Waning Days of Fall, Continued

Tuesday, at Creamer's Field, there was still a lot of fall color in evidence, although much less than last week.  

Today, in my backyard, some of the trees are ready for snow and some are still holding out.

A colorful carpet covers the ground, but snow is expected in the early morning hours.  It should melt quickly, giving us another peek at the colorful fall leaves, but sometime in the next few weeks the snow will cover the leaves for the duration of winter.  

I'm linking with Good Fences

at the Run "A" Round Ranch Report.

A Few Laggards

Although most of the Sandhill Cranes have already left for warmer climes, the last few days a family has stopped in our neighborhood and fed in our neighbor's field across the road.

Of course, the leaves have mostly turned color now, providing some lovely views in my yard.

Sadly, a little after I took these photos yesterday we had a bit of a breeze, and now there are quite a few leaves on the ground too.  Fall colors don't usually last very long here!

I'm linking with Good Fences

at the Run "A" Round Ranch Report.

Fall Colors

After a couple of weeks of very rainy weather and several days with highs in the 40s, we finally had sunshine again on Tuesday, although we had a light frost Tuesday night.  A few Sandhill Cranes were still at Creamer's Field on Monday, but all I saw were Canada Geese on Tuesday.

We've had some beautiful sunny days in the low 60s this week, but there's also been a dramatic change in the scenery.  On Saturday fall colors were evident on the hills behind the barn and around the field.  There were still some Canada Geese hanging out, but not very many.

Most years the Cranes hang out at Creamer's Field a bit longer, but I guess the rain and chilly temps we had prompted them to fly further south.  The photo below was taken September 12, 2011.  Every year is just a bit different, and while the Fall colors are pretty much on schedule, it's sad that the migrating birds passed through just a bit quicker this year.

The photo below was taken August 29, 2011, and is my Index # 0057 for Gaelyn's Foto Friday Fun #127.


I guess that touch of Fall in the air has turned into the real deal.  Ah, well, time to get all those cleanup chores done in the yard while the weather is nice and before that fluffy white stuff starts tumbling down.

I'm linking with Tom at The Barn Collective

and Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

Fences at Creamer's Field

We were back again today at Creamer's Field.  The view from the front parking area was beautiful. 

There has been a big change in the colors in the landscape over the last week.  Although there are still some Canada Geese in the fields and a few Sandhill Cranes, the majority of the birds have headed south.

Today was sunny and 65 degrees, and the forecast for the next week is for more of the same and possibly into the 70s, but it won't be long before we're seeing some snow.

We took the road back to the barns, and the view off to the side was full of color.

From the Visitor's Center in the old farmhouse the view of the garden shows that the sunflowers are suffering from a bit of frostbite.  The garden is planted how it would have been back when the farm was a working dairy. 

We went around the side of the barns and headed back toward the seasonal pond.

My companion was my granddaughter Sydney.  I had just picked her up from kindergarten, and since her schoolyard adjoins Creamer's Field it's a convenient stop on our way home.

Back at the seasonal pond the view was gorgeous.  Sydney and I enjoyed seeing all the upside-down trees.  To see the changes in the field over the last few weeks you can go to my posts for Good Fences for the last two weeks HERE and HERE.

I am linking up with Good Fences

at the Run "A" Round Ranch Report.

Still Waiting For Winter

I know it should be here somewhere!

With temperatures 20+ degrees above normal, we're having daytime temps in the low 50s and well above freezing at night and that's predicted to last through the weekend.  Maybe winter will come next week......  

Waiting For Winter

At Creamer's Field, the birds have all flown south and the trees have lost their colorful leaves.  All is in readiness for winter.  We've had a bit of snow several times but we're still getting temps in the 40s.  Many years the snow has already settled in for the winter by this time, but we're getting a little bonus right now.  We had a late spring, so it's very welcome. 

Fall LarchTree

When I was at Wander Lake on the 27th, I took some photos of larch trees.  They are also known as Tamarak trees.  They are a conifer but are not evergreen.  Their needles change color in the fall and they are bare throughout the winter.

They are really quite a beautiful tree.  They grow in the boreal forests throughout Canada and through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and east through New England.  Alaska's population is in the Interior, but over 400 miles separates them from the population in the Yukon.

They grow quickly and are one of the first trees to grow where there has been a fire.

They add a great deal to the fall beauty.  I might add that that fall beauty is mostly gone now and the trees are bare.  Our fall weather has lasted longer than most years, but it won't be long before we'll be seeing snow covered trees.  From the weather forecast it doesn't look like it will be happening this week though, with temps in the 40s and around the freezing mark at night.

Wander Lake Surprise, Part 3

I finally caught up with the Swan, back on the part of the lake where I had first seen him.

It was only a matter of a few minutes, though, before he decided to take off.

I love being able to get a series of shots of a takeoff.  In real time you don't see the feet going madly as they run across the water.

A tighter crop shows that a little better.

Finally, lift off!

I followed him with my camera as he flew across the lake.....

......and higher against the trees.....

.....and even higher against the hill in the background.

My last shot was of a speck as he cleared the hillside and headed in a southerly direction. 

In an attempt to make him more visible, I added a Comic filter.  I was intrigued by the resulting circular aura around him.

I hope you've enjoyed chasing the Swan around the lake with me!  I likely won't see any more Swans until they are heading north in the spring, unless I head south too and see the flocks that overwinter in the Skagit Valley in Washington where my son lives.  Click HERE to see Swans in the Skagit Valley.  I've posted quite a few photos of Swans in the spring over the last several years, and you can see those by clicking HERE.