Foliage Season–Silver Lake is Glowing

Bright colors light up on a sunny morning at the lake

Bellingham’s Silver Lake features an island in the middle of the lake, a perfect backdrop for foliage viewing.

A mute swan sails in to join its traveling companions at the lake

Migrating mute swans sailed in on our walk alongside the water, joining a large flock of mallards paddling about the lake. The joy of living in one place over a period of years is being able to become accustomed to the seasonal changes, and also anticipate when to look for certain delights, like migrating waterfowl.

The quiet water’s surface offered a blurry mirror of the foliage on the island

The overcast skies of the past few days have muted the colors that are appearing, but this morning offered full sunshine on the lake and bright colors if you take the time to look. An added bonus was a good friend along for the walk.

The quiet end of the lake, where the Peters River enters. A safe place for visiting birds to find shelter

The end of the lake was shaded, and the small diving birds we spotted may have been golden eyes, but the photos were inconclusive. For now, it was my reminder to check in more regularly for the migrating birds that will stop at the lake on their way south. Indeed, fall is here, even if a few days in the 80’s make it feel like summer has returned.

Fall is here, for sure, even if on a warm day it might not feel like it

But take a look around–the trees, the birds, the insects, the butterflies all know fall is here, and winter is coming. But not quite yet.

Marjorie

MMarjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.