Colorful songbirds like this Palm Warbler are beginning to migrate through the lower Susquehanna valley on their way north. Even when the weather is damp and gloomy, be certain to spend some time outdoors if you’d like the chance to see them. Palm Warblers are most frequently found in damp thickets and streamside, but they’ll sometimes show up in densely vegetated parks and gardens during a springtime fallout.
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.
A warbler found moving through trees and shrubs or foraging on the ground while bobbing its tail is likely to be a Palm Warbler. During migration, these animated passerines favor the vegetated shorelines of lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds. This affinity for water is reflected in the Palm Warbler’s choice of breeding habitat. Nesting territories are primarily located within spruce bogs east of the Rockies in Canada, Minnesota, Maine, and on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The bird seen here with extensive yellow underparts is known as a Yellow or Eastern Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum hypochrysea), a subspecies that nests in eastern portions of the breeding range. The duller, grayer Brown or Western Palm Warbler (S. p. palmarum) nests in western sections of the summer range. In the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, both subspecies can be seen during fall migration, which peaks in late September and October as movements of the less hardy Neotropical warblers are winding down. Both subspecies spend the winter on Caribbean islands or in coastal plain areas of eastern North America. Some of the western birds pass the colder months along the Pacific coast.
For those of you who dare to shed that filthy contaminated rag you’ve been told to breathe through so that you might instead get out and enjoy some clean air in a cherished place of solitude, here’s what’s around—go have a look.
Northern Flickers have arrived. Look for them anywhere there are mature trees. Despite the fact that flickers are woodpeckers, they often feed on the ground. You’ll notice the white rump and yellow wing linings when they fly away.The tiny Chipping Sparrow frequently nests in small trees in suburban gardens. Lay off the lawn treatments to assure their success.Field Sparrows (Spizella fusilla) are a breeding species in abandoned fields where successional growth is underway.White-throated Sparrows spend the winter in the lower Susquehanna valley. Their numbers are increasing now as waves of migrants pass through on their way north.Northbound flocks of Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) are currently found feeding in forest swamps along the Susquehanna. Their noisy calls sound like a chorus of squeaking hinges.Migratory Red-shouldered Hawks are also making feeding stops at area wetlands.The Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) is easily identified by its tail pumping behavior. Look for it in shrubs along the river shoreline or near lakes and streams. Palm Warblers are among the earliest of the warblers to move through in the spring.
The springtime show on the water continues…
Common Loons will continue migrating through the area during the upcoming month.Buffleheads are still transiting the watershed.Horned Grebes are occurring on the river and on local lakes.Seeing these one-year-old male Hooded Mergansers, the bachelors, wandering around without any adult males or females is a good sign. The adults should have moved on to the breeding grounds and local pairs should be well into a nesting cycle by now. Hatching could occur any day.Like Hooded Mergansers, Wood Ducks are cavity nesters, but their egg laying, incubation, and hatching often occurs a month or more later than that of the hoodies. Judging by the attentiveness of the drake, this pair of woodies is probably in the egg-laying stage of its breeding cycle right now.Redheads (Aythya americana) are stopping for a rest on their way north.In spring, Double-crested Cormorants proceed up the river in goose-like flocks with adult birds like these leading the way.
Hey, what are those showy flowers?
That’s Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna). It’s often called Fig Buttercup. In early April it blankets stream banks throughout the lower Susquehanna region. If you don’t remember seeing it growing like that when you were younger, there’s a reason. Lesser Celandine is an escape from cultivation that has become invasive. While the appearance is tolerable; it’s the palatability that ruins everything. It’s poisonous if eaten by people or livestock.The Eastern Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) is a dainty native wildflower of riparian forests and other woodlands throughout the lower Susquehanna valley.The Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) is beginning to bloom now. It’s a native of the region’s damp forests.Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) is not native to the Susquehanna watershed, but neither is it considered invasive. It creates colorful patches in riparian forests.Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) is a strikingly beautiful native wildflower that grows on undisturbed forested slopes throughout the Susquehanna valley.
