Hiking around Perry Phillips Lake on this sunny, cool morning, I observed a thick band of dark clouds across the northwestern horizon. Having watched the Weather Channel earlier in the day, I knew that it was the leading edge of a cold front that will push across the Midwest over the next 24 hours. Freeze warnings are in place for the Upper Midwest tonight while, here in Missouri, a frost warning is in effect.
Out on the lake, an osprey and a pied-billed grebe hunted for their breakfast while flocks of noisy Canada geese passed overhead, seemingly declaring the onset of autumn. Other than a lone, chatty northern mockingbird, songbirds were relatively inactive and quiet, perhaps in response to the atmospheric change.
By the time I completed the 1.4 mile loop, the cloud bank had reached Columbia, temporarily blocking out the bright October sunshine. At least for now, autumn has displaced our long, hot, miserable summer.
