Autumn colors in the Willamette Valley

This was a particularly beautiful fall in the mid-Willamette Valley of Oregon. The colors were more intense for longer lasting until the beginning of November when the rains finally came to drive leaves from the trees.

Right now all leaves mean to me is get out the blower and clear the driveway, deck and lawns of oak leaves. The farm house here is in the midst of 7 huge oaks, totally gorgeous but also full of leaves and this year acorns; so I blow off the leaves and try to leave the acorns, as the sheep, who have free run of most of the yard, love them. Soon the leaves will all be gone and there will actually be more light around the house. Kind of a trade-off... Plus the blowing off of the leaves is exercise. Definitely not as much as a lawn rake but hey, I'm no purist.

These photos in this blog are all from the William L. Finley Nature Refuge south of Corvallis, Oregon on October 26th, we took a last walk on the road around the lake before they close the trails to humans and leave it for the birds and elk from November 1 until April.
Part of the joy of being in places like this is taking quiet times to sit, watch, hear the different sounds. There are so many types of geese and all talking.


In one little pool, we saw a nutria swimming. That's not the greatest news as they are native to South America but were brought into this area illegally, thereby driving out other animals that compete for the same food and space such as the smaller muskrat. It does not make them less cute but just there is more involved with nature's balance that some people stop to think.

The geese were coming in the whole time we were walking. In some areas, they seemed to cover the water.


This photo of an osprey getting caught in traffic was a pretty good example of what it was like for the birds.

When they would land on the water, in the main part of the lake, they would have to pick an open spot which led to some bird fights. Hey it's not like they are that different from us.

The swans separated themselves from the geese. In this picture, you can also see a heron alongside the bank if you enlarge the photo.