The young Lewis' Woodpeckers have long since fledged, and the entire family has abandoned their summer home for warmer weather elsewhere. The Canada Geese are flocking in larger numbers, and the Robins and Mourning Doves and other songbirds have packed up and moved on. The Goldfinches have finally molted their sunny yellow feathers and now take on the drab greenish-brown of their winter plumage. The Osprey nests, recently overflowing with rapidly growing chicks, are now nothing more than a giant cluster of sticks, left to the passerine sub-leasers who brave the long Montana winters. The woods, only last week filled with avian activity, are now mostly silent except for the few feathered procrastinators still clinging to the last vestiges of the Rocky Mountain summer.
Along the river, the Cottonwoods are already boasting golden leaves, and the river itself has dropped considerably in volume, expsing its rocky sandbars that seem to giggle as the water trickles over them.
Sunrise appears a few minutes later each morning, and the sets a few minutes later. But it compensates for the loss of daylight with the most dramatic displays of the year. The lower light plays off of the light and shadow of the late summer storm clouds, and I believe these are the best of the entire year.
The Perseid meteor showers were in full force this weekend! Went with some friends to an area away from city lights to camp under the stars and watch the show. Not wanting to miss one moment of it, we worked in shifts to watch for them, and at about 2:00 am our efforts were rewarded with a most spectacular display that even the full moon could not diminish. We "ooh-ed" and "ahh-ed", clapping and cheering at each one, seeming bigger and brighter than the last, until the light of dawn broke over the mountains and washed away the darkness.
I leave you with some late summer sunrises and sunsets. The colors are as the camera saw them - no Photoshop editing here!
