It's hard to get a good photo through my office window (maybe you saw my previous attempt, here) but this gives a hint of what I'm seeing as I look up from my laptop. The trees began turning late, perhaps because of the long, warm fall, but what they lacked in timing they're making up for in color. The variety of trees in the woods creates an incredible palette, all shades of orange, red, yellow, brown, and gold. I don't recall seeing so much variation in one area -- I'm used to forests in which a few species predominate -- so it's been the proverbial feast for my eyes.
The migrating birds have been fun to watch, too. After nearly a two-month absence, I was surprised and delighted recently one morning to hear red-winged blackbirds. They're still coming through in waves. I've been treated to yellow-belllied sapsuckers, golden-crowned kinglets, various warblers, white-crowned and white-throated sparrows, red-breasted nuthatches, all in addition to the normal 15-20 species of birds I see at the feeders and around the yard.
As I sat writing this I realized our cool, gray weather could turn to cool, rainy weather, and with enough wind, the leaves would start to drop. Besides, it's just too beautiful to stay indoors. So I took a walk and got a few photos from the area right around the house and across the road. As Elizabeth Lawrence said, "Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."
Enjoy!
Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.William Cullen Bryant
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf's a flower.
Albert Camus
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns.
George Eliot
