After many days of cloudy weather, the sun finally broke free this afternoon and cleared the evening sky. Note the changing tamaracks.
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Journal
Time Lapse In the High Peaks
We were greeted this morning with clear skies and a killing frost – the first of the season. Since Saturday, leaves have been falling steadily. Shorter days are hastening my pace up Mount Jo. Amazing how one week can change!
Today (October 15th)
October 8th
October 1st
September 24th
September 18th
Photographed this year from Mount Jo, Adirondack Park, New York.
Autumn Moving
A chill is in the air this evening. The weather is active.
Throughout the day, mist and fog cloaked the now golden mountains. Only later did the sky begin to open, exposing a breathtaking maple tableau all around.
We are now past “peak”, but some of the best is yet to come. The mild golds and deep oranges of aspen still await. They will stand alone in the gray of late Fall. And the tamarack, the evergreen that breaks the rules, will continue its quest to fairness, morphing from green to yellow and finally dropping every needle – if we’re lucky on early snow.
Photographed this evening in Ray Brook, Adirondack Park, New York.
Gothics
The last two days have been dark and overcast. Yesterday morning you could smell the moisture in the air. This evening you could feel the rain. Only for a moment did the sky open up, showcasing Gothics on the horizon.
Photographed yesterday evening from Little Burn Mountain, McKenzie Mountain Wilderness, Adirondack Park, New York.
Cloudy, Calm, and Mild This Evening in the Adirondacks
Photographed this evening in Ray Brook, Adirondack Park, New York.
A Stunning Fall Comes Late to the Adirondacks
Photographed this evening from Mount Jo, Adirondack Park, New York
Check out the progression. We’re getting there!
September 24th, 2015
September 18th, 2015
Falling Behind?
Exactly one year ago today, I scurried to the top of Mount Jo to photograph some of the region’s early fall foliage. Today I did the same to compare the colors:
September 18th, 2014
September 18th, 2015
Based on the above, Fall seems to be a bit behind from last year. With the warm weather we’ve been getting, this makes sense. Regardless, I can’t wait to see how the season transpires!
A Loon, A Crayfish, and the Question of Gobies
A telephoto lens opens a new window to the world. At first glance, I only saw something was in this loon’s bill. But when I lifted my camera, I saw that a crayfish had made the menu for lunch!
I’ve read that in the North, a loon’s diet consists mainly of perch and sunfish, but when scarce, crustaceans, snails, leeches, and insect larvae will make the cut.
In recent years I’ve watched once abundant schools of yellow perch disappear from these waters, completely replaced by the invasive round goby fish. I don’t know how gobies taste to loons (based on their looks, I’m not encouraged) or how hard they are to catch (considering their darting speed, likely not easy). But watching this loon work to swallow its clawed and armored catch, I can only wonder.
Photographed August 1st, 2015 in the Thousand Islands, Ontario, Canada.
The Snapper
As I watched this snapping turtle lay her eggs, I wondered how old she was. Some live up to a century, but I think this one saw the dinosaurs.
Photographed June 13th, 2015 in the Bloomingdale Bog, Saranac Lakes Wild Forest, Adirondack Park, New York.
