My cousin Kelly agreed that while winter is coming we still get fall first. I have a a lot of fall shots, hard not to go out and enjoy nice fall weather and shoot the colors. This shot in the Arboretum out in Lisle is probably my fall favorite. There is a couple walking in the far distance if you blow up the shot. It gives a nice sense of scale. So, enjoy the nice weather. Going to be another hot one, but I am noticing more leaves on the ground....just sayin'.
I don't know why I like to do this to myself but I often put up a shot of winter up when it is still summer out. Just painful and wonderful and annoying. Not sure why I do it. Perhaps some time on the couch would help. (Let's see there is baseball and maybe college football.) Anyway, winter is coming.
This is the Northern Flicker, a fairly common, robin-sized bird in Illinois. However, I waited until last year, as a 63 year old, to see one. Just never saw one before, because I probably never looked. I like this guy. Pajamas with spots on the bottom. Stripes on the wings. Squares underneath in the back. A red spot. Brown coloring. Some grey. There is a lot going on here. Fun bird.