At long last, my Fall Foliage 2020 blog. I have been working on this for what seems to be like forever. It kept getting interrupted by birds migrating through the Upper Valley. There were many interesting sparrows and warblers, a cuckoo, rusty blackbirds, and a rare Western Kingbird at Campbell Flat in Norwich. And then a beautiful Fox Sparrow arrived in our yard just before a snowstorm. All subjects of previous Blogs.
I put images and words on my website mostly for myself. I enjoy looking back and reliving my experiences. But if you also enjoy them, that is an extra bonus. I don’t allow comments on my blogs, but if you want to send me an email with your opinions and comments I am always happy to receive them.
This was a wonderful year for fall foliage. And we needed it. The colorful foliage started early and lasted surprisingly long. Well over a month in total. But you had to be at the right place at the right time. I was too early some of the time, too late others, and sometimes just right to get foliage at “peak”. Peak is an illusion, of course. Colors can be fantastic in one area and a few miles away the leaves are gone or have not started to turn. Still it is fun looking and trying to find color compositions and drama around the area.
I stayed close to home this year, only traveling out of the Upper Valley twice. Those trips northeast and southeast produced relatively few images. I found I had better luck when I did more looking and walking than driving long distances to get to “great“ scenes. I am not into photographing icons anyway, preferring to find beauty in things other people have not photographed or discovered.
We start the first day of Autumn and wander through the days. I previously posted a blog about the Last Three Weeks of Summer which had some early foliage photos. It was great being out in nature and not having to worry too much about covid.
September 22
Autumn photography began at one of my favorite spring and fall spots, the mouth of Grant Brook in Lyme.
From there, I looped back through Norwich and got a photo of some Virginia Creeper, always dependable for color in fall.
Then during an afternoon walk in Etna, NH with Jann, I got a distant photo of Mount Ascutney.
Here are three more photos from September 22.
September 23
Except for a hike in Etna, we stayed home this day. On our hike we saw some nice color on Moose Mountain.
September 24
I headed out early to photograph birds at Campbell Flat. But first a pair of deer in our yard commanded my attention.
I had to bide my time in Norwich waiting for the fog to clear so I could photograph the birds.
September 25
In the early morning it was foggy at George Pond in Enfield .
It is hard to believe but the two photos below were taken 3 minutes later and within a half mile of the photo above.
My main destination this morning was Norwich for birds. Looping back heading to VT, I got a quick photo of a loon on Lake Mascoma.
I took the three photos in the slide show below within about an hour at Campbell Flat. I put them here to illustrate the difference light can make in a photo.
September 26
Heading east from Hanover, I stopped at Lakeside Park in Enfield to photograph the sailboats moored there. Enfield has done a great job turning a construction site (for the rebuilding of the Shaker Bridge) into a very nice park along the rail trail.
A quick visit to Crystal Lake in Enfield yielded a photo of a woman meditating.
I stopped at Mirror Lake in Canaan to photograph Mount Cardigan peaking over the tree tops in early fog.
From the rail trail along Route 4 in Grafton, I took a photo of Tewksbury Pond.
A women was sitting in a kayak watching a man fish near the boat launch at the pond. She pointed out an osprey, but it was too far away and behind power lines for a decent photo. She then directed me to a path with a nice view over Tewksbury Pond.
Down the road I took these three photos of Kilton Pond.
This was a Saturday, and folks were out enjoying a beautiful autumn day in boats and kayaks. Here is a pair of kayakers on Kilton Pond.
There were two women kayaking on Danbury Bog.
The colors at the bog were spectacular. Here are three photos.
At Danbury Bog I grabbed a camera with a longer lens and got a few photos of the birds in the area. A Yellow-rumped Warbler …
… and a Swainson’s Thrush were set off nicely by the colorful foliage.
In Wilmot I took these four photographs of a marsh.
At the marsh I found a pair of Swamp Sparrows, a Palm Warbler, and many Yellow-rumped Warblers. Here is a Yellow-rumped Warbler. You can see where the name comes from.
I got a couple of nice photos of the Swamp Sparrows, but the most interesting shot is this one. I have felt for years that Bud Light is the beer of choice of those who drink while driving and toss the evidence along the way.
Heading home around 1 PM, I couldn’t resist taking these four photos of the wetlands in Springfield.
September 27
My main destination this day was again Campbell Flat, but I travelled through Enfield and Lyme to get there. Here are the photos I took heading to the birds. The last two were taken at Campbell Flat.
September 28
The biggest adventure this day was a pleasant hike with Jann. I took a few photos during our hike, but near home we stopped at a small area where Dorothy Byrne had put out some chairs for folks to relax. Nearby a stone tower had been built. So I took a pair of photos to illustrate something I teach in my photos classes.
One definition of perspective is the size relationships between objects at different distances in a photo. Can you change perspective simply by zooming your lens? The answer is no. You must do two things. What are they?
Study the pair of photos below. Note I have changed the perspective. The stone tower appears to be much farther away from the chairs in the second photo. How did I do this?
I changed my focal length and walked a long distance between the two photos. In the top photo I was far from the chairs using a long focal length. For the second one I moved very close to the chairs and used a wide angle focal length. In order to change perspective you must change your focal length AND move your feet.
September 29
A favorite loop in autumn is through Lyme, back along the Connecticut River, and back to home in Etna. Here are a few photos from these spots.
September 30
Vermont beckoned me, but I did not leave home until after lunch — not like me to wait so late in the day. But it was raining in the morning, and it gave me a good chance to try to catch up a bit on photo editing.
I took a few photos along a favorite road in Norwich.
I spent much of the afternoon in Pomfret, VT. As I approached Sleepy Hollow Farm I saw a couple posing for photos with their phone on a stick. I stopped well short to not disturb them. On the tree at the left side of this photo you can see the camera installed when Joe Perry of Aerosmith bought the place and put up a big barn out back. Later I noticed their car had NY plates.
I took several photos from unconventional angles. The standard view along the great leading line of the curved driveway was “taken”. Plus I was tryin to avoid cliché shots.
Here are seven other photos from Pomfret.
October 1
This was a day I travelled out of the Upper Valley. I left home when it was still dark and headed north, then east, and looped south to return home around 1 PM. I’m not really into photographing covered bridges, but I did get three this day.
My first photo was a seven-photo panorama that somewhat distorted the Bath Covered Bridge.
I stopped briefly in Sugar Hill but found it generally disappointing. Nothing like the spectacular scenes that greeted me in 2019.
Heading to Woodstock, NH, I scrambled down to Moosilauke Brook and made a six-image panorama.
In Woodstock I discovered the very pleasant Woodstock Family Park on the bank of the Pemigewasset River. From there I took some photos of Mount Tecumseh, a 4000 footer, just barely at 4,002 ft.
Here are three more photos from Woodstock Family Park.
In Campton I photographed the Blair Covered Bridge.
I visited Profile Falls in the Franklin Falls area in Bristol. The light was very contrasty but I took some photos nonetheless. The reflections in the Smith River were colorful.
A bit disappointed with so little to show for so much driving — there is a lesson here — I stopped at some familiar spots near home. I photographed the Kensington Bridge in Andover and Mount Kearsarge.
A quick photo in Wilmot…
… then three photos of the wetlands in Springfield.
Back home to Etna, I took a few photos from my yard. Why did I spend so much time driving around? The mountain is Killington.
On a hike with Jann along the rail trail in Lebanon, I took this photo.
I’m not sure what happened October 2. Maybe I was exhausted from the long drive the day before. But my cameras were rested all day.
October 3
I made up for the “wasted” day of October 2 by heading mostly southeast. Friends of Jann had told her the colors were spectacular in that area.
I stopped first in Enfield to make a few photos of Lakeside Park.
Along Bog Road the colors were mostly gone, but I was fascinated by the patterns in the “grasses” there.
In the fog in Springfield, I found some interesting cattle who seemed interested in me.
I stopped at Lake Coniston in Croydon for a photo.
I liked the pattern of the stones and leaves above Rockybound Pond in Croydon.
Heading south on Route 10, I stopped at the Corbin Covered Bridge over the Sugar River in Newport. Gee, another covered bridge. A person who appeared to be a serious photographer from NY was there, but I left him alone with his huge bag of camera gear.
I stopped briefly at Dodge Pond in Lempster.
The view across Village Pond in Marlow is a classic.
A flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers frantically worked the shrubs at my feet. Here is one of them.
In Marlow I took two photos of the Ashuelot River.
In Stoddard I took a photo of Island Pond …
… and Barrett Pond.
Also in Stoddard I photographed the double arch stone bridge and a wind turbine with foliage and clouds.
At Manahan Park in Hillsboro I made a five-image panorama and got a quiet photo of some foliage.
Heading home, I stopped at a favorite spot, the little-known Pillsbury State Park in Washington. But the parking area by Mill Pond was jammed, so I guess the word is out. It looked like all the campsites were full. Mixed feelings. Glad to see others enjoying this great spot, but selfishly wishing I had it more to myself.
Here are three photos from a mid-afternoon walk with Jann in Etna.
October 4
Photos this day are from Enfield, Canaan, Lyme, and Etna.
The fog in Canaan gave a soft touch to the foliage.
I found what appeared to be an apple orchard, with ghost trees standing out in the fog.
Like covered bridges, I don’t go out of my way to photograph cemeteries. But this one with the old, broken stone in the fog called to me.
Alcott Smith told me this lichen, photographed along the Grafton Turnpike in Lyme, indicates that the air is pure and clean.
I drove the Dorchester Turnpike a bit beyond Lyme into Dorchester. Many years ago we drove it the whole way to the village of Dorchester, but that is not possible anymore with a normal vehicle. It was still foggy at 8:45 AM when I took these three photos.
Heading home through Lyme, I took three more photos.
Back home in Hanover Center and Etna, and hiking again with Jann, I took these six photos.
October 5
I visited Lakeside Park in Enfield for sunrise and took these three photos. The sunrise was nice, but not spectacular.
In Canaan I photographed a small boat launch area on Little Goose Pond. I’ll have to take a kayak there sometime and explore.
It was not much past 8 AM when I took these three photos from Hanover Center and Etna. The mountain is Killington.
October 6
This day was mostly spent photographing birds at Pompy Oxbow and Campbell Flat in Norwich. But first I visited some spots in Norwich well above the river and got a few photos shortly after 7 AM. I believe the mountain in the second photo below is Holts Ledge in Lyme.
October 7
Another day at Campbell Flat in Norwich photographing birds including the very rare Western Kingbird. While there I photographed one of my favorite fall plants, Clematis virginiana. It is commonly known as Devil’s Darning Needles, Virgin’s Bower, and Old Man’s Beard.
Before heading to Norwich, I stopped at Lake Mascoma for sunrise. It was brief, limited, but intense.
While on a hike with Jann, I made an abstract of trees and leaves by moving my camera vertically while the shutter was open.
October 8
A hillside in Lebanon formed a palette of colors photographed during a mid-morning walk with Jann.
October 9
There was fog on Lake Mascoma in Lebanon shortly before 7 AM as I headed down the river to Cornish and Windsor.
In Cornish I photographed some scenes and objects, not all with fall foliage but interesting. In one photo the mountain is Ascutney.
Paradise Park in Windsor can be a great place for birds. I earlier posted some photos from this brief visit, but here is one more. The photo was taken near the far right back corner of Lake Runnemede.
Up in the hills west of town I made a three-photo panorama of Mount Ascutney.
October 10
I spent the day editing photos. During a short hike with Jann in Etna, I photographed a scene below Moose Mountain.
October 11
There were dramatic clouds over Lake Mascoma at dawn just before 7 AM.
In the afternoon, Jann and I walked a quiet road in Lebanon and found a Swainson’s Thrush just sitting on the pavement. I gently ushered it off the road. When we returned it was still on the side of the road, but it flew when I got near. Perhaps it was just temporarily stunned, something that seems to happen with birds. They rest for a while, then fly away.
October 12
Again, no travels this day, just a mid-morning hike in Etna.
October 14
Early morning in Norwich and Strafford, VT with a loop back through Lebanon to Etna filled the first half of this day.
Here are photos from Norwich.
And from Strafford.
I photographed Mount Ascutney in the distance from Lebanon.
And a large maple in Etna.
October 15
I have visited Lakeside Park in Enfield a number of times for sunrise. It is a beautiful spot with a several dozen sailboats moored just off shore. Very often in the fall I will see photographers with NY license plates. It must be listed somewhere as a good photo spot, like the Jenne Farm which I carefully avoided this year.
Most of the time the sunrise is disappointing but sometimes early fog makes up for it. This morning the sunrise was glorious. However, most of the foreground objects vanished. All but two of the sailboats where gone! At least the nice red one remained.
After Lakeside Park I visited the beautiful new Ottauquechee River Trail in Woodstock, VT, then wrote about it in a Blog.
October 16
A very red maple in Lebanon gets sole billing this day.
October 17
Heavy wet snow filled our yard at dawn.
I planned to head out to get some photos of foliage with snow but decided to first walk to the top of our driveway to take a look. I found it blocked. I had contracted with Chippers a few weeks before to trim back some of the small trees along our driveway, but it had not yet happened. They came yesterday and did a great job.
By 1 PM the snow had melted sufficiently for us to use the driveway. But first I had to saw a small, three-trunk tree that had uprooted and blocked the driveway.
We hiked the beautiful Mascoma Riverway in Lebanon. Here are some photos of it along with a Yellow-rumped Warbler that I managed to capture with a fairly short lens.
October 18
It was sunny early morning at our home in Etna, but I could see fog down in the valley — a common occurrence in spring and fall. So I headed out early to take advantage of the atmospherics.
I did not get far. I stopped at the top of the steep downhill on King Road and took this photo looking toward Vermont. The hill at the top is the Velvet Rocks area in Hanover where the AT passes through.
I took a few photos along Route 10 in Hanover.
I already posted a blog of photos I took in Lyme October 18 and 19. If you wish you can see it HERE.
I travelled north through Orford, drove through a piece of Piermont, and then looped back west and then south. Here are photos from Orford. The lake is Indian Pond. The river is Jacob’s Brook.
I took a road in Piermont that I had never driven before and stumbled upon a very nice view down into the valley to the northwest.
The four tallest peaks on the far horizon in the photos above are (L to R): Knox, Butterfield, Burnt, and Signal Mountains, all a bit over 3000 ft.
Heading home along River Road in Lyme, I could not resist photographing the mouth of Grant Brook.
Along the Mascoma Riverway with Jann in the afternoon, I captured a pair of slightly unusual photos.
October 19
I needed to return a book to the Howe Library — our two libraries in Hanover and Etna are doing a great job dealing with covid — so I took a few photos while parked there.
October 20-24
The fall foliage season finally wound down. It was a great one. Here are six more photos from Hanover, Lebanon, and Norwich during its last gasp.
If you made it this far and are still up for more, you can see Foliage 2019 photos if you CLICK HERE.