A Pileated Woodpecker Visits

This afternoon, a female Pileated Woodpecker was pounding away on some of the pine trees in our yard. I was fortunate enough to grab a quick photo before this lovely, large bird flew into more dense cover.

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Frigid Conditions At Mentor Headlands Beach

It’s 17 degrees, blustery, and there is lake effect snow in the area. Most people would stay indoors. But what better time to head to the beach and enjoy the beauty in the desolation? The snow and wind make some hypnotic swirling patterns in the snow in this short video.



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Thundersnow in Mentor Ohio

A slightly freakish heavy lake effect snow event came through northeast Ohio today, bringing us 10” of snow in just a few hours including about an hour and a half of periodic, noisy thundersnow. Here’s a video where I captured one flash of lightning and its clap of thunder while the snow was falling in a heavy burst. Enjoy!



(Short version I posted on Vine)


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Stargazing: Orion, Taurus, and Ursa Major (with The Big Dipper)

This is a great time of year for stargazing and for star photography. Orion is clearly visible (in the southern sky), as are many other constellations. With cool temperatures and a clear night, I spent some time taking photographs of the constellations Orion, Ursa Major (with The Big Dipper), and Taurus, with the Pleiades nearby. Here are a few photos that were taken about 2 hours before sunrise. (Click on any image for a larger view.)


Orion

The Big Dipper

Orion (wide view of southern sky)

Taurus & The Pleiades

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Partial Solar Eclipse in Ohio

Here are some photos I took today of the partial solar eclipse at Mentor Headlands Beach in Mentor, Ohio. The sun was nearing its peak of the partial eclipse as the sun was reaching the horizon, and it dropped into thin clouds.(Click on any image for a larger view.)

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A Windy Shockwave In The Clouds

There was a beautiful sunrise this morning so I decided to take a few photos. While I was outside, the wind ramped up quickly with a few stiff gusts. Not more than a minute later, I looked at the sunrise and a cloud line quickly formed, mirroring the direction of the wind that had just blasted through seconds earlier. It was like watching a windy shock wave move through the sky. Here are a few photos.

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Chapin Forest Fall Colors

We spent some time today hiking in the Chapin Forest Reservation in Kirtland, Ohio, part of the Lake County Metroparks. The leaves were still fairly green on the Lucky Stone trail, but there were splashed of oranges, yellow and reds on the Quarry Pond Trail. The fall colors at the scenic overlook, off the Lucky Stone trail, did not disappoint! There was some patchy fog and haze, so the Cleveland skyline, less than 20 miles away, was only partly visible; not the best conditions for pictures. Here are a few others from the trail and the overlook. (Click on any photo to open the gallery.)

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2 Nelson's Sparrows Spotted at Wake Robin Trail

Two Nelson’s Sparrows – unusual for this area – were spotted at the Wake Robin Trail at the Mentor Marsh in Mentor Ohio. We were fortunate that other experienced birders were there who were closely watching the birds and pointed them out to us. I managed to get a photo of one of the pair – it’s not the best photo but considering that the birds were far away and hard to spot in t he thick grasses even using my long camera lens, it’s the best I could do.

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Fall Sunset at Mentor Headlands

The fall colors are arriving and the weather has been beautiful. It was a good time to watch the sunset at Mentor Headlands Beach State Park. The dunes grasses were beginning to show warm colors, which made for a nice frame on the dunes trail to the west breakwater lighthouse. The Fairport Harbor Lighthouse and marine museum is also in view from the dunes trail. In some of the photos, the “Belt of Venus” is visible. Here are a few photos.

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Fly Fishing in Virginia

Last week, we had a chance to get away to Virginia for some fly fishing in the private waters of Smith Creek at Susie Q Farm in Virginia. The fishing was guided by Colby Trow of Mossy Creek Fly Fishing, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  The weather was cloudy and slightly cool, but those conditions really brought out the rainbow trout. My husband caught so many rainbows that it was as if the fish were happy to be hooked. While he was busy catching fish, I was taking some photos of the lovely, peaceful surroundings.  Here are a few of those photos.  (Click on any image for a larger view.)

 






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