During Saturday’s Prescribed Fire Demonstration at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, we noticed just how fast some species of wildlife return to areas subjected to burns administered to maintain grassland habitat and reduce the risk of high-intensity blazes.
Pennsylvania Game Commission crews ignite a back fire to contain a prescribed burn along its downwind/upslope perimeter during a demonstration at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Saturday.Visitors observe a fire planned to maintain this section of the refuge as warm-season grassland. A species with roots several feet deep, the light-colored vegetation is Indiangrass, a plant adapted to thrive following periodic episodes of wildfire. Prescribed fire can be used to replace naturally occurring infernos with much safer controlled burns that eliminate successional and invasive plants to promote the establishment of Indiangrass and other native warm-season species including Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, and a variety of wildflowers as well.Even as the fire reached its brief peak of intensity, we noticed birds already attracted to the site…Dozens of recently arrived Tree Swallows swept in to patrol for flying insects as the burn was in progress.One even stopped by to have a look inside the kestrel nest box as fire approached the dry stand of goldenrod on the slope behind.Red-tailed Hawks and other raptors, including nocturnal owls, are frequently the first visitors attracted to the scene of a prescribed burn or wildfire. In grassland and successional habitats, they come looking for any vulnerable voles or mice that may be moving about looking for cover.
These three Eastern Meadowlarks spent the morning in the grassland areas adjacent to the prescribed fire site, mostly where a burn had been conducted one week prior. During the demonstration, one even perched and sang from the oak trees in the museum/visitor’s center parking lot.
Following the Prescribed Fire Demonstration, we decided to pay a visit to some of the parcels where burns had been administered one week earlier on the north side of Middle Creek’s main impoundment. We found a surprising amount of activity.
Apparently feeding upon slightly heat-treated seeds, sparrows were found by the dozens. White-crowned (left), White-throated (right), Song, and Savannah Sparrows were identified.This Downy Woodpecker was finding something to its liking among the scorched leaves, stems, and twigs.American Robins seem to find areas with lightly burnt vegetation and ash-dusted soil advantageous for finding invertebrates following a fire.We found this flock of Red-winged Blackbirds, Browned-headed Cowbirds, and a few European Starlings feeding throughout a grassland field cleared of early-successional growth by a prescribed fire administered one week ago.They seemed to favor gleaning seeds from among the lightly burned areas of the plot.Nearby, in an island of unburned grass in the same field, we found yet another Eastern Meadowlark, our fourth of the day. High-intensity agriculture, particularly early hay mowing and pesticide treatments, have mostly eliminated this and other grassland species from modern farms. Management practices like prescribed fire and delayed mowing (no spinning blades until at least early August) can maintain ideal grassland habitat for stunningly colorful blackbirds including nesting Eastern Meadowlarks, Bobolinks, and many other species as well.A male American Kestrel at a nest box located among Middle Creek’s warm-season and cool-season grassland habitats, the former maintained by prescribed fire, the latter by delayed mowing.
It appears that spring has at last arrived. It’s time to have a look around!
Diurnal flights of northbound blackbirds including Common Grackles have been overspreading the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed since late February.And thawed soils are providing opportunities for nocturnal migrants like American Robins to search for earthworms and other invertebrates during their daytime layovers.Now that there is open water between here and the Great Lakes, flocks of waterfowl like these migratory Canada Geese are flying day and night on an excursion that will ultimately take them to their nesting grounds in the wilderness areas of Canada and Alaska.
Of the bird species that pass southbound through the lower Susquehanna valley during autumn, we can generally observe many of the surviving individuals as they return north during the spring. But there are numerous exceptions. One of them is Golden Eagles.
While the strong northwest winds of late autumn create ideal lift for migrating Golden Eagles along our linear ridges, they also tend to enhance the birds’ tendencies to “ridge hop” their way south, thus pushing many of them southeast from the main corridor of the eastern population’s route through the central Appalachian Mountains. Here in the lower Susquehanna region, we observe these vagabonds at our numerous hawk watches which happen to be located along the outer periphery of the birds’ primary flight path. It appears that a greater percentage of these wayward eagles tend to be younger, less-experienced birds than those seen passing hawk-counting stations in the central Appalachians. Lucky for us, we get to see more of the showy juvenile and immature Golden Eagles—at least during the fall season.
In the spring, southerly breezes and the urge to “ridge hop” in a northerly direction tend to concentrate Canada-bound migrating Golden Eagles along the northernmost ridges in their Appalachian flyway. To see them, we took a short drive up the Juniata River valley to the 90,000 acres of Rothrock State Forest and Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch. During our visit there earlier this week, gusty winds from the southwest brought us an opportunity to see the elusive northbound flights of some of the members of eastern North America’s population of Golden Eagles.
Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch is located along State Route 26 atop Tussey Mountain, just south of State College, Pennsylvania. Visitors can find ample parking at the Jo Hays Vista along the west side of the road on the crest of the ridge .Looking north from Jo Hays Vista to State College and the main campus of Penn State University. Bald Eagle Mountain is in the background and behind it lies Allegheny Front and Plateau.From the Jo Hays Vista parking area, follow the Mid State Trail (orange blazes) south along the ridgetop for about a half mile to the Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch lookout.The lookout at Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch is located within a utility right-of-way with talus slopes flanking the ridgetop clearing.An interpretive sign shows a statistical graphic describing the seasonal abundance of Golden Eagle sightings at the site. The peak time: late February through early April.Tussey Mountain is the only hawk-watching station in the lower Susquehanna region staffed by an official counter to collect data during the spring migration season. You can view the daily counts at hawkcount.org. You can contribute to them by visiting the hawk watch to help scan the skies.By late morning, a small flight of Golden Eagles had commenced. Most of the birds seen at Tussey Mountain are adult or near-adult birds with dark wing linings and slightly paler flight feathers. It’s a two-toned appearance similar to that of a Turkey Vulture and there is little if any variation in the length of the flight feathers. These birds are three years of age or older, are or soon will be sexually mature, and often travel in pairs separated by a minute or two of flight time.This Golden Eagle caught our attention with its longer central tail feathers and some longer secondary feathers in the wings that create a wavy appearance. As they get older, immature eagles should become more skilled as fliers, so each new set of flight feathers is usually shorter than those they’re replacing. Based upon the characters contributing to its ragged appearance, this bird is probably in the early months of its fourth or fifth calendar year of life.Common Ravens are forever vigilant around our regional hawk watches. They can sometimes help us find otherwise hard-to-spot migratory raptors in the bright, sunny skies.Ravens really like to harass younger birds like this second or third-year Golden Eagle.Older, more stoic raptors like this adult Bald Eagle spend less time contending with the antics of the persistent ravens.One of the final sightings of the day was this magnificent Golden Eagle. Look closely and you can see evidence of some molt completed last year in the outer tail feathers and the innermost primaries in the wings. On top, there were tawny bars on the wing coverts. This bird is probably just beginning its third calendar year of life and will start replacing many more flight feathers later this spring.
For more information on the region’s hawk watches and the birds you’ll see there, be certain to click the “Hawkwatchers Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab at the top of this page. And for a more detailed look at how to determine the age of Golden Eagles, particularly during the autumn migration, click the “Golden Eagle Aging Chart” tab at the top of this page.
We’ve seen worse, but this winter has been particularly tough for birds and mammals in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Due to the dry conditions of late summer and fall in 2024, the wild food crop of seeds, nuts, berries, and other fare has been less than average. The cold temperatures make insects hard to come by. Let’s have a look at how some of our local generalist and specialist species are faring this winter.
House Sparrows (bottom) and House Finches (top) are generalists. To survive and thrive, they are adapted to a variety of habitats and types of food. House Sparrows live almost anywhere man-made structures are found. They are true omnivores and will eat almost anything, especially if they see something else try to eat it first. The House Sparrow’s close association with humans has allowed it to become the most widespread and successful living avian dinosaur. On a cold night, they’ll take shelter either within dense vegetation alongside a building or within the structure itself. Though not nearly as cosmopolitan, the House Finch has successfully colonized much of the eastern United States after escaping from captivity as a cage bird in New York during the middle of the twentieth century. Upon being trans-located here from the arid southwest, they adapted to suburbs and farmlands consuming primarily a granivore diet of seeds supplemented with seasonally available berries. They quickly became accustomed to offerings at bird-feeding stations as well. To survive the harsh winters in the northern sections of their range, eastern populations of House Finches are developing a pattern of migration. These movements are most evident in late fall when dozens or sometimes hundreds can be seen heading south over regional hawk-counting stations.Though they require dead trees for nesting and as places to find the grubs and adult insects upon which they primarily feed, woodpeckers including the Northern Flicker are generalists, seldom passing by a supply of fruits like these Poison Ivy berries as a source of winter food. Flickers regularly visit suburban areas where they’ll drop by at bird-feeding stations for suet. During the warmer months, they are the woodpecker most frequently seen on the ground where swarms of ants garner their full attention.The Pileated Woodpecker is seldom found outside of mature forests where it digs relentlessly to remove grubs and other infestations from dead wood. But it is not a true specialist……it too finds a supply of Poison Ivy berries to be indispensable during a cold winter day.The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a generalist, feeding mostly on insects, but also consuming small seeds and some berries, including those of Poison Ivy. It nests well to our north in tall spruces and other evergreens. During migration and in winter, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet may be found in deciduous trees, brush, and tall grass in habitats ranging from forests to parks and suburbia. This male is displaying its seldom-seen red crown.The Golden-crowned Kinglet, seen here on a Poison Ivy vine, is more of a specialist than the Ruby-crowned species, though the two will often occur in mixed groups during the winter. The Golden-crowned Kinglet nests in Spruce-Fir forests and in conifers within mixed woodlands. Even during migration, and particularly in winter, these birds are seldom found far from a stand of large evergreens within which they find shelter for the night.The Hermit Thrush’s generalist lifestyle allows it to survive cold season weather in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. During summer, it breeds in coniferous and mixed woods from the northern parts of our valley north into Canada and feeds primarily on worms, insects, and other arthropods. During migration and in winter, the Hermit Thrush becomes a regular visitor to deciduous forests, woody parks and suburbs, particularly where a supply of wild berries is available to supplement its diet.Iconic as it pulls earthworms from lawns during the warmer months, the generalist American Robin is fully dependent upon a crop of berries to survive winter conditions in the lower Susquehanna valley. The drought afflicted wild food crop of 2024 has led to fewer robins spending the season here and has delayed the northward push of migrating birds until the ground thaws and the earthworms make the ground rumble once again.It’s insects for the nestlings during spring and summer, then berries through the winter for the cheerful Eastern Bluebirds, another generalist species.American Crows are an excellent example of a generalist species. They’ll go anywhere to find food and they’ll eat almost anything. Like the House Sparrow and several other generalists, they adapt very well to human activity and actually thrive on it. Garbage anyone?Another career generalist is the widely worshiped White-tailed Deity, a species adapted to nearly all man-made landscapes with adequate vegetation upon which to browse. Pushed to the limit during severe weather, some individuals will consume carrion and even resort to cannibalism.You might think the Great Blue Heron is a specialist. Nope, it’s an accomplished generalist. Great blues will live, feed, and breed on almost any body of fresh or brackish water. And their diet includes almost anything that swims. In winter, you’ll even see them in fields hunting mice and voles.The Red-shouldered Hawk is a generalist with a diet ranging from amphibians and reptiles to small rodents and large insects. Mostly regarded as a species of bottomlands, they’ll frequent woodland edges, roadsides, and suburbia during the winter months.During its periodic winter visits to the region, the American Tree Sparrow feeds on seeds among the grasses and forbs of semi-open country with scattered short shrubs and trees. A generalist species, it will show up at backyard bird-feeding stations, particularly during periods of inclement weather. In summer, the American Tree Sparrow nests in tundra with growths of stunted willows and spruce and their diet includes insects as a source of protein for themselves and their young.The White-crowned Sparrow has similar winter habitat preferences to the tree sparrows……it becomes adaptable and something of a generalist when searching for food during bad winter storms.The Savannah Sparrow is an omnivore favoring insects in summer and seeds in winter. Though very closely tied to its grassland habitat year-round, snow cover can push these birds to enter woodier environs to consume fruits like these rose hips.Dusk and dawn during the short days of winter are the prime hunting times of a mammal specialist, the Short-eared Owl. Its presence in the lower Susquehanna valley is dependent on two dominant factors: extensive grassland habitat and an adequate population of the owl’s favored food, the Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). The Short-eared Owl’s requirements as a specialist species make finding a suitable place to live difficult. Unlike the generalist birds and mammals that often adapt to the widespread man-made disturbances in the region, populations of specialists frequently become fragmented, reduced in abundance, and subject to extirpation.The Meadow Vole is a generalist rodent that can be abundant in grasslands, early successional growth, fallow fields, marshlands, and, of course, meadows. They are primarily herbivores, but will occasionally consume insects and other arthropods. Usually nocturnal, some individuals venture out along their surface runways during daylight hours becoming vulnerable to diurnal raptors including kestrels, harriers, and buteos.A Short-eared Owl in near darkness patrolling a grassland for Meadow Voles.The eastward expansion of the Coyote (Canis latrans), a species of western North America’s grasslands and scrublands, and its progressive mixing with the Wolf (Canis lupus) in these eastern extensions of its range, has produced an expanding population of very adaptable generalists we call Eastern Coyotes (Canis latrans var.). These omnivorous canines colonized the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed during the last four decades to replace extirpated wolves as the top-tier natural predator in the region. Their primary diet includes Meadow Voles in grasslands and other small mammals along woodland edges and in successional habitats. Seasonally, they consume the berries of numerous wild plants. Slightly larger than their western ancestors, Eastern Coyotes with the admixture of Wolf genetics can subdue small ungulates. Like other apex predators, they are attracted to vulnerable prey and thus play a crucial role in culling the weak and diseased among their potential quarry species to assure the health and potential of populations of these species as long-term sources of food energy. The benefit to the prey species is however largely diluted in populous areas of the northeast; most venison consumed by Eastern Coyotes here is in the form of road kill. During periods of extended snow cover when small rodents and other foods become inaccessible, Eastern Coyotes, particularly young individuals, will wander into new areas seeking sustenance. Sometimes they venture into cities and suburbs where they explore the neighborhoods in search of garbage and pet foods placed outside the home. (Video clip courtesy of Tyler and Grace Good. Click image to view.)
Wildlife certainly has a tough time making it through the winter in the lower Susquehanna valley. Establishing and/or protecting habitat that includes plenty of year-round cover and sources of food and water can really give generalist species a better chance of survival. But remember, the goal isn’t to create unnatural concentrations of wildlife, it is instead to return the landscape surrounding us into more of a natural state. That’s why we try to use native plants as much as possible. And that’s why we try to attract not only a certain bird, mammal, or other creature, but we try to promote the development of a naturally functioning ecosystem with a food web, a diversity of pollinating plants, pollinating insects, and so on. Through this experience, we stand a better chance of understanding what it takes to graduate to the bigger job at hand—protecting, enhancing, and restoring habitats needed by specialist species. These are efforts worthy of the great resources that are sometimes needed to make them a success. It takes a mindset that goes beyond a focus upon the welfare of each individual animal to instead achieve the discipline to concentrate long-term on the projects and processes necessary to promote the health of the ecosystems within which specialist species live and breed. It sounds easier than it is—the majority of us frequently become distracted.
Being an individual from a population of a very successful generalist species is no guarantee of survival. This Eastern Gray Squirrel fell from a tall tree when the limbs became ice covered during a storm earlier this month. Just a freak accident? Maybe, but mistakes like this are often fatal in the natural world. This squirrel’s passing may seem brutal, but it provides a better opportunity for other squirrels and animals that share its food and cover requirements to make it through the winter. And those survivors that didn’t suffer such a fatal mistake or, more importantly, don’t possess a vulnerability that may have contributed to such a mishap will have a chance to pass those traits on to a new generation. This squirrel as an individual is gone, its species lives on, and may be stronger for its passing.Pennsylvania Game Commission crews maintain a grassland ecosystem for Short-eared Owls and other specialists using prescribed fire to prevent succession beyond its earliest stages. Among the additional specialist species benefiting from this management tool are Monarchs and other butterflies whose host plants survive early-season fire, but not competition with woody vines, shrubs, trees, and invasive herbaceous growth.
On the wider scale, it’s of great importance to identify and protect the existing and potential future habitats necessary for the survival of specialist species. And we’re not saying that solely for their benefit. These protection measures should probably include setting aside areas on higher ground that may become the beach intertidal zone or tidal marsh when the existing ones becomes inundated. And it may mean finally getting out of the wetlands, floodplains, and gullies to let them be the rain-absorbing, storm-buffering, water purifiers they spent millennia becoming. And it may mean it’s time to give up on building stick structures on tinderbox lands, especially hillsides and rocky outcrops with shallow, eroding soils that dry to dust every few years. We need to think ahead and stop living for the view. If you want to enjoy the view from these places, go visit and take plenty of pictures, or a video, that’s always nice, then live somewhere else. Each of these areas includes ecosystems that meet the narrow habitat requirements of many of our specialist species, and we’re building like fools in them. Then we feign victimhood and solicit pity when the calamity strikes: fires, floods, landslides, and washouts—again and again. Wouldn’t it be a whole lot smarter to build somewhere else? It may seem like a lot to do for some specialist animals, but it’s not. Because, you see, we should and can live somewhere else—they can’t.
The Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister), a threatened species in Pennsylvania and a critically imperiled species in Maryland, is a habitat specialist requiring the forested rocky slopes, talus-flanked ridgetops, and caves of the Ridge and Valley Province for its nest sites and survival. Isolated populations survived within similar environs in the lower Susquehanna River valley’s Piedmont Province and on South Mountain through at least the first half of the twentieth century, but have since been extirpated. Human encroachment that fragments their habitat and promotes exposure to parasite-hosting mammals including the Raccoon (Procyon lotor), carrier of the Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascarius procyonis), could prove fatal to remaining populations of this native mammal. (National Park Service image by Rick Olsen)The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) is a specialist species that uses its highly adapted bill to feed on marine invertebrates including mollusks, few of which are actually oysters. Reliant upon tidal ecosystems for its survival, many of the seashore animals that make up this wader’s diet are themselves specialist species. Oystercatchers spend nearly their entire lives in tidal marshes or within the intertidal zone on beaches. They also frequent rocky jetties, particularly during high tide. This individual was photographed near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay in Northhampton County, Virginia, a location that, when the waters of the Atlantic started rising over 10,000 years ago, was the lower Susquehanna valley about 60 miles from the river’s mouth at present-day Norfolk Canyon along the edge of the continental shelf. Get the drift?
After decades of heavy manual labor, it’s time for your editor to go under the knife and have his guts put back where they belong. We hope you won’t mind if we take a little break while he behaves like this Hermit Thrush and becomes a bit of a recluse for a while. We’ll be back soon.
Here are 7 reasons why you, during the coming week or so, should consider spending some time at Willow Point overlooking the lake at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.
REASON NUMBER ONE— Wildlife is at close quarters along the trail leading from the parking lot to Willow Point…
Eastern Gray Squirrels are common and easily seen along the edge of the woods.Eastern Bluebirds are investigating nest boxes and may presently be using them as communal roost sites during cold, windy nights.A Hermit Thrush was just one of the songbirds we found foraging along the edge of Willow Point Trail.Look carefully and you may see one or more species of woodpeckers in the mature trees. We found this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in a maple near the trail’s terminus at the Willow Point viewing area.
REASON NUMBER TWO— A variety of waterfowl species are lingering on ice-free sections of the lake surrounding Willow Point…
Noisy flocks of Tundra Swans and Canada Geese on open water at Willow Point.American Black Ducks on a fly by.Mallard drakes near the point.A small flock of Green-winged Teal feeding among the Mallards.A flock of Northern Shovelers has been frequenting the shallows along the south side of Willow Point for at least two weeks.Common Mergansers diving for benthic fare.
REASON NUMBER THREE— Bald Eagles are conspicuous, easily seen and heard…
Bald Eagles on tree stumps in the lake.A hatch-year/juvenile Bald Eagle on a glide over Willow Point.
REASON NUMBER FOUR— Northern Harriers have been making close passes over Willow Point as they patrol Middle Creek’s grasslands while hunting voles…
A female Northern Harrier over Willow Point.A hatch-year/juvenile Northern Harrier gazing over a field of goldenrod adjacent to Willow Point.Hatch-year/juvenile Northern Harrier patrolling a field of goldenrod and preparing to pounce.A Northern Harrier buoyantly flying past Willow Point just prior to sunset.
REASON NUMBER FIVE— The annual observance of the White-tailed Deity holidays may be drawing to a close for the gasoline and gunpowder gang, but for the supreme ungulates, the rituals that lead to consummation of their unions are still ongoing…
Mystical White-tailed Deities hiding in plain sight near Willow Point.Having so far survived the ceremonies of sacrifice practiced by worshipers clad in vibrant orange attire, these divine idols agree to a more civilized ritual, a gentlemanly duel.
…then it’s off to find the fair maidens.
REASON NUMBER SIX— Sandhill Cranes are still being seen from Willow Point…
Sandhill Cranes have been spending time on dry portions of the lake bed and in grasslands and croplands to the north.
These Sandhill Cranes could depart from Middle Creek’s refuge at any time, particularly if the deep freeze returns to make feeding more difficult. You’ll want to visit soon if you want to see them.
REASON NUMBER SEVEN— The crowds that will accompany the arrival of thousands of Snow Geese in early 2025 can make visiting Willow Point a stressful experience. Visit now to see these birds and mammals at Willow Point and you might just have the place all to yourself. Then you can spend your time looking through the flocks of waterfowl and other birds for unusual new arrivals instead of wading through a sea of humanity.
White-crowned Sparrows at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area’s Willow Point.
As the autumn bird migration draws to a close for 2024, we’re delighted to be finding five of our favorite visitors from the coniferous and mixed forests of Canada and the northernmost continental United States.
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers drill evenly spaced holes which they repeatedly visit to harvest “sap” and the insects that become trapped therein. These surgically small excavations penetrate only the bark and the phloem, a shallow, spongy layer of the trunk that carries sugars from the leaves to other parts of the tree. Seldom do they puncture the thin, underlying cambium layer which protects the true sapwood. After healing, sapsucker holes leave linear rows of small scars which are sometimes still discernible decades after a bird’s final visit. This adult male will probably linger in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed until colder weather renders the tree totally dormant, the flow of “sap” ebbs, and small insects become harder to find. Then he’ll make his way off toward southern forests of oak and pine for the remainder of the winter. Sapsuckers work their way north as sugary “sap” begins flowing again in the spring.The Hermit Thrush is another denizen of coniferous and mixed forests. In habitats with dense cover and sufficient food sources like fruit-bearing shrubs and vines, some will remain through the winter. The Hermit Thrush is the only spot-breasted thrush regularly seen in our region from November through March.Almost the size of a thrush, the largest of our native sparrows, the Fox Sparrow, is currently at the peak of its southbound migration. While taking a break from their nocturnal flights, some may stray from forest edges to visit suburban feeding stations. Most leave our area by mid-December, then begin returning north as early as mid-February.Not present every year, flocks of Pine Siskins are beginning to arrive in the lower Susquehanna region. They are currently most common along the mountain tops of the Ridge and Valley Province where they are feeding on the seeds of the Sweet Birch, a tree also known as Black Birch. Look for them around niger seed feeders and on the prickly seed balls of cultivated American Sweetgum, but don’t be surprised if they quickly pass us by to spend the winter on the Atlantic Coastal Plain to our south where this native tree grows in abundance.Since late October, Purple Finches have been widespread throughout the region. These female/juvenile male types are frequently being seen at feeders, particularly near woodlands and other areas with stands of conifers.Less frequently seen are the adult male Purple Finches in their raspberry-colored plumage. What a dandy.
While right now is the best time to get out and look for these species from the northern forests, any or all of them could linger into the winter months, particularly where the food supply is sufficient and conifers and other evergreens provide cover from the blustery weather.
During your foray to view the colorful foliage of the autumn landscape, a little effort will reveal much more than meets the eye of the casual observer.
Don’t just stand there like a bump on a log, go for a stroll, watch your step, and have a look around. There’s a lot to see out there!The dense understory of this forest on Blue Mountain consists almost exclusively of Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana).Witch-hazel is unique among our native flowering shrubs; it blooms in autumn.Until we experience a heavy frost, some of our most beautiful butterflies, including this Common Buckeye, remain active along forest edges.An Eastern Tailed Blue.A Pearl Crescent.A Variegated Fritillary.A Painted Lady.The arrival of large numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers heralds the transition to movements of migrants that will spend the colder months in temperate climates like ours instead of continuing on to the tropics. In winter, small numbers of “yellow-rumps” sometimes linger in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, as long as a supply of wild berries is readily available.The Palm Warbler, a persistent “tail wagger”, is another late-season migrant that occasionally spends the winter. The migration of these drab “Western Palm Warblers” will be followed in coming weeks by the more yellowish “Eastern Palm Warblers” of the eastern third of the species’ breeding range in Canada.White-throated Sparrows are southbound and easily observed right now. Many will remain along our brushy forest edges for winter.Another native sparrow, the familiar Dark-eyed Junco, is now arriving.The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a secretive migratory woodpecker that is currently moving through the region on its way to southern pine forests for the winter. Juveniles like this one in the lower right remain close to their parents during migration and continue to beg for food.The Pileated Woodpecker is a resident species in our mature forests and woodlands. We were showered by “sawdust” as we watched this one dismantling a rotted dead tree while searching for beetle grubs and other invertebrates.You may see Eastern Bluebirds year-round in the lower Susquehanna valley, but many are migratory. A southbound push is currently transiting our area.Mix your leaf watching with hawk watching by visiting a ridgetop vista like this one at Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area on Blue Mountain north of Harrisburg and you can double your pleasure.In addition to spectacular foliage, you stand a good chance of seeing an inquisitive Common Raven……or a migrating Red-tailed Hawk that gives you a good scream as it passes by……or a majestic Bald Eagle.You may even double your fun by seeing two Common Ravens……or a couple of migrating Red-tailed Hawks……or a pair of Bald Eagles passing thru.
You too can experience the joys of walking and chewing gum at the same time, so grab your field glasses, your camera, and your jacket, then spend lots of time outdoors this fall. You can see all of this and much more.
Don’t forget to click the “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab at the top of this page to help you find a place to see both fall foliage and migrating birds of prey in coming weeks. And click the “Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines” tab to find a photo guide that can help you identify the autumn leaves you encounter during your outings.
Bathed in glowing sunshine, a very large fallout of migrating Neotropical songbirds enlivened the forest edge atop Second Mountain in northern Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, this morning. While last night’s flight was widespread beneath a dome of atmospheric high pressure covering the Mid-Atlantic States, this is a look at some of the 500 -1,000 migrants observed feeding on insects and other natural foods at just this single location.
As the composition of the nightly flights begins to transition to species that start their migration later in the season, numbers of birds like the Blackpoll Warbler (top) are beginning to rival those of the heretofore very common Black-throated Green Warbler (bottom).A Blackpoll Warbler.The Bay-breasted Warbler, another common species found among the fallout flock.The Tennessee Warbler was today’s most abundant migrant with at least 200 birds seen moving among the other species.A newly arrived Tennessee Warbler at sunrise.A Tennessee Warbler snatches breakfast.The Magnolia Warbler was another common find among today’s migrants.A Magnolia Warbler.A Nashville Warbler among tangles of Mile-a-minute Weed.A Nashville Warbler.Black-throated Blue Warbler.An adult male Black-throated Blue Warbler.An acrobatic Northern Parula.Blackburnian Warblers continue their southerly trek.An American Redstart.A Chestnut-sided Warbler feeding on Mile-a-minute Weed berries.A Cape May Warbler.A handsome adult male Cape May Warbler.A Swainson’s Thrush.Scarlet Tanagers continue to work their way south through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.A composite image of an uncommon find, a large-headed Olive-sided Flycatcher seen perched atop a dead tree snag.A brief encounter with a Philadelphia Vireo, another uncommon species.A Blue-headed Vireo, typically the last of its genus to move south in the fall, put in a welcome appearance among the hundreds of migrants.A favorite diurnal migrant, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, was seen feeding on flowers that grew from the remains of garden waste dumped illegally along the mountain road last autumn.
Many of the observers at the Second Mountain Hawk Watch commented that this morning’s fallout was by far the best they had seen anywhere in the region during recent years. Others believed it to be the best they had ever seen. It was indeed less like a “wave” of migrants and more like a “tsunami”. Choosing a good viewing location and being there at the right time can improve your chances of seeing a spectacle like this. The good news is, it looks like another big flight is currently underway, so finding a forest edge on a ridgetop or along a utility right-of-way just might pay off for you early tomorrow morning.
Nocturnal migrating birds, a southwest-bound flight down the ridges of central Pennsylvania as indicated by Doppler radar between 10:30 and 11:30 PM EDT on September 11, 2024. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)
Clear, cool nights have provided ideal flight conditions for nocturnal Neotropical migrants and other southbound birds throughout the week. Fix yourself a drink and a little snack, then sit down and enjoy this set of photographs that includes just some of the species we found during sunrise feeding frenzies atop several of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed’s ridges. Hurry up, because here they come…
A Black-throated Green Warbler.The Black-throated Green Warbler was perhaps the most frequently identified treetop warbler during the most recent four mornings.A Black-throated Green Warbler with a unique variation in the crown plumage.The Blackburnian Warbler was another plentiful species.Cape May Warblers have an affinity for conifers like this Eastern White Pine.But when traveling in mixed flocks with other migrants, Cape May Warblers can also be found feeding in the crown foliage of deciduous trees.This adult Tennessee Warbler appears to be adorned in a very worn set of plumage……and its traveling companion looks like it’s overdue for a new set of feathers as well.Like the Tennessee Warbler, the Nashville Warbler was common among mixed flocks.A Nashville Warbler atop a Black Cherry.This Chestnut-sided Warbler was one of several found among the more common species of migrants.A Chestnut-sided Warbler.We were lucky enough to spot this male Chestnut-sided Warbler sporting his namesake flank feathers.A Black-and-white Warbler uses its nuthatch-like feeding behavior to search the tree bark for edible invertebrates.To see the Common Yellowthroat, one must cease looking upward into the high canopy and instead give the aching neck a rest by peering into the low vegetation at the forest edge.While checking the low growth, keep an eye open for other migrants among the shrubs and tangles. This Magnolia Warbler glows in the rays of a rising sun as it searches for a meal after a long night of travel.Here we found a perky little House Wren.Back in the middle and upper reaches of the trees, we find what has been by far the most numerous of the flycatchers seen during our visits to fallout sunrises. Eastern Wood-Pewees are appearing in very good numbers and can be seen quarreling and battling for hunting perches from which they are ambushing flying insects.An Eastern Wood-Pewee fiercely defending its hunting perch.An Eastern Wood-Pewee.The numbers of migrating Least Flycatchers and other members of the genus Empidonax may be reaching their seasonal peak this week.Scarlet Tanagers are currently a common find following nocturnal flights.A Scarlet Tanager peers down from the top of a Red Maple.Did you hear a loud squeak in the treetops? It could be a southbound Rose-breasted Grosbeak stopping by for the day.A Rose-breasted Grosbeak in a dead tree snag.The Neotropical thrushes are beginning to move south now as well. We found this newly arrived Swainson’s Thrush at Rocky Ridge County Park in York County during sunrise this morning.Not surprisingly, the Red-eyed Vireo is one of the most numerous of the migrants seen feeding in the deciduous canopy following a nocturnal flight event. It’s not at all unusual to see dozens filing the trees around a ridgetop overlook or along a forest edge. Be certain to check these congregations carefully, especially the groups of birds feeding in the lower branches of tall timber or in the tops of smaller trees. This week we found……several hungry Yellow-throated Vireos arriving after nocturnal flights,……and a Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) at the hawkwatch at Rocky Ridge County Park in York County.Though not a Neotropical migrant, the easier-heard-than-seen Red-breasted Nuthatch is beginning to wander south into the lower Susquehanna region. Most of these birds will eventually continue on to the pine forests of the southern United States for winter, but a few could remain to become seasonal visitors at feeding stations.Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are on the move; their migration to the tropics is well underway and nearing its peak. Ruby-throats are diurnal migrants that do a majority of their flying during the hours of daylight. The notable exception: the nighttime portion of the long southbound flight some of the birds make to cross the Gulf of Mexico.The Red-headed Woodpecker is another diurnal migrant. This denizen of temperate climates is currently beginning to move to its wintering grounds, an area that extends from the latitudes of the lower Susquehanna south to the Gulf of Mexico and central Texas.A juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker during a brief pit stop.The flights of roving bands of masked Cedar Waxwings continue. Their numbers appear to be an improvement over those of 2023.At regional hawk-counting stations, observers are seeing more Broad-winged Hawks and other species beginning to move through.The frequency of Broad-winged Hawks passing the lookouts one at a time is giving way to the occurrence of larger and larger “kettling” groups that search out thermal updrafts to save energy while migrating. By mid-September each of these “kettles” can include one hundred birds or more. On the peak days, the daily Broad-winged Hawk totals can reach one thousand or more.A Broad-winged Hawk soaring to gain lift from a thermal updraft above a hawkwatch lookout.
The migration is by no means over; it has only just begun. So plan to visit a local hawkwatch or other suitable ridgetop in coming weeks. Arrive early (between 7 and 8 AM) to catch a glimpse of a nocturnal migrant fallout, then stay through the day to see the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Broad-winged Hawks and other diurnal raptors that will pass by. It’s an experience you won’t forget.
A Broad-winged Hawk gliding away to the southwest.
Be certain to click the “Birds” tab at the top of this page for a photo guide to the species you’re likely to see passing south through the lower Susquehanna valley in coming months. And don’t forget to click the “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab to find a hawk-counting station near you.
More birds are on the way. Here’s a look at this evening’s liftoff of nocturnal migrants detected by National Weather Service Radar in State College, Pennsylvania. (NOAA/National Weather Service Doppler Radar image)
In the forests and woodlots of the lower Susquehanna watershed, the Black Gum, also known as the Black Tupelo, is always the first of our native trees to pop with autumn color. Its crimson leaves glow in an otherwise green landscape to help lure hungry birds including waxwings, American Robins, and Pileated Woodpeckers to its soon-to-be-ripe berries. The seeds contained in the fruit are thus well-distributed as a by-product of this avian feast. While not among the most massive of our trees, the Black Gum can live for over five hundred years, an age not exceeded by any other non-clonal indigenous flowering plant.
By mid-summer, many birds exhibit less-than-stellar appearance. Juveniles have just left the nest and although their plumage is completely fresh, it may look drab compared to the feathers the bird will sport upon reaching adulthood. Their parents, having completed the stressful tasks of building nests and raising a new generation, now enter a state of molt to replace all or some of their adornment. Now is a fortuitous time for these mature birds to exchange old feathers for new—food is plentiful and the need to keep warm and fly long distances is at a minimum. Besides, they really don’t have to impress anyone with their beauty during summer vacation.
Following the break in the heat wave during recent days, activity at the headquarters feeders has increased significantly. We took notice that many of our guests are looking a little rough around the edges.
Having started their nesting cycle in February, most Mourning Doves including this adult male are nearly done molting by mid-summer. They are the exception.This juvenile American Robin has acquired its first full set of flight feathers and will, in coming weeks, begin replacing the spotted plumage to more closely resemble an adult bird.This adult male Northern Cardinal in worn plumage is still tending to the needs of fledged young, but is nevertheless in the early stages of molt.This juvenile Northern Cardinal will not only acquire brighter red feathers as an adult, but its bill will turn red as well.This actively molting Carolina Chickadee shows pin feathers in the wings and is balding rather profusely.This Blue Jay has gone beyond having its feathers ruffled, but it’ll be good as new by the time autumn migration rolls around in September.This drab brown bird is a juvenile European Starling. While its first set of feathers looks complete, it has a big problem. It lost its left eye and has trouble keeping up with a flock of its peers that have been roaming the area. A predator will quickly notice this young bird’s vulnerabilities.A juvenile Downy Woodpecker in a dull, streaky, almost dirty-looking, first plumage. Unlike the adult male which has a red patch on the back of its head, the juvenile Downy Woodpecker has a mottled red crown.An adult female Downy Woodpecker beginning to molt its heavily worn, year-old feathers.Mid-summer is prime time for discovering post-breeding wanders. These are birds that spend the time between the end of nesting season and the fall migration roaming the countryside and sometimes visiting areas outside their more traditional habitats and/or native ranges. For the past two days, this bird, a Hairy Woodpecker, has strayed from a mature woodland into urban environs to visit the garden at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters. It’s our first record of one here.Not yet a lot of molt among the American Goldfinches. Why? Well, they’re late-season breeders and are only now in the midst of their nesting cycle. They begin shedding feathers and losing that brilliant color sometime in late August, just as the last of this year’s young are being fledged.
Think of all the opportunities mid-summer offers. It’s a good time to get outdoors to have a look at all the young animals that are exploring their world for the first time. Birds and other wildlife are at their greatest abundance of the year right now, so your chance to see new things is at its peak. And the phenomenon of post-breeding wandering always raises the possibility of a surprise or two—maybe even a rarity. Be cool and good luck!
In recent days, the peak northbound push of migratory birds that includes the majority of our colorful Neotropical species has been slowed to a trickle by the presence of rain, fog, and low overcast throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. Following sunset last evening, the nocturnal flight resumed—only to be grounded this morning during the pre-dawn hours by the west-to-east passage of a fast-moving line of strong thundershowers. The NOAA/National Weather Service images that follow show the thunderstorms as well as returns created by thousands of migrating birds as they pass through the Doppler Radar coverage areas that surround the lower Susquehanna valley.
Sterling, Virginia, Doppler Radar west of Washington, D.C., at 4:00 A.M. E.D.T. indicates a dense flight of northbound migrating birds located just to the south of the approaching line of rain and thunderstorms over the State College, Pennsylvania, radar coverage area. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)More northbound birds are indicated at 4 A.M. by the radar station located at Dover, Delaware… (NOAA/National Weather Service image)…and by the Mount Holly, New Jersey, radar site. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)Many of the migrating birds shown here over the Binghamton, New York, radar station at 4 A.M. probably overflew the lower Susquehanna region earlier in the night. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)And these birds over Albany, New York’s, radar station at 4 A.M. are mostly migrants that passed north over New Jersey and easternmost Pennsylvania last evening and during the wee hours of this morning. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)
Just after 4 A.M., flashes of lightning in rapid succession repeatedly illuminated the sky over susquehannawildlife.net headquarters. Despite the rumbles of thunder and the din of noises typical for our urban setting, the call notes of nocturnal migrants could be heard as these birds descended in search of a suitable place to make landfall and seek shelter from the storm. At least one Wood Thrush and a Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) were in the mix of species passing overhead. A short time later at daybreak, a Great Crested Flycatcher was heard calling from a stand of nearby trees and a White-crowned Sparrow was seen in the garden searching for food. None of these aforementioned birds is regular here at our little oasis, so it appears that a significant and abrupt fallout has occurred.
A White-crowned Sparrow in the headquarters garden at daybreak. It’s the first visit by this species in a decade or more.
Looks like a good day to take the camera for a walk. Away we go!
Along woodland edges, in thickets, and in gardens, Gray Catbirds were everywhere today. We heard and/or saw hundreds of them.During our travels, American Redstarts were the most frequently encountered warbler. Look for them in low-lying forested habitats.Many early-arriving Baltimore Orioles have already begun building nests. But widespread territorial fighting today may be an indication that some latecomer orioles became trespassers after dropping in on existing territories during the morning fallout.Red-eyed Vireos are difficult to see but easily heard in forested areas throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.If the oriole isn’t the showiest of the Neotropical migrants, then the Scarlet Tanager is certainly a contender…Listen for their burry, robin-like song in the treetops of mature upland forests.No woodland chorus is complete without the flute-like harmony of the Wood Thrush. Look and listen for them in rich forests with dense understory vegetation.The Eastern Wood-Pewee, another forest denizen, has an easy song to learn…a series of ascending “pee-a-wee” phrases interspersed with an occasional descending “pee-urr”. It was one of the few flycatchers we found today, but more are certainly on the way. Their numbers should peak in coming days.Yellow-rumped Warblers can be especially numerous during migration but tend to peak prior to the arrival of the bulk of the Neotropical species. This was the only “yellow-rump” we encountered today. The majority have already passed through on their way to breeding grounds to our north.If today you were to visit a streamside thicket or any type of early successional habitat, you would probably find this perky little warbler there, the Common Yellowthroat.The Yellow Warbler likes streamside thickets too. You can also find them along lakes, ponds, and wetlands, especially among shrubby willows and alders.While nowhere near the headquarters garden, we ran into another White-crowned Sparrow in less-than-ideal habitat. This one was in a row of trees in a paved parking lot.Not all songbirds migrate at night. The Bobolink is an example of a diurnal (day-flying) migrant. They’re currently arriving in hay fields that are spared the mower until after nesting season.While looking for Neotropical species and other late-season migrants, we also found numerous early arrivals that had already begun their breeding cycles. We discovered this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on its nest in a Black Walnut tree……then, later in the day, we found this one in its nest, again in a Black Walnut tree. Note the freshly emerging set of leaves and flower clusters. With many tree species already adorned in a full set of foliage, open canopies in stands of walnuts we found growing in reforested areas seemed to be good places to see lots of migrants and other birds today. It’s hard to say whether birds were more numerous in these sections of woods or were just easier to observe among the sparse leaf cover. In either case, the nut-burying squirrels that planted these groves did us and the birds a favor.
There’s obviously more spring migration to come, so do make an effort to visit an array of habitats during the coming weeks to see and hear the wide variety of birds, including the spectacular Neotropical species, that visit the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed each May. You won’t regret it!
Wood Ducks arrived in February and March to breed in the lower Susquehanna valley. Soon after hatching in April or May, the young leave the nest cavity to travel under the watchful gaze of their ever-vigilant mother as they search for food along our local waterways. If you’re fortunate, you might catch a glimpse of a brood and hen while you’re out looking at the more than one hundred species of birds that occur in our region during the first half of May. Good luck!
Following a frosty night, sunny skies and a south breeze brought lots of action to the headquarters garden this morning. Take a look…
Mason Bees are quickly depositing their eggs and a mixture of pollen and nectar called a “pollen loaf” within holes we drilled into blocks of wood in our bee houses. Each egg is laid in its own chamber within which the larva will hatch, feed on “pollen loaf”, and mature. The individual cells, including the outermost one in the hole, are sealed with partitions made of mud. It’s just like a mason using mortar. Early next spring, the new generation of adults will emerge to begin the process once again.This morning’s south wind helped propel some northbound raptors. This Black Vulture was the first we’ve seen from the headquarters garden since last fall. While Turkey Vultures remain common and roost nearby, Black Vulture are noticeably less numerous since being impacted by avian flu one year ago.This Cooper’s Hawk is one of pair nesting somewhere nearby. It was quickly gaining altitude on a thermal……to intercept a transient Cooper’s Hawk (upper right) which it promptly escorted away to the north.Back from their winter holiday in the tropics, migrating Broad-winged Hawks are returning to breed in the forests of the north. Watch for them either singly or in small groups as they “kettle” in thermal updrafts above south-facing slopes and sun-drenched paved surfaces.Many birds including this American Robin have been frequenting our water features. Remember to keep your fixture clean and change the water at least daily. Watch the temperature too. A late season freeze can leave you with a shattered bird bath.
It’s that time of year. Your local county conservation district is taking orders for their annual tree sale and it’s a deal that can’t be beat. Order now for pickup in April.
The prices are a bargain and the selection includes the varieties you need to improve wildlife habitat and water quality on your property. For species descriptions and more details, visit each tree sale web page (click the sale name highlighted in blue). And don’t forget to order packs of evergreens for planting in mixed clumps and groves to provide winter shelter and summertime nesting sites for our local native birds. They’re only $12.00 for a bundle of 10.
It’s the most desirable block in town, not because the houses are any different from others built during the post-war years of the mid-twentieth century, but because the first owners of these domiciles had the good taste and foresight to plant long-lived trees on their lots, the majority of them native species. Pin Oak, Northern Red Oak, Yellow Poplar, Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), Eastern Red Cedar, Eastern White Pine, Eastern Hemlock, Norway Spruce, and American Holly dominate the landscape and create excellent habitat for birds and other wildlife. These 75-year-old plantings provide an abundance of shade in summer and thermal stability in winter, making it a “cool” place to live or take a stroll at any time of the year.
Pickup on: Thursday, April 18, 2024 or Friday, April 19, 2024
Cumberland County Conservation District is taking orders for Common Winterberry, the ideal small shrub for wet soil anywhere on your property. To get berries, you’ll need both males and females, so buy a bunch and plant them in a clump or scattered group.To live for a century or more like this towering giant, a Pin Oak needs to grow in well-drained soils with adequate moisture. These sturdy shade providers do well along streams and on low ground receiving clean runoff from hillsides, roofs, streets, and parking areas. As they age, Pin Oaks can fail to thrive and may become vulnerable to disease in locations where rainfall is not adequately infiltrated into the soil. Therefore, in drier areas such as raised ground or slopes, avoid the Pin Oak and select the more durable Northern Red Oak for planting. This year, Pin Oaks are available from the Cumberland and Lancaster County Conservation Districts, while Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York Counties are taking orders for Northern Red Oaks.The Cumberland County Conservation District is again offering a “Showy Northeast Native Wildflower and Grass Mix” for seeding your own pollinator meadow or garden. It consists of more than twenty species including this perennial favorite, Purple Coneflower.
Pickup on: Thursday, April 18, 2024 or Friday, April 19, 2024
The Eastern Redbud is small tree native to our forest edges, particularly in areas of the Piedmont Province with Triassic geology (Furnace Hills, Conewago Hills, Gettysburg/Hammer Creek Formations, etc.) Also known as the Judas Tree, the redbud’s brilliant flowers are followed by heart-shaped leaves. As seen here, it is suitable for planting near houses and other buildings. Eastern Redbud seedlings are being offered through tree sales in Dauphin, Cumberland, and Lancaster Counties.
The Yellow Poplar, often called Tuliptree or Tulip Poplar for its showy flowers, is a sturdy, fast-growing deciduous tree native to forests throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Its pole-straight growth habit in shady woodlands becomes more spreading and picturesque when the plant is grown as a specimen or shade tree in an urban or suburban setting. The Yellow Poplar can live for hundreds of years and is a host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. It is available this year from the Lancaster County Conservation District.The American Sweetgum, also known as Sweet Gum, is a large, long-lived tree adorned with a mix of vibrant colors in autumn.Ever wonder where all the American Goldfinches and particularly the Pine Siskins go after passing through our region in fall? Well, many are headed to the lowland forests of the Atlantic Coastal Plain where they feed on an abundance of seeds contained in spiky American Sweetgum fruits. In the Piedmont and Ridge and Valley Provinces of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, American Sweetgum transplants can provide enough sustenance to sometimes lure our friendly finches into lingering through the winter.The American Sweetgum is a versatile tree. It can be planted on upland sites as well as in wet ground along streams, lakes, and rivers. In the beaver pond seen here it is the dominate tree species. This year, you can buy the American Sweetgum from the Lancaster County Conservation District.“Red-twig Dogwood” is a group of similar native shrubs that, in our region, includes Silky Dogwood and the more northerly Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea). Both have clusters of white flowers in spring and showy red twigs in winter. They are an excellent choice for wet soils. Landscapers often ruin these plants by shearing them off horizontally a foot or two from the ground each year. To produce flowers and fruit, and to preserve winter attractiveness, trim them during dormancy by removing three-year-old and older canes at ground level, letting younger growth untouched.“Red-twig Dogwoods” make ideal mass plantings for streamside buffers and remain showy through winter, even on a gloomy day. They not only mitigate nutrient and sediment pollution, they provide excellent food and cover for birds and other wildlife. Both Silky and Red-osier Dogwoods are available for sale through the Lancaster County Conservation District as part of their special multi-species offers, the former is included in its “Beauty Pack” and the latter in its “Wildlife Pack”. The similar Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa) is being offered for sale by the York County Conservation District.
The unique maroon flowers of the Common Pawpaw produce banana-like fruits in summer. These small native trees grow best in damp, well-drained soils on slopes along waterways, where they often form clonal understory patches. To get fruit, plant a small grove to increase the probability of pollination. The Common Pawpaw is a host plant for the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly. It is available through both the Lebanon and Lancaster County sales.The Eastern Red Cedar provides excellent food, cover, and nesting sites for numerous songbirds. Planted in clumps of dozens or groves of hundreds of trees, they can provide winter shelter for larger animals including deer and owls. The Eastern Red Cedar is being offered for purchase through both the Lebanon and Lancaster County Conservation Districts.Care to try your hand at raising some chestnuts? Lebanon County Conservation District has hybrid American Chestnut seedlings for sale.Lebanon County Conservation District is offering Common Winterberry and Eastern White Pine during their 2024 Tree and Plant Sale. Plant them both for striking color during the colder months. Eastern White Pine is also available from the Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, and York County sales.
In addition to a selection of trees and shrubs, the Perry County Conservation District is again selling wildflower seed mixes for starting your own pollinator meadow or garden. For 2024, they have both a “Northeast Perennials and Annuals Mix” and a “Butterfly and Hummingbird Seed Mix” available. Give them a try so you can give up the mower!
Again this year, Perry County is offering bluebird nest boxes for sale. The price?—just $12.00.
Wait, what?,…twelve bucks,…that’s cheaper than renting!
The Buttonbush, a shrub of wet soils, produces a cosmic-looking flower. It grows well in wetlands, along streams, and in rain gardens. Buttonbush seedlings are for sale from both the York and Lancaster County Conservation Districts.
To get your deciduous trees like gums, maples, oaks, birches, and poplars off to a safe start, conservation district tree sales in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, and Perry Counties are offering protective tree shelters. Consider purchasing these plastic tubes and supporting stakes for each of your hardwoods, especially if you have hungry deer in your neighborhood.
Tree shelters protect newly transplanted seedlings from browsing deer, klutzy hikers, visually impaired mower operators, and other hazards.
There you have it. Be sure to check out each tree sale’s web page to find the selections you like, then get your order placed. The deadlines will be here before you know it and you wouldn’t want to miss values like these!
Since Tuesday’s snow storm, the susquehannawiildlife.net headquarters garden continues to bustle with bird activity.
Our Northern Mockingbird remains ever vigilant in its attempts to discourage American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds from feeding on the berry crop. Slowly, the latter species are winning the contest.A Carolina Chickadee carefully dissects a sunflower seed to snack on the nutritious kernel.This beauty shows us that yes, Red-bellied Woodpeckers do indeed have red bellies.Getting energized for a big move north, the robins keep on gulping berries.
Today, there arrived three species of birds we haven’t seen here since autumn. These birds are, at the very least, beginning to wander in search of food. Then too, these may be individuals creeping slowly north to secure an advantage over later migrants by being the first to establish territories on the most favorable nesting grounds.
This Song Sparrow is the first we’ve seen in the garden since sometime last fall. Is it working its way north or did it just come to town in search of food?Northern Flickers regularly spend the winter in small numbers in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. This is the first one we’ve had visit the garden since late last autumn.Fish Crows, seen here feeding on the fruits adorning an Eastern Red Cedar, have returned after being absent in our neighborhood since November. In coming weeks, both they and the more numerous American Crows that remained through winter will begin constructing nests in nearby trees.
They say the early bird gets the worm. More importantly, it gets the most favorable nesting spot. What does the early birder get? He or she gets out of the house and enjoys the action as winter dissolves into the miracle of spring. Do make time to go afield and marvel a bit, won’t you? See you there!
In mid-February each year, large numbers of American Robins descend upon the susquehannawildlife.net headquarters garden to feast on the ripe fruits that adorn several species of our native shrubs and trees. This morning’s wet snowfall provided the needed motivation for these birds and others to make today the big day for the annual feeding frenzy.
Early this morning, branches and limbs in the headquarters garden were loaded with clinging snow and more than one hundred American Robins.To have first grabs at suitable nesting sites, early American Robins are currently beginning to edge their way north. Spring migration is underway.The fruits of Common Winterberry are always a favorite of visiting robins.After selfishly guarding the garden’s berries through the entire season, our Northern Mockingbird finds chasing more than one hundred robins away from its food supply an impossible task.This and other visiting robins will strip the winterberry, cedar, American Holly, and other fruit-producing shrubs and trees within a day or two. To survive what remains of the season, our resident mockingbird will have to look elsewhere for provisions.Another American Robin devouring winterberry fruit.In addition to robins, there were, of course, other guests in the garden refuge on this snowy day.This Red-bellied Woodpecker tries to make sense of all the commotion.A pair of Carolina Chickadees established a family in the garden during the spring of 2023. At least five of the birds still stop by on a daily basis.As spring nears, our American Goldfinches are beginning to show a hint of their bright breeding colors.A Blue Jay peeks out from the cover of the Eastern Hemlocks.Our Carolina Wrens sing throughout the winter,……but today we noticed that this Mourning Dove has begun softly cooing to charm a mate……and the male House Finches are warbling away with the sounds of spring.With the local mockingbird busily harassing robins, our Eastern Bluebirds went unmolested long enough to stop by……for some raisins from their enclosed feeder.A showy male Eastern Bluebird on a snowy day in the garden. Spring must be just around the corner!
As week-old snow and ice slowly disappears from the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed landscape, we ventured out to see what might be lurking in the dense clouds of fog that for more than two days now have accompanied a mid-winter warm spell.
After freezing to a slushy consistency earlier this week, the Susquehanna is already beginning to thaw. Below the York Haven Dam at Conewago Falls, the water is open and ice-free.On frozen man-made lakes and ponds, geese and ducks like these Mallards and American Wigeon are presently concentrated around small pockets of open water.During the past ten days, American Robin numbers have exploded throughout the lower Susquehanna valley. The majority of these birds may be a mix of both those coming south to escape the late onset of wintry conditions to our north and those inching north into our region as early spring migrants.The January thaw has melted the snow from lawns and fields to provide thousands of visiting robins with a chance to forage for earthworms.A visit by this young Cooper’s Hawk to the susquehannnawildlife.net headquarters garden sent songbirds scrambling……but did nothing to unnerve our resident Eastern Gray Squirrels,……which promptly went into tail-waving mode to advertise their presence.But earlier in the week, when heavy snow cover in the rural areas surrounding our urbanized neighborhood made it difficult for rodent-eating raptors to find food, we received brief visits from both a Red-tailed Hawk……and this young Red-shouldered Hawk, an uncommon bird of prey most often found in wet woods and other lowlands.To escape notice during visits by these larger raptors, our squirrels remained motionless and commenced performance of their best bump-on-a-log impressions.Unimpressed, each of our visiting buteos remained for just a few minutes before moving on in search of more favorable hunting grounds and prey.As snow melted and exposed bare ground in fields of early successional growth, we encountered……a flock of White-crowned Sparrows, most in first-winter plumage……and at least a dozen American Tree Sparrows. During the twentieth century, these handsome songbirds were regular winter visitors to the lower Susquehanna region. During recent decades, they’ve become increasingly more difficult to find. Currently, moderate numbers appear to be arriving to escape harsher weather to our north.What could be more appropriate on a foggy, gray evening than finding a “gray ghost” (adult male Northern Harrier) patrolling the fields in search of mice and voles.
If scenes of a January thaw begin to awaken your hopes and aspirations for all things spring, then you’ll appreciate this pair of closing photographs…
The maroon-red flower buds of Silver Maples are beginning to swell. And woodpeckers including Pileated Woodpeckers are beginning to drum, a timber-pounding behavior they use to establish breeding territories in habitats with suitable sites for cavity nesting.In wet soil surrounding spring seeps and streams, Skunk Cabbage is rising through the leaf litter to herald the coming of a new season. Spring must surely be just around the corner.
Just as bare ground along a plowed road attracts birds in an otherwise snow-covered landscape, a receding river or large stream can provide the same benefit to hungry avians looking for food following a winter storm.
Here is a small sample of some of the species seen during a brief stop along the Susquehanna earlier this week.
Along vegetated edges of the Susquehanna and its tributaries, the Song Sparrow is ubiquitous in its search for small seeds and other foods. As the river recedes from the effects of this month’s rains, the shoreline is left bare of more recently deposited snow cover. Song Sparrows and other birds are attracted to streamside corridors of frost-free ground to find sufficient consumables for supplying enough energy to survive the long cold nights of winter.Thousands of American Robins have been widespread throughout the lower Susquehanna valley during the past week. Due to the mild weather during this late fall and early winter, some may still be in the process of working their way south. Currently, many robins are concentrated along the river shoreline where receding water has exposed unfrozen soils to provide these birds with opportunities for finding earthworms (Lumbricidae) and other annelids.This Golden-crowned Kinglet was observed searching the trees and shrubs along the Susquehanna shoreline for tiny insects and spiders. Temperatures above the bare ground along the receding river can be a few degrees higher than in surrounding snow-covered areas, thus improving the chances of finding active prey among the trunks and limbs of the riparian forest.Not far from the kinglet, a Brown Creeper is seen searching the bark of a Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) for wintering insects, as well as their eggs and larvae. Spiders in all their life stages are a favorite too.American Pipits not only inhabit farm fields during the winter months, they are quite fond of bare ground along the Susquehanna. Seen quite easily along a strip of pebbly shoreline exposed by receding water, these birds will often escape notice when spending time on mid-river gravel and sand bars during periods of low flow.An American Pipit on a bitterly cold afternoon along the Susquehanna.
A glimpse of the rowdy guests crowding the Thanksgiving Day dinner table at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters…
A male White-breasted Nuthatch visits a peanut feeder……soon to be joined by a female White-breasted Nuthatch.A male Downy Woodpecker gets a bill full of suet.A Carolina Wren nibbles at a peanut.An Eastern Gray Squirrel stuffs itself on peanuts dropped by the birds.A territorial Northern Mockingbird stands guard over its supply of Common Winterberry fruit.To avoid the mockingbird’s aggression, the Eastern Bluebirds opted out of fresh fruit in favor of raisins offered at the feeders.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.After everyone has had their fill, Dark-eyed Juncos clean up the leftovers.
For nearly a week now, a slow-moving low pressure system has not only brought heavy rain and cold temperatures to the northeastern United States, it has also stalled the northbound flights of migrating Neotropical birds. As this weather system at last drifts offshore, birds including warblers, thrushes, vireos, flycatchers, catbirds, hummingbirds, orioles, tanagers, and others should again resume their northward movements.
National Weather Service radar presently displays returns of these airborne nocturnal migrants in clear storm-free skies throughout the eastern half of the United States and Canada. As the showers and clouds depart the lower Susquehanna valley and areas to the north, the birds immediately to our south will begin to fill the void.
Gray and green halos surrounding radar stations indicate nocturnal bird migration across much of the eastern United States and Canada. Note their absence north of Maryland where the effects of the low pressure system currently located over New England are temporarily blocking these flights. (NOAA/National Weather Service radar image)
Our advice to you…plan to spend some time outdoors this weekend looking for our colorful Neotropical visitors. Their springtime songs should fill the warm air of forest and thicket. You won’t want to miss it.
Trying to get a favorable place to nest before others arrive, the “early birds” are presently racing north through the lower Susquehanna valley. Check out these sightings from earlier today…
A pair of Ring-necked Ducks.Hooded Mergansers, two males and a female.A pair of American Wigeons.A male Canvasback.During these chilly days of late winter, this hardy Eastern Phoebe finds sustenance by seizing flying insects along the water’s edge.Possibly our most familiar sign of spring, an American Robin in classic worm-hunting posture.An iridescent Common Grackle in a maple tree that is beginning to flower.A male Red-winged Blackbird singing from a perch near a small patch of cattails. During the spring migration, noisy flocks of males compete for a breeding territory at these sites. Each of the victors defends his spot and awaits the arrival of a female mate while the losers move on to vie for their own breeding location farther north.
Time to get outside and have a look. The spectacle of spring migration passes quickly. You don’t want to miss it!
County Conservation District Tree Sales are underway throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Now is the time to order for pickup in April. The prices are a bargain and the selection is fabulous. For species descriptions and more details, visit each tree sale web page (click the sale name highlighted in blue). And don’t forget to order bundles of evergreens for planting in mixed clumps and groves to provide winter shelter and summertime nesting sites for our local birds. They’re only $12.00 for a bundle of 10—can’t beat that deal!
Pickup on: Thursday, April 20, 2023 or Friday, April 21, 2023
Don’t mow it. Plant a meadow or pollinator garden instead.Both Cumberland and Perry Counties are offering a native warm-season grass and wildflower seed mix for planting your own meadow or pollinator garden. Perry County is also taking orders for a seed mix specifically formulated to grow plants for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.
Pickup on: Thursday, April 20, 2023 or Friday, April 21, 2023
The Eastern Hemlock, Pennsylvania’s official state tree, is an excellent choice for addition to your landscape or reforestation project. It tolerates rocky soils and its cones are an prime source of food for birds ranging from chickadees to finches.
The handsome yet underused Northern Red Oak is a sturdy long-lived native tree that is ideal for street-side, lawn, and reforestation plantings. In spring, it can be a magnet for migrating Neotropical birds when its flowers attract a wide variety of tiny insects to its upper reaches. Unlike many other oaks, this species is a relatively fast grower.
In autumn, even after the bright red foliage is gone, the berries of mature Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) trees attract a wide variety of birds like this Pileated Woodpecker. The Lebanon County Conservation District is offering Black Gum, also known as Black Tupelo, during their 2023 tree sale. Why not order and plant a half dozen or more?
The Perry County Conservation District is not only offering plants during this year’s sale, you can also purchase bluebird nest boxes for just $12.00 each!For less than the cost of one year of mowing, this stream corridor in Conewago Township, Dauphin County was reforested by the owner with hundreds of native trees, the majority purchased through County Conservation District Tree Sale events spanning a period of several years. By replacing bare soil and mowed areas, the riparian buffer created by these plantings has significantly reduced the nutrient and sediment loads that were polluting the small stream therein known as Brill’s Run. With determination and not a lot of money, you can do it too.But don’t forget the Eastern White Pines!
The annual arrival of hoards of American Robins to devour the fruits found on the various berry-producing shrubs and trees in the garden at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters happened to coincide with this morning’s bitter cold temperatures. Here are photos of some of those hungry robins—plus shots of the handful of other songbirds that joined them for a frosty feeding frenzy.
American Robins consuming Common Winterberry fruits.One of between one hundred and two hundred American Robins seen feeding on berries at susquehannawildife.net headquarters this morning.A Dark-eyed Junco searching the ground for seeds.An American Robin in the boughs of a “Hollywood Juniper”, a cultivar of the Chinese Juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’, also known as J. c. ‘Kaizuka’).A Carolina Wren on the peanut feeder.An American Robin searching for fallen berries beneath a holly.A female Eastern Bluebird.An American Robin takes a break from the buffet.A Carolina Chickadee preparing to pluck a sunflower seed from a tube feeder.American Robins feeding on “Hollywood Juniper” berries.One of two Red-breasted Nuthatches spending the week at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters.A male Eastern Bluebird among the crowd in the garden’s trees.An American Robin and Common Winterberry, a native deciduous holly.A Carolina Wren investigates a tree cavity, a potential nest site in coming weeks.
We don’t have a resident groundhog at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters, but the arrival of an American Robin to begin cleaning the abundance of berries from our holly trees and shrubs gives us the idea that spring is just around the corner. We could hardly be happier.
Those bluebird feeders with a one-and-a-half-inch entrance hole seem like a great way to offer supplemental foods like mealworms and raisins while excluding invasive European Starlings and other large birds from gobbling up all the expensive fare. But do they really work? Well, have a look for yourself…
An Eastern Bluebird eating mealworms in a homemade feeder with a one-and-a-half-inch entrance hole at each end.A female Eastern Bluebird inside the feeder enclosure.A male Eastern Bluebird inside the feeder enclosure.Mealworms drawing a crowd.Mealworms “To Go”. The lid on the far side of the feeder is hinged for cleaning the interior and filling the petri dish with fresh provisions.
There you have it. Feeders like this one are available commercially, so you don’t have an in-house wood butcher to get one. We’ve heard a rumor that Santa makes them too!
Happening right now, in the bright moonlight on a crisp autumn night, there is a massive movement of nocturnally migrating birds indicated on National Weather Service Radar from State College, Pennsylvania. Notice the dense wave crossing the lower Susquehanna River watershed from northeast to southwest. The coming morning may reveal plenty of new arrivals after daybreak. Look for robins, native sparrows, etc.
You probably know that fall is an excellent time for planting. Roots continue to grow in the warm soil even after the air becomes cool and leaves change color, setting the stage for your new trees and shrubs to sport splendid foliage and flowers in spring.
But did you know that autumn can be the best time to visit your local nursery/garden center to select the native trees and shrubs that produce berries for attracting and feeding overwintering birds and other wildlife? Here are three of our favorites. Each is looking its best from now through at least the first half of winter.
American Holly is a favorite small evergreen tree for winter beauty in the landscape. The showy red berries are produced only on female plants, so you’ll need to select at least one of each gender to grow fruit. They do best in acidic soils, responding well to a mulching of plenty of dead leaves each fall.American Robins eating American Holly berries in February.Common Winterberry is a slow-growing deciduous shrub and a member of the holly family; you’ll need both a male and a female plant to get a crop of berries. It just so happens that fall is the best time to visit the nursery for selecting a female that’s a good fruit producer. Winterberry is at its best under full sun in moist, acidic soils. These plants are very happy to receive the water from your downspouts and a mulching from the leaves in your garden.An American Robin feeds on Common Winterberry on a snowy February evening.American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a low-growing arching deciduous shrub of sunny locations in various well-drained soils. It is a plant of the southern United States that, given current temperature trends, will thrive in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, particularly on south-facing slopes. And yes, it does well in mass plantings on embankments.The fruits of American Beautyberry may be the most colorful of any native species.
There’s still time to get the shovel dirty, so visit your local native plant dealer this week and invest in some fruit-producing trees and shrubs. Fall is also a good time to plant pines, spruces, and hemlocks. Who knows, you might just get a good end-of-season deal.
When planted in mixed clumps, conifers like these White Pines, Norway Spruces, and Eastern Red Cedar provide excellent winter food and cover for birds and other wildlife.
Earlier today, these migrants were found feeding on berries along the edge of a forest clearing in northern Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. Can you find the three Hermit Thrushes among the early successional growth seen here? For extra credit, identify the three species of berry-producing pioneer plants that are shown. For additional credit, which one of these plants is a non-native invasive species? Click the image to see how you did.
There’s something in the air tonight—and it’s more than just a cool comfortable breeze.
(NOAA/National Weather Service image)
It’s a major nocturnal movement of southbound Neotropical birds. At daybreak, expect a fallout of migrants, particularly songbirds, in forests and thickets throughout the region. Warblers, vireos, flycatchers, thrushes, Scarlet Tanagers, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks pass through in mid-September each year, so be on the lookout!
The fruits of a Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) prove irresistible to this Gray Catbird. Chokeberry is a native clump-forming shrub that reaches a height of less than ten feet. It is tolerant of wet soils and makes a good choice for inclusion in plantings alongside streams and ponds, as well as in rain gardens. Springtime clusters of white flowers yield berries by this time each summer. By turning red as the fruits ripen, the foliage helps attract not only catbirds, but robins, waxwings, and other species that, in exchange for a meal, will assure dispersal of the plant’s seeds in their droppings. With considerable sweetening, tart chokeberries can be used for juicing and the creation of jams, jellies, and preserves.
This morning, our pair of Eastern Bluebirds (female lower right, male’s feet just barely visible atop the petri dish inside the feeder enclosure) led their offspring back to the susquehannawildlife.net headquarters for a visit to the mealworm feeding station, which they promptly emptied. Exactly fourteen days ago, these four young, plus one not visible in this image, fledged from the nest box located less than twenty feet away. They’ve been under the constant care of their parents ever since.
