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LIFE IN THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED

A Natural History of Conewago Falls—The Waters of Three Mile Island

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Posted on November 23, 2023 by L. L. Coble

Time to Eat

A glimpse of the rowdy guests crowding the Thanksgiving Day dinner table at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters…

White-breasted Nuthatch — A male White-breasted Nuthatch visits a peanut feeder…

White-breasted Nuthatch — …soon to be joined by a female White-breasted Nuthatch.

Downy Woodpecker — A male Downy Woodpecker gets a bill full of suet.

Carolina Wren — A Carolina Wren nibbles at a peanut.

Eastern Gray Squirrel — An Eastern Gray Squirrel stuffs itself on peanuts dropped by the birds.

Northern Mockingbird — A territorial Northern Mockingbird stands guard over its supply of Common Winterberry fruit.

Eastern Bluebird — To avoid the mockingbird’s aggression, the Eastern Bluebirds opted out of fresh fruit in favor of raisins offered at the feeders.

American Robin — This persistent American Robin has made an art of repeatedly sneaking in to quickly devour a few berries before being chased away by the vigilant mockingbird.

Dark-eyed Junco — After everyone has had their fill, Dark-eyed Juncos clean up the leftovers.

CategoriesAmerican Robin, Carolina Wren, Common Winterberry, Dark-eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Northern Mockingbird, White-breasted NuthatchTagsBird Feeding, Planting for Wildlife

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In the current…

Out for a Walk at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area January 12, 2025
An Early Winter Interlude January 3, 2025
Photo of the Day January 2, 2025
Photo of the Day January 1, 2025
A Final Look at the Bald Eagles of 2024 December 31, 2024

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THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM:

WARNING: BIG FOOTPRINT ALERT!

The lower Susquehanna valley's native wildlife and plant communities continue to be decimated by the expanding range of the planet's most invasive species: BIG FOOTPRINT (Homo sapiens macrovestigiorum). These are merciless, destructive beasts. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!

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Animals (Animalia)
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- Spirochaetes (Spirochaetota)
  - Spirochaetes (Spirochaetia)
    - Spirochetes (Spirochaetales)
      - Spirochetes (Borreliaceae)
        
        Borrelia burgdorferi
Birds on Radar
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Early Naturalists
- Beck (Dr. Herbert H.)
- Linnaean Society of Lancaster City and County
Extinct Species
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- Sac Fungi (Ascomycota)
  - Class: Sordariomycetes
    - Order: Ophiostomatales
      - Pathogenic Tree Fungi (Ophiostomataceae)
        
        Ophiostoma himal-ulmi
        
        Ophiostoma novo-ulmi
        
        Ophiostoma ulmi
Geology
- Erosion
  - Floodplains
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    - Conewago Falls
      - Pothole Rocks
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Why are those ducklings in the storm drain?…and so on.

Today, the fate of wildlife diversity, both locally and globally, is largely determined by the actions of sprawling masses of humans. If the conservation/preservation mindset of the public at large fails to broaden beyond lawn care, outdoor recreation, pet-keeping, and the hysteria of cute animal rescue, then at-risk species will have no real chance of long-term survival.

What does all that mean? It means you can stop feeding ducks now. It’s a good start.

Hand-fed waterfowl like these Mallards (polygamous form) quickly domesticate and lose their instinct to migrate. They soon become accustomed to human activity and begin wandering fearlessly into traffic where they are hazards not only to themselves, but to people too. Their incessant foraging within a small range pollutes water, degrades fisheries, and obliterates aquatic food chains, often extirpating entire populations of native plants and animals from local streams and wetlands. The irony of it all: duck feeding damages vital resting and breeding habitats needed by migrating waterfowl, the truly wild ducks and geese. So if you really love ducks, don't feed them. See how easy that is?

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