.

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Least Sandpipers Rest; Red-Winged Blackbirds Flood Wake Robin Trail

I’m finally getting caught up on photos that I took earlier in the month. I visited Wake Robin Trail in Mentor Ohio a few weeks ago, and arrived on a day that was filled with red-winged blackbirds. They were everywhere, sitting on the dry cattails that lined the trail. Most of the Mentor Marsh is filled with invasive phragmites - tall grasses that love brackish water. The area lining the trail has been cleared and replanted with things like cattails, grasses, and wildflowers that were native to the area before the phragmites took over. This has encouraged more unusual birds to stop by during migration. (It's a long story about how the water turned brackish, which made perfect conditions for the phragmites to thrive.) The trail is an excellent area for birding, especially during migration. I think I arrived on the day that all the red-winged blackbirds came home. But amidst all of those red wings, I did catch a pair of least sandpipers hanging out in some shallow water. Here are a few photos.  (Click on any image for a larger view.)

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A Robin With A Mouthful

Over the years, we’ve had several robins who have nested very close to the house, in some cases where we can see the eggs hatch right outside a window. This year, we had a robin who seemed to be very protective of the area near our garage, but we never could see a nest. I did manage to catch the robin perched on the peak of the garage roof, with a mouthful of bugs/worms in its mouth, apparently waiting patiently until I cleared the area to get to the nest. Here are two photos. (Click on any image for a larger view.)

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Mentor Headlands Lighthouse, Freighter Enters Fairport Harbor

Yesterday, we visited Mentor Headlands State Park to walk the dunes and do some bird watching. We saw a few Ruddy Ducks and also a few Buffleheads. Unfortunately, the ducks were a little too far out of reach for a decent photo. Most of the smaller birds seemed to be hiding, taking cover from the very brisk winds. While we walked, a barge and tug (Pathfinder/Dorothy Ann)  were entering Fairport Harbor. Here are a few photos (click on any image for a larger view).

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The Belt of Venus at Mentor Headlands

No, the Belt of Venus is not a fashion accessory. It’s an atmospheric phenomenon that you’ve probably seen but never gave it much thought. The Belt of Venus can make its appearance right before sunrise or right after sunset, and usually is best seen when the viewer has a good view of the sky down to the horizon. Slightly above the horizon, the sky develops a dusty pink-colored layer, with a dark bluish layer between the pink layer and the horizon. The bluish layer at the horizon is the earth’s shadow,  which is appearing as the sun sets. 

When my husband and I were watching for Comet Pan-Starrs at Mentor Headlands State Park last week, I took many photos of the sunset while we waited. I also turned my back to the sunset and photographed the Fairport Harbor West lighthouse at Headlands, which was positioned directly opposite the sunset. The Belt of Venus was clearly visible. Here are a few photos – if you think you’ve never seen this phenomenon before, maybe these photos will jog your memory or help you to spot it in the future. (Click on any image for a larger view.)

 

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