Rosids – LIFE IN THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED

October 10, 2025

Changes Following the Season’s First Frost

Having experienced our first frost throughout much of the lower Susquehanna valley last night, we can look forward to seeing some changes in animal behavior and distribution in the days and weeks to come. Here are a few examples…

Unlike their close relatives the Tree Swallows, which include berries as well as invertebrates in their diet, Northern Rough-winged Swallows are strictly insectivores and will find it necessary to promptly move south to assure a frost-free environment where they can secure an adequate supply of food. Their one alternative: find a local sewage treatment plant where warm water attracts populations of flying insects through the remainder of autumn and maybe into winter.

Warblers too are insect eaters. Look for most of our dozens of species to evacuate the area in coming days and leave behind only the Yellow-rumped Warbler, another bird with a fondness for berries during cold weather. Into the winter months, they remain in small numbers in habitats with an abundant supply of berries like Poison Ivy, holly, wild grape, bittersweet, and Eastern Red Cedar. For lingering Yellow-rumped Warblers, thickets of cedars and other evergreens provide essential protection from frigid nighttime winds.

This Eastern Chipmunk will soon feel the pinch. Instead of eating the sweet, fruity portions of Mile-a-minute Weed berries, it’ll have to get serious about stocking its den with larger seeds, acorns, hickory nuts, and other foods to snack on through the winter. Better get busy, little friend!

September 12, 2025September 12, 2025

Tropical Treats and an Early Surprise

Crisp cool nights have the Neotropical birds that visit our northern latitudes to nest during the summer once again headed south for the winter.

Flying through the night and zipping through the forest edges at sunrise to feed are the many species of migrating vireos, warblers, and other songbirds.

A Tennessee Warbler peers from the cover of a Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), a small native tree which is not, as many assume, a poisonous plant. Staghorn Sumac is in fact an excellent wildlife species with brilliant autumn colors.

Though its breeding season has come to an end, this southbound Yellow-throated Vireo was found singing its heart out in the limbs of a Staghorn Sumac early this morning.

Not to be outdone, this Northern Parula joined in with a cheery tune from yet another Staghorn Sumac.

Black-throated Green Warblers are particularly numerous right now. To see them, visit a ridgetop forest clearing at sunrise.

As the nocturnal migrants fade into the foliage to rest for the day, the movement of diurnal migrants picks up the pace.

Southbound flights of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are reaching their peak this week with chilly temperatures hustling them along. Remember to keep your feeders clean and your nectar fresh through at least early October; they may really need the supplemental energy.

Migrating Broad-winged Hawks, sometimes traveling in large flocks known as kettles, seek out thermal updrafts to gain altitude before gliding away on a southwest heading bound for Houston, Texas. Once there, they’ll make a turn to the south and follow the gulf coastline toward the tropics for winter.

While on the crest, you might notice that the Neotropicals aren’t the only bird species heading through. Migrants like this Sharp-shinned Hawk are beginning to show up in increasing numbers with a peak expected in about two to three weeks.

To find a hawk-counting station near you, check out our “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” page by clicking the tab at the top of this page. And plan to spend some time on the lookout during your visit, you never know what you might see…

Second-year Golden Eagle — This very early Golden Eagle surprised observers at Second Mountain Hawk Watch in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, this morning. It appears to be an immature, more specifically a second-year bird beginning molt (replacing its innermost primaries), so it may not have traveled all the way to the eastern population’s breeding areas in northern Canada for the summer. Instead, it may have wandered the vast wilderness hundreds of miles further south. Expect to see these regal eagles more regularly when adults and hatch-year juveniles from the nesting region start passing through our area, primarily during the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving. In the meantime, you’ll have time to check out our “Aging Golden Eagles” page by clicking the tab at the top of this page.

June 28, 2025June 28, 2025

Brood XIV Periodical Cicada Wrap Up

While the heat and humidity of early summer blankets the region, Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas are wrapping up their courtship and breeding cycle for 2025. We’ve spent the past week visiting additional sites in and near the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed where their emergence is evident.

We begin in York County just to the west of the river and Conewago Falls in mostly forested terrain located just southeast of Gifford Pinchot State Park. Within this area, often called the Conewago Hills, a very localized population of cicadas could be heard in the woodlands surrounding the scattered homes along Bull Road. Despite the dominant drone of an abundance of singing Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas, we were able to hear and record the courtship song of a small number of the rare Little Seventeen-year Cicadas. Their lawn sprinkler-like pulsating songs help mate-seeking males penetrate the otherwise overwhelming chorus of the Pharaoh cicadas in the area.

The Little Seventeen-year Cicada’s (Magicicada septendecula) thorax is black between the eye and the origin of the wings. It is the rarest of the three species of seventeen-year cicadas.

From the Conewago Hills we moved northwest into the section of southern Cumberland County known as South Mountain. Here, Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas were widespread in ridgetop forests along the Appalachian Trail, particularly in the area extending from Long Mountain in the east through Mount Holly to forests south of King’s Gap Environmental Education Center in the west.

Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas along the Appalachian Trail on South Mountain, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Like the cicadas we visited last week on the east side of the Susquehanna, this population is surviving on lands with a history of timber harvest and charcoal production to fuel nearby iron furnaces during the nineteenth century.

While on South Mountain, we opted for a side trip into the neighboring Potomac watershed of Frederick County, Maryland, where these hills ascend to greater altitude and are known as the Blue Ridge Mountains, a name that sticks with them all the way through Shenandoah National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains, and to their southern terminus in northwestern Georgia. We found a fragmented emergence of Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas atop the Catoctin Mountain section of the Blue Ridge just above the remains of Catoctin Furnace, again on lands that had been timbered to make charcoal to fuel iron production prior to their protection as vast expanses of forest.

A Pharaoh Periodical Cicada on Catoctin Mountain near Catoctin Furnace south of Thurmont, Maryland. These cicadas are not part of a Brood XIV emergence, but are instead a population of Brood X (2021) stragglers.

Back in Pennsylvania, we’re on our way to the watersheds of the northernmost tributaries of the lower Susquehanna’s largest tributary, the Juniata River. There, we found Brood XIV cicadas more widespread and in larger numbers than occurred at previous sites. Both Pharaoh and Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas were seen and heard along Jack’s Mountain and the Kishacoquillas Creek north of Lewistown/Burnham in Mifflin County. To the north of the Kishacoquillas Valley and Stone Mountain in northernmost Huntingdon County, the choruses of the two species were again widespread, particularly along the forest edges in Greenwood Furnace State Park, Rothrock State Forest, and adjacent areas of the Standing Stone Creek watershed.

Tymbal on the male Pharaoh Periodical Cicada — A view of the sound-generating tymbal on a male Pharaoh Periodical Cicada at Greenwood Furnace State Park. Rapid vibration of the tymbals by a set of specialized muscles generates the distinctive calls and courtship songs of the various cicada species. When handled, these tymbals can produce a harsh “panic call”. This distress sound could startle a would-be predator and provide the cicada with an opportunity to escape.

Tymbal on a Cassin's Periodical Cicada — The sound organs comprised of ribbed tymbals and specialized muscles on the male Cassin’s Periodical Cicada generate a “panic call” as well as the distinctive calls and songs used to penetrate the droning choruses of the more numerous Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas with which it shares a seventeen-year flight.

Cassin's Periodical Cicadas — Using their specialized sound organs, Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas generate a courtship song that usually includes buzzy phrases and ticking notes (first sound clip). The buzzing and ticking helps the male Cassin’s cicada penetrate the songs of the more numerous Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas in the area (second sound clip). When synchronized into a chorus that surges in volume, the songs of Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas can overcome the overwhelming drone of the nearby Pharaoh cicadas (third sound clip).

Pharaoh Periodical Cicada Depositing Eggs — After mating and before the lives of these seventeen-year cicadas draw to a close, the females need to deposit their fertilized eggs into the small end twigs of suitable trees. On a small hawthorn tree (Cretaegus species) along the edge of the forest at Greenwood Furnace State Park, this Pharaoh Periodical Cicada is using her ovipositor to make a slit in a twig and place her eggs.

Cassin's Periodical Cicada Ovipositing — Simultaneously on the same little hawthorn tree, this female Cassin’s Periodical Cicada is depositing her fertilized eggs.

Within the last 48 hours, we visited one last location in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed where Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas have emerged during 2025. In the anthracite coal country of Northumberland County, a flight of Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas is nearing its end. We found them to be quite abundant in forested areas of Zerbe Run between Big and Little Mountains around Trevorton and on the wooded slopes of Mahanoy Mountain south of nearby Shamokin. Line Mountain south of Gowen City had a substantial emergence as well.

Foliage with Evidence of Ovipositing — Brown leaves reveal the end twigs where female Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas have deposited eggs during the last several weeks. During July, the larvae will hatch and drop to the ground to start a new generation of Brood XIV cicadas. As subterranean nymphs, they’ll spend the coming seventeen years feeding on small amounts of xylem sap from tree roots. In 2042, during the next Brood XIV emergence, these nymphs will come to the surface and take flight as adults.

Dead Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas — Accumulations of deceased Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas on Line Mountain.

Fallen cicadas that show any sign of life are being snatched up by predators such as this Eastern Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis). Meanwhile, the remainder of the biomass is picked apart by scavengers or is left to reducers for breakdown into fertilizer and organic matter for the forest. Nothing goes to waste.

To chart our travels, we’ve put together this map plotting the occurrence of significant flights of Periodical Cicadas during the 2025 emergence. Unlike the more densely distributed Brood X cicadas of 2021, the range of Brood XIV insects is noticeably fragmented, even in areas that are forested. We found it interesting how frequently we found Brood XIV cicadas on lands used as sources of lumber to make charcoal for fueling nineteenth-century iron furnace operations.

The furnaces at Greenwood Furnace State Park required the daily cutting of one acre of timber to make enough charcoal to fuel the iron-making process. Did keeping thousands of acres in various stages of forest succession to supply the charcoal needs of these operations aid the survival of earlier generations of Periodical Cicadas on these lands? Or, after the furnaces converted to coal for fuel, did the preservation of many of these parcels as state, federal, and private forests allow the cicadas to find refuge from the widespread impacts of agriculture and expanding urbanization in adjacent lands? Maybe it’s a little of both. We always bear in mind that annual insects and other animals are more than one hundred generations removed from the negative or positive impacts of the early years of the industrial age, but only about ten generations have passed since populations of seventeen-year Periodical Cicadas were directly influenced by these factors. What do you think?

Well, that’s a wrap. Please don’t forget to check out our new Cicadas page by clicking the “Cicadas” tab at the top of this page. Soon after the Periodical Cicadas are gone, the annual cicadas will be emerging and our page can help you identify the five species found regularly in the lower Susquehanna valley. ‘Til next time, keep buzzing!

June 16, 2025June 20, 2025

Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed

Here are some sights and sounds from the ongoing emergence of Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.

We begin in the easternmost spur of the lower basin where a sizeable emergence of cicadas can be seen and heard in the woodlands surrounding the headwaters of the Conestoga River in Berks County north of Morgantown. This flight extends east into Chester County and the French Creek drainage of the Schuylkill River watershed on State Game Lands 43 north of Elverson and consists of Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada septendecim), the most common species among 17-year broods.

Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas exuvia — Exuvia of a recently emerged Pharaoh Periodical Cicada.

Pharaoh Periodical Cicada singing — Soon after landing on a perch, a male Pharaoh Periodical Cicada will usually announce his presence by singing. It’s an attempt to quickly attract potential mates that may be in the vicinity.

Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas singing chorus — Gatherings of thousands of singing male Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas create a distinctive droning chorus.

Chestnut Oak Hosting Cicadas — After mating, female cicadas make slits in the end twigs of selected trees into which they lay their eggs. The process of egg-laying and larval emergence will usually wilt and kill end growth on the affected branches, causing little harm to healthy trees. It’s similar to the trim you might give to a bonsai plant to keep it stout and sturdy.

A deceased Pharaoh Periodical Cicada at the Fire Tower Parking Area at French Creek State Park. This specimen and a chorus on the hill’s forested south slope were the northeastern-most evidence of Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas we could find for the population cluster in portions of Berks, Chester, and Lancaster Counties around Morgantown.

Second-year Mississippi Kite Feeding on Cicadas — The abundance of Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas on State Game Lands 43 in Chester County has attracted numerous raptors, particularly wandering one-year-old birds that aren’t quite mature enough to nest. Among the sightings have been Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, and at least three Mississippi Kites, a rarity on the Piedmont this far inland from the coastal plain. (See the post from June 5, 2021, for details on the occurrence of Mississippi Kites in northernmost Delaware during the Brood X emergence.)

From Route 82 north of Elverson to the west through the forested areas along Route 10 north of Morgantown and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, we found an abundance of Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada cassini) calling among the Pharaohs. This mix of Pharaoh and Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas extends west along the north side of the turnpike into Lancaster County and State Game Lands 52 on Black Creek north of Churchtown.

Cassin's Periodical Cicada — A Brood XIV Cassin’s Periodical Cicada at State Game Lands 52 is identified by the all-black margin between the eye and the wing root and…

Cassin's Periodical Cicadas singing chorus — To penetrate the sounds of the more common Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas, male Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas gather in large concentrations to generate a loud, oscillating chorus. Its surging volume will usually exceed that of the Pharaohs singing in the vicinity.

Cassin's Periodical Cicadas mating — The underside of copulating Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas.

Further west in Cornwall, Lebanon County, a Brood XIV emergence can be found on similar forested terrain: the Triassic hills of the Newark Basin—rich in iron ore and renowned for furnace operations during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas were the only species heard among this population that extends from Route 72 east through the woodlands along Route 322 into the northern edge of State Game Lands 156 in Lancaster County.

On the west side of the Susquehanna, yet another isolated population of Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas can be found in Perry County, just south of Duncannon on State Game Lands 170 on the slopes of “Cove Mountain”, the canoe-shaped convergence of the western termini of Peters and Second Mountains.

Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas dominated this Perry County chorus,…

…but we did detect at least one Cassin’s Cicada trying to find a mate.

Not to say they aren’t present, but we have yet to detect the rarest species, Magicicada septendecula, the “Little Seventeen-year Cicada”, among the various populations of Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas emerging in the lower Susquehanna valley. For the coming two weeks or so until this brood is gone for another 17 years, the search continues.

For more on both annual and periodical cicada species in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, be sure to click the “Cicadas” tab at the top of this page!

June 12, 2025

Photo of the Day

Along a quiet forest road, a Great Spangled Fritillary visits Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) to feed on nectar.

May 30, 2025May 31, 2025

Photo of the Day

Cedar Waxwing Feeding on Juneberries — One of dozens of Cedar Waxwings seen descending upon ripe juneberries in a mini grove consisting of either Smooth Shadbush (Amelanchier laevis) or the allied and very similar-looking hybrid juneberry Amelanchier x lamarkii. Smooth Shadbush can be grown as a shrub or small tree and is also known as Smooth Serviceberry, Allegheny Serviceberry, or Smooth Juneberry. The hybrid Amelanchier x lamarkii is believed to be a naturally occurring cross between Smooth Shadbush (A. laevis) and either Canadian Serviceberry (A. canadensis) or Downy Serviceberry (A. arborea). Juneberries/serviceberries/shadbushes, including a number of man-made cultivars, produce white flowers in early spring and can be obtained through numerous suppliers for inclusion in conservation projects, home gardens, or for use as street trees. Believe it or not, the very productive planting seen here was located in a parking lot island at a busy Walmart store.

May 29, 2025June 8, 2025

Beechnuts in a Jam

Renowned for its smooth, light-gray bark and its large size, the American Beech is one the most easily recognized trees found in climax forests throughout the lower Susquehanna valley. Preferring rich soils, this shade tolerant native produces an abundance of nutritious nuts for wildlife including deer, turkey, grouse, squirrels, woodpeckers, and a variety of songbirds.

If you’ve visited a stand of beech trees lately, you may have noticed that the canopy seems a little sparse in comparison to the foliage of the oaks, poplars, and other hardwood species in the vicinity.

American Beech Canopy — Sunlight reaching the forest floor through gaps in the canopy of American Beech trees.

A closer look reveals the cause. And yes, it’s big, big trouble.

American Beech with Beech Leaf Disease — Many newly emerged leaves on this American Beech are thickened and curling in comparison to apparently healthy leaves on the same branch. These sickly leaves are being afflicted by Beech Leaf Disease (BLD), the result of infection by a parasitic roundworm, Litylenchus crenatae mccannii, a microscopic nematode that reaches its greatest abundance within the victim’s new buds. After increasing their population density there during the summer and fall, the nematodes overwinter within the dormant buds, then cause progressive cell damage in the foliage that emerges during the spring to make the leaves appear “striped” before withering and falling away.

Beech Infected by Litylenchus crenatae mccannii — Cell damage from Litylenchus crenatae mccannii makes the new foliage on this American Beech appear “striped” before total deterioration.

Stand of American Beech with BLD — A sparse canopy in a stand of native American Beech trees being destroyed by the nematode, Litylenchus crenatae mccannii. Defoliation over a period of 5 to 8 years will probably prove fatal to trees of this size. Smaller trees may succumb in just 2 to 4 years. Other sources of stress such as the extended period of drought we recently experienced may hasten the demise of afflicted trees.

While treatment for BLD is possible, it must be done early. Protecting an entire stand in a forest can be prohibitively expensive, but if you have a specimen tree or small grove you think you might like to save, click here for a Penn State Extension guide with more information.

May 25, 2025May 25, 2025

Late May Action in the Forest

Here’s a short preview of some of the finds you can expect during an outing in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed’s forests this week…

The Mountain Laurel, designated as Pennsylvania’s state flower, is now in bloom.

Mountain Laurel Flower Buds — The buds of the Mountain Laurel remind us of a sugary frosting freshly squeezed from a baker’s pastry bag.

Mountain Laurel Flowers — The flowers of the Mountain Laurel, an evergreen understory shrub, invite pollinators to stop by for a sweet treat.

Little Wood-Satyrs (Megisto cymela) are patrolling forest edges looking for mates and, to host their eggs and larvae, the stands of grasses they find most suitable.

Many of the species of small butterflies we call skippers are now active. The Zabulon Skipper can be found patrolling grassy forest edges, particularly near streams, ponds, and wetlands.

Among the showiest of our butterflies, the Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) is seen here on the leaves of a Black Cherry, its favored host plant.

Butterfly observers will do well to pay a visit to the new Susquehanna Riverlands State Park on Furnace Road north of Hellam in York County, Pennsylvania.

Trail to Schull's Rock Overlook — Upon arrival at Susquehanna Riverlands, drive back the gravel road for about a mile to the parking area at the edge of the agricultural field. Then, hike the trail through the woods and farm hedgerow to the Schull’s Rock overlook on the river. In the forests along this route, the understory is dominated by colonial stands of Common Pawpaw trees.

Along the lookout trail to Schull’s Rock, the Common Pawpaws’ large leaves help them to shade out potentially fast-growing competition. In proper growing situations, pawpaws develop clonal suckers that mature over time to create colonial stands of a single genetic plant.

Common Pawpaw understory. — A Common Pawpaw understory along the approach to Schull’s Rock.

During our recent visit to Schull’s Rock, dozens of Zebra Swallowtails were seen along the trail, many in the vicinity of their sole host plant, the Common Pawpaw. But even more were observed along the edges of the fields and woods where nectar sources like this Multiflora Rose were being visited by numbers of butterflies we normally see only among abundant species like Cabbage Whites. Absolutely amazing!

Scull's Rock Overlook — And the view of the Susquehanna and the Shock’s Mills railroad bridge at the mouth of Codorus Creek is pretty good too!

Common Pawpaw and Hooded Warbler — You can look for colonial stands of Common Pawpaw at other parks and preserves along the lower Susquehanna as well. Birds like this Hooded Warbler can sometimes be found among them in mature riparian forests along the steep slopes of the river gorge.

Common Pawpaw and Baltimore Oriole — A Baltimore Oriole in a Common Pawpaw along a forest edge.

Meanwhile in the treetops, the spring thrust of Neotropical migrants is drawing to a close. The Blackpoll Warbler is typically one of the last to transit the lower Susquehanna valley on its way to northern coniferous forests for summer. They’ve had an unusually protracted movement through the region this spring, the earliest individuals reported during late April. Though very difficult to see in the canopy of the mature trees where it feeds and sings, hearing one is often a benchmark for senior birders each spring. Older observers have often said of the Blackpoll Warbler’s high-pitched song, a rapid series of insect-like staccato “tseet” notes, that it was the first they could no longer detect as their ears started losing sensitivity.

In many tracts along the lower Susquehanna this spring, the American Redstart is turning out to be the most common nesting warbler. Conditions favoring their reproductive success in recent cycles, as well as good survival rates during their migrations and stays on wintering grounds, have filled many lowland forests with redstart songs in 2025. Is this the start of a trend or just an exceptionally good year? Time will tell.

Yet one more reason for a stroll in local forests this week is the chance to see and hear the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Look for these Neotropical relatives of the cardinal nesting on territories in mature stands of deciduous trees like this Yellow Poplar, a species also known as the Tuliptree.

They spend nearly all their time among the canopy foliage of the largest timber…

May 22, 2025May 24, 2025

Five Flowering Plants for Cleaner Water

Currently in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, you can find these five species of herbaceous plants in full bloom. As they grow, they and others like them help to purify waters within their respective ecosystems by taking up nutrients—namely, the nitrogen and phosphorus that can lead to detrimental algal blooms and eutrophication in ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers.

(United States Geological Survey image by Virginia-West Virginia Science Center)

The Marsh Blue Violet (Viola cucullata) is most frequently found growing in the wet soils of forest bottomlands, usually where springs first break the earth’s surface and begin slowly trickling away to form a small brook or join an existing stream. The blooms are recognized by their darker purple centers and their long stems.

The seldom-noticed flowers of the Soft Rush (Juncus effusus), also known as the Common Rush, emerge from the sides of its quill-like stems. This wetland species is found in damp soils, sometimes in standing water, and grows in stiff, erect clumps that persist through winter. When found in pastures, Soft Rush is seldom of interest to cattle or other livestock. It therefore doesn’t lure these animals into muddy, puddle-prone areas. When subjected to heavy grazing in dry weather and flooding during wet spells, these puddle sites may host nearly pure stands of Soft Rush, the only plant able to thrive there. When it comes to nutrient uptake in these soggy sections of the meadow, the soft Rush is the lone ranger. Soft Rush seeds are available from Ernst Conservation Seeds in Meadville, PA, and are included in many of their mixes formulated for stormwater management basins and other wet soil applications.

Larger Blue Flag (Iris versicolor) is a plant of wetlands and shorelines. It can be grown as an emergent in ponds and lakes where it will help to absorb nutrients from both the water and the underlying substrate.

The Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus), also known as the Water Flag, is native to Eurasia and Africa. Seen here growing as an emergent among native Common Cattails (a superb water purifier), the Yellow Iris can easily escape cultivation and become invasive. The showy flowers and water-cleansing benefits of this plant make it attractive for use in the garden or farm pond, but considerations must be made for its aggressive growth and proclivity to escape to neighboring habitats. If you’re purchasing irises for transplanting, you’re probably better off sticking with the native Larger Blue Flag; it is far less vigorous and you’ll be able to grow other aquatic species along with it.

In large ponds, lakes, and low-gradient streams, one of the best aquatic plants for sequestering nutrients and clarifying water is Spatterdock, also known as Cow-lily or Yellow Pond Lily. Spatterdock does best as an emergent in shallow water along the shoreline. It grows well in full sunshine and makes excellent habitat for wildlife. Depending on the nutrient load from fish, waterfowl, decaying vegetation, and other sources, plant cover may need to be as high as 30% or more of the surface area to keep algae from overtaking a lake or large pond. Spatterdock can often be used to help fulfill these needs while still offering open water beneath the leaves and between the stems for fish, amphibians, reptiles, and macroinvertebrates to thrive.

May 9, 2025May 26, 2025

Their Songs Give Them Away

After repeatedly hearing the songs of these Neotropical migrants from among the foliage, we were finally able to get a look at them—but it required persistent effort.

Often found closer to the ground among shrubs and small trees, this Magnolia Warbler was a challenge to find in the upper reaches of a Chestnut Oak.

Despite its status as probably the most common Neotropical songbird to nest in the deciduous woodlands of the lower Susquehanna valley, the Red-eyed Vireo is nevertheless notoriously difficult to locate among the leaves.

The Ovenbird spends much of its time on the forest floor where it builds a domed, oven-like nest.

The Worm-eating Warbler nests in understory thickets on steep forested slopes. Its rich chipping song is often the only indication of its presence.

Warbling Vireos nest near streams or other bodies of water in large deciduous trees like this Northern Hackberry.

Gray Catbirds are abundant in shrubby gardens and thickets. Most will come out of hiding to investigate disturbances like an observer making a pishing sound.

Another inhabitant of brushy successional growth is the Common Yellowthroat. It too is curious and responds quickly to squeaky sounds made by human visitors to their home ground.

The Yellow-breasted Chat is a bird of early successional growth. To establish and defend a breeding territory, this one adopted a perch along the edge of a woodlands overlooking a field in which prescribed fire was administered less than two months ago.

Sometimes we have to count ourselves lucky if we see just one in five, ten, or even twenty of the birds we hear in the cover of the forest canopy or thicket. But that’s what makes this time of year so rewarding for the dedicated observer. The more time you spend out there, the more you’ll eventually discover. See you afield!

A singing Scarlet Tanager lurking in the shade of an oak.

May 4, 2025May 5, 2025

Six Flowering Woody Plants

Here’s a look at six native shrubs and trees you can find blooming along forest edges in the lower Susquehanna valley right now.

The Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), a member of the pea or legume family (Fabaceae), can be a dominant pioneer plant of sunny successional habitats, particularly on poor soils. Nodules along its roots fix nitrogen to help facilitate the growth of the intermediate and climax species of trees and shrubs that replace the pioneers. Initially armed with protective spines to reduce browsing, the Black Locust’s branches become mostly thornless as the tree matures.

The Pinxter Flower, also known as the Pink Azalea, is certainly a contender for our most spectacular native blossoming shrub;…

Spicebush Swallowtail on Pinxter Flower — …this Spicebush Swallowtail seems to like it too.

When in bloom, the Black Cherry is a common sight in regional woodlands. Often seen already covered with blossoms when young and shrub-like, many of these trees will continue flowering and producing fruit throughout the decades required to reach a mature height of 60 feet or more.

The Blackhaw is an understory shrub preferential to sun-dappled areas beneath a break in the forest canopy. Pollinated flowers later produce clusters of blue-black berries for birds and other wildlife.

Local old timers might remember hearing folklore that equates the northward advance of the blooming of the Flowering Dogwoods with the progress of the American Shad’s spring spawning run up the river. While this is hardly a scientific proclamation, it is likely predicated on what had been some rather consistent observation prior to the construction of the lower Susquehanna’s hydroelectric dams. In fact, we’ve found it to be a useful way to remind us that it’s time for a trip to the river shoreline below Conowingo Dam to witness signs of the spring fish migration each year. We’re headed that way now and will summarize our sightings for you in days to come.

May 2, 2025May 3, 2025

Fresh Foliage and Plumes

Despite what seemed to be a chilly early spring, the bright green leaves that unfold to close the canopy of our deciduous forests were dense and casting shade by the last days of April. For northbound migrants, this fresh foliage provides the cover they need for foraging, resting, and, for those that will stick around to breed in the lower Susquehanna valley, nesting.

We recall many occasions when sparse foliage during the first days of May seemed to delay the big push of Neotropical species, but the seasonal arrival of these birds in 2025 is thus far mostly ahead of schedule. This absence of delay is due in part to the lushness of the oaks. Some stands have not only leafed out, but are finished flowering and have added up to 12 inches of new branch growth. We spent these early hours of May among the oaks. Here’s a look at the Neotropical migrants and other species we found…

Dozens of species of Neotropical warblers have arrived in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Some will nest locally while others will continue along flight paths that will ultimately take them far to our north. We spotted this Cape May Warbler in the upper reaches of a Northern Red Oak feeding among its spent flowers. Its destination: the spruce forests of northern New England and Canada.

Always a fan favorite, we found this marvelously tropical Baltimore Oriole among the foliage of a flowering White Oak.

This young Red-tailed Hawk has survived its first winter. It appears to have learned from experience how to hunt from advantageous locations such as this Chestnut Oak along a utility right-of-way where prey may include numerous squirrels as well as mice and other small mammals.

We were taking a break beneath this Pin Oak when suddenly an American Kestrel arrived to begin scolding a trespasser that was straying a bit too close to its nest;…

…the intruder, a Northern Harrier, soon took the hint and continued on its way.

While among the oaks, it pays to check the understory where Neotropical thrushes including the Veery are arriving to fill the forests with their melodious songs.

Following their nocturnal flights, the last of the season’s northbound White-throated Sparrows may presently be found spending the day in the cover of the oak woodland understory.

The movements of our migratory birds typically continue through much of the month of May. And peak numbers of Neotropical species often occur sometime during the second week of the month. But with habitat at the ready, favorable flight conditions could facilitate quick arrival and/or passage of the bulk of the remaining migrants during the coming week. You may want to venture out sooner rather than later—but watch your step!

The Mayapple, a native wildflower also known as the Mandrake, is now in bloom among the oak leaf litter.

And the Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), a native species also known as Wild Lily-of-the-valley, is blooming in moist mixed-oak forests.

At the edge of an oak-maple woodland, we found this lingering White-crowned Sparrow foraging among the leaf litter and fresh, shiny foliage of Poison Ivy. Songbirds can spend their days scratching the ground among these leaves of three. If you do it, you’ll be scratching something else, and you may need an ocean of calamine lotion to boot!

April 20, 2025April 20, 2025

Photo of the Day

Juvenile Eastern Cottontail — This petite Eastern Cottontail somehow found a path through weekend traffic to discover an abundant supply of lush green Indian Strawberry (Potentilla indica) leaves in the garden at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters. The widely naturalized Indian Strawberry, also known as Mock Strawberry, is native to Asia. It is most easily recognized by its bright yellow flowers which soon yield edible, but not very tasty, little red fruits. I wonder, might the berries be more palatable if dipped in a melted-down chocolate bunny? Food for thought, unless of course you have an aversion to hare in your romantic confections.

April 7, 2025April 7, 2025

Early Season Wildflowers

Here are five common forest flowers that the average visitor to these environs may easily overlook during an early April visit.

The flowers of the Skunk Cabbage, a native member of the arum family, are contained within a spadix which is partially hidden inside the mottled maroon spathe at the base of the plant. In late winter, the closed spathe generates its own heat to melt through frozen water and soils to make its appearance in streamside and spring-fed wooded wetlands, just ahead of the emergence of the large green leaves.

Common Spicebush is a native flowering shrub of damp woodland understories. Later in the season, its foliage provides food for Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars. Pollinated blossoms yield bright-red oblong berries relished by a variety of birds in fall and winter.

The flowers of the indigenous Red Maple will soon generate the familiar helicopter-like winged seeds which readily distribute this native tree into new ground ranging from lowlands to the crests of our highest ridges.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is non-native wildflower of Eurasian origin. Reminding one at first glance of a dandelion, it is commonly seen blooming in disturbed areas of woodlands. Coltsfoot often grows where it has little competition from other plants, such as among the debris left behind due to snow plowing and grading along forest roads.

Though not particularly abundant, the non-native Sweet Cherry, an escape from cultivation, is widespread in forests and woodlots throughout the lower Susquehanna valley. Sweet Cherry is believed to be an ancestor of the Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus) and is frequently used as rootstock for orchard and garden varieties of this popular fruit. Sweet Cherry is often called “Wild Cherry”, a name also applied to the Black Cherry, a native tree which blooms later in the spring.

Be certain to get out and enjoy this year’s blooming seasons of our hundreds of varieties of flowering plants. But, particularly when it comes to native species,…

March 23, 2025

Early-spring Maples: Clouds of Color Across the Forest Canopy

By late winter, sunshine and warming temperatures awaken the sleeping maples of the lower Susquehanna basin and the sap begins to flow. The new growing season is evident by the first days of spring when their swelling buds and flowers paint the drab gray canopy of deciduous woodlands with an overlying coat of red, orange, and maroon.

Red Maples in Early Spring — Red Maples, renowned for their vibrant autumn foliage, are just as conspicuous in the early spring landscape.

Eastern Gray Squirrel Feeding on Red Maple Buds — For birds and mammals like this Eastern Gray Squirrel, the buds and flowers of maples mean relief from the diminished natural food supplies that helped them survive winter’s worst. The season of abundance has arrived and these animals instantly recognize this source of sweet, fresh energy, just in time for the breeding season. The flowers of maples, which later in the spring yield those familiar helicopter-like seeds, are an important early season source of energy for many species of bees and other pollinators.

February 17, 2025February 24, 2025

Think Spring: Order Your Seedlings Now!

Our wildlife has been having a tough winter. The local species not only contend with cold and stormy weather, but they also need to find food and shelter in a landscape that we’ve rendered sterile of these essentials throughout much of the lower Susquehanna valley’s farmlands, suburbs, and cities.

Planting trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses that benefit our animals can go a long way, often turning a ho-hum parcel of property into a privately owned oasis. Providing places for wildlife to feed, rest, and raise their young can help assure the survival of many of our indigenous species. With a little dedication, you can be liberated from the chore of manicuring a lawn and instead spend your time enjoying the birds, mammals, insects, and other creatures that will visit your custom-made habitat.

Verdant Neighborhood — What makes some neighborhoods so appealing? It’s the foresight property owners had a half a century or more ago when they planted their lawns and gardens with a variety of sturdy, long-lived trees and shrubs. They’ve not only minimized the need for mowing grass, they’ve provided the present-day residents of their home with added thermal stability during both the blazing heat of summer and the chilling cold of winter.

Fortunately for us, our local county conservation districts are again conducting springtime tree sales offering a variety of native and beneficial cultivated plants at discount prices. Listed here are links to information on how to pre-order your plants for pickup in April. Click away to check out the species each county is offering in 2025!

Cumberland County Conservation District Annual Tree Seedling Sale—

Orders due by: Friday, March 21, 2025

Pickup on: Thursday, April 24, 2025 or Friday, April 25, 2025

Zebra Swallowtail on Wildflowers — During its 2025 tree seedling sale, the Cumberland County Conservation District is offering Northeast Native Wildflower seed mix for four dollars per ounce. One ounce plants approximately 200 square feet of bare soil. This is a Zebra Swallowtail visiting nectar-rich flowers during July of the first year after sowing this mix at a site along the Susquehanna.

Dauphin County Conservation District Seedling Sale—

Orders due by: Monday, March 17, 2025

Pickup on: Thursday, April 24, 2025 or Friday, April 25, 2025

"Red-twig Dogwood" — Able to thrive in wet soils, Red-osier and Silky Dogwood shrubs are ideal plants for intercepting and polishing stormwater in swales, detention/retention basins, and rain gardens. With their crimson twigs in winter, they look great along borders among clusters of cedars, pines, spruces, and other evergreens. They make an excellent choice for soil stabilization along the shorelines of streams, ponds, and other bodies of water too. Buy a dozen or more to create a showy mass planting in your soggy spot.

Franklin County Conservation District Tree Seedling Sale—

Orders due by: Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Pickup on: Thursday, April 24, 2025

The Franklin County Conservation District is offering American Elm seedlings in bundles of 25 for 36 dollars. Start them in pots for a couple of years to really get ’em going, then find places with damp soil and plenty of room to give ’em a try. During autumn, they look great in the company of spruces, white pines, and other large evergreens.

Lancaster County Annual Tree Seedling Sale—

Orders due by: Friday, March 7, 2025

Pickup on: Friday, April 11, 2025

Norway Spruce and White Pine — We purchased these Eastern White Pine, Norway Spruce, and Common Winterberry plants from the Lancaster County Conservation District Tree Sale about four years ago. They’re filling in as understory growth in the margins beneath some thirty-year-old Eastern Hemlocks to create dense cover for resident and visiting fauna at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters.

Lebanon County Conservation District Tree and Plant Sale—

Orders due by: Monday, March 3, 2025

Pickup on: Friday, April 18, 2025

For 2025, the Lebanon County Conservation District is offering Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) trees in packs of ten for twelve dollars. Though native to Asia, these adaptable trees present little threat of naturalizing and have many positive attributes in a conservation planting. Given ample space, the Dawn Redwood, a relative of the sequoias, will rapidly grow to a towering giant. They create a particularly dramatic landscape feature when planted in clumps of three to five trees or more. With age, the trunks become stout and very sturdy. Don’t like raking? The finely divided deciduous foliage can be left where it falls in autumn. It usually disintegrates by spring to enrich the soil and promote more growth.

Three Sequoias — The genus Metasequoia was first described in 1941 based upon fossils collected in Jurassic and earlier strata from widespread locations in the northern hemisphere. Metasequoia were believed extinct until just a few years later when a small number of living Dawn Redwoods were first discovered in southern China. Now distributed around the world for cultivation, direct descendants of this wild population of Metasequoia glyptostroboides are available for nearly anyone in a temperate climate to plant and grow to exceptional size. (National Park Service image)

The Lebanon County Conservation District is also selling Bald Cypress trees. They’re offered in bundles of ten for ten dollars. These long-lived trees resemble the Dawn Redwood. Both are tolerant of damp ground, but the native Bald Cypress is the species to choose for placement along streams, in wetlands, and on other sites with standing water or saturated soil.

Bald Cypress Swamp — Wildlife rich Bald Cypress swamps currently occur on the Atlantic Coastal Plain as far north as Sussex County, Delaware. Just to the south, they’re also found along Chesapeake Bay in areas that, during the last glacial maximum when sea level was 300 to 400 feet below today’s tide lines, were the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed in portions of present-day Maryland and Virginia. The northward post-glacial range extension of Bald Cypresses is now blocked by centuries of human intervention that has eliminated, isolated, or fragmented the wetland habitats where they could potentially become established. Why not lend them a hand? Plant a cypress swamp in your flood-prone bottomland. (National Park Service image by Andrew Bennett)

York County Conservation District Seedling Sale—

Orders due by: March 15, 2025

Pickup on: Thursday, April 10, 2025

A privacy planting of sturdy, native Eastern White Pines and Northern Red Oaks thriving around the border of a parking area where they also provide shade from the sun and help infiltrate a share of the stormwater that would otherwise become runoff.

Native Northeast Wildflower and Grass mix during its first summer — This year, the York County Conservation District is offering a Showy Northeast Native Wildflower and Grass seed mix for $19.99 per quarter pound. Sure beats mowing!

If you live in Adams County, Pennsylvania, you may be eligible to receive free trees and shrubs for your property from the Adams County Planting Partnership (Adams County Conservation District and the Watershed Alliance of Adams County). These trees are provided by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Keystone 10-Million Trees Partnership which aims to close a seven-year project in 2025 by realizing the goal of planting 10 million trees to protect streams by stabilizing soils, taking up nutrients, reducing stormwater runoff, and providing shade. If you own property located outside of Adams County, but still within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (which includes all of the Susquehanna, Juniata, and Potomac River drainages), you still may have an opportunity to get involved. Contact your local county conservation district office or watershed organization for information.

Planted Riparian Buffer — As they mature, tree and shrub plantings along streams return pollution-controlling functions to floodplains and provide critical habitat for wildlife. These riparian buffers not only improve water quality for fisheries, they also create travel corridors that prevent terrestrial animal populations from becoming isolated.

A CREP Project Area — Do you own a parcel of streamside or wetland acreage that you’d like to set aside and plant for the benefit of wildlife and water quality? Contact your local county conservation district office and ask them to tell you about CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) and other programs that may offer incentives including payment of all or a portion of the costs of plantings and other habitat improvements.

We hope you’re already shopping. Need help making your selections? Click on the “Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines” tab at the top of this page to check out Uncle Tyler Dyer’s leaf collection. He has most of the species labelled with their National Wetland Plant List Indicator Rating. You can consult these ratings to help find species suited to the soil moisture on your planting site(s). For example: if your site has sloped upland ground and/or the soils sometimes dry out in summer, select plants with a rating such as UPL or FACU. If your planting in soils that remain moist or wet, select plants with the OBL or FACW rating. Plants rated FAC are generally adaptable and can usually go either way, but may not thrive or survive under stressful conditions in extremely wet or dry soils.

NATIONAL WETLAND PLANT LIST INDICATOR RATING DEFINITIONS

- - OBL (Obligate Wetland Plants)—Almost always occur in wetlands.
  - FACW (Facultative Wetland Plants)—Usually occur in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands.
  - FAC (Facultative Wetland Plants)—Occur in wetlands and non-wetlands.
  - FACU (Facultative Upland Plants)—Usually occur in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands.
  - UPL (Upland Plants)—Almost never occur in wetlands.

Using these ratings, you might choose to plant Pin Oaks (FACW) and Swamp White Oaks (FACW) in your riparian buffer along a stream; Northern Red Oaks (FACU) and White Oaks (FACU) in the lawn or along the street, driveway, or parking area; and Chestnut Oaks (UPL) on your really dry hillside with shallow soil. Give it a try.

December 24, 2024December 24, 2024

Photo of the Day

You may be on the verge of satisfying your appetite with chestnuts from an open fire, but this Red-bellied Woodpecker is just as pleased to retrieve a Shagbark Hickory nut from a hiding place among the tree’s cracks and crevices where it was stashed away earlier in the fall.

November 19, 2024November 22, 2024

Five Favorite Visitors from the Northern Forests

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.

Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker — 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.

Female/Juvenile Male Purple Finch — 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.

Male Purple Finch — 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.

October 30, 2024October 31, 2024

A Towering American Elm

During the past week, Uncle Tyler Dyer has been out searching for autumn leaves to add to his collection. One of the species he had not encountered in previous outings was the American Elm (Ulmus americana), so he made a special trip to see a rare mammoth specimen in a small neighborhood park (Park Place) along Chestnut Street between 5th and Quince Streets in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

American Elm at Park Place in Lebanon, Pennsylvania — Possibly the largest and oldest remaining American Elm in the lower Susquehanna watershed, the Park Place tree in Lebanon exceeds 60 feet in height and may be more than 300 years of age. In the nearly one hundred years since Dutch elm disease (DED) first began killing elms in eastern North America, this tree has been spared the fatal effects of the infection. DED is caused by several species of microfungi (Ophiostoma ulmi, O. himal-ulmi, and O. novo-ulmi) spread by numerous bark beetle (Curculionidae) species. As early as 1928, infected beetles arrived in the United States from the Netherlands among shipments of logs.

There’s still time to get out and see autumn foliage. With warmer weather upon us—at least temporarily—it’s a good time to go for a stroll. Who knows, you might find some spectacular leaves like these collected by Uncle Ty earlier this week. All were found adorning native plants!

Winged Sumac (Rhus copallina), a small native tree. In case you’re wondering, it’s not poisonous.

Black Chokeberry (Photinia melanocarpa), a native shrub also known as Aronia. It produces black-colored fruits in summer.

Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), a shrub that prefers wet or damp soils. It yields white fruits.

Maple-leafed Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), a native shrub of upland forest understories.

Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), a native shrub and the source of many cultivated forms of the popular fruit.

To identify your finds, be certain to click the “Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines” tab at the top of this page to check out Uncle Ty’s extensive collection.

October 6, 2024

Photo of the Day

September 5, 2024September 30, 2024

This Week’s Review of the Morning Fallouts

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…

The Blackburnian Warbler was another plentiful species.

Cape May Warblers have an affinity for conifers like this Eastern White Pine.

Like the Tennessee Warbler, the Nashville Warbler was common among mixed flocks.

This Chestnut-sided Warbler was one of several found among the more common species of migrants.

A Black-and-white Warbler uses its nuthatch-like feeding behavior to search the tree bark for edible invertebrates.

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.

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.

Swainson's Thrush — 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.

…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.

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.

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker — 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.

"Kettling" Broad-winged Hawks — 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.

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.

Broad-winged Hawk Gliding Away to the Southwest — 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)

August 30, 2024August 31, 2024

Aphrodite Fritillary

The Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite), also known simply as the Aphrodite, is a brush-footed butterfly of deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests. We found this female in a grassland margin between woodlots where prescribed fire was administered during the autumn of 2022 to reduce accumulations of natural fuels and an overabundance of invasive vegetation. A goal of the burn was to promote the growth of native species including the violets (Viola species) favored as larval host plants by this and other fritillaries.

By the time these adult butterflies make their reproductive flights in late summer, the violets that serve as larval host plants have gone dormant. To find patches of ground where the violets will come to life in spring, the female Aphrodite Fritillary has an ability to sense the presence of dormant roots, probably by smell. Upon finding an area where suitable violets will begin greening up next year, she’ll deposit her eggs. The eggs overwinter, then hatch to feed on the tender new violet leaves of spring.

August 26, 2024September 13, 2024

Southbound Flights: On Their Way Both Night and Day

It’s hard to believe, but for almost two months now, sandpipers, plovers, and terns have been filtering south through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed on their way to the Atlantic coastline as they complete the first leg of their long autumn migration—a journey that will take some species all the way to the far reaches of the South American continent for winter.

Caspian Terns and Osprey — Migrating Caspian Terns and an Osprey take a break on a lower Susquehanna valley gravel bar.

As August draws to a close, these early birds are being joined by widespread nocturnal flights of Neotropical migrants—those species, primarily songbirds, on their way to wintering grounds which lie exclusively south of the continental United States.

To catch a glimpse of these night-flying avians, your best bet may be to position yourself on the crest of a ridge or along a linear break in the forest such as a utility right-of-way where waves of warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and other Neotropical passerines sometimes feed on invertebrates after making landfall at daybreak. Pick a place where the trees are bathed in the warm light of the rising sun and be there by 7 A.M. E.D.T. The activity can be tremendous, but it usually ends between 8 and 9.

Diurnal migrants, birds that make their movements during the daylight hours, are ramping up their flights now as well. Broad-winged Hawks, Bald Eagles, and falcons are currently being tallied at hawk-counting stations throughout the northeast. Many of those lookouts are seeing Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, swallows, and other daytime migrants too.

Chimney Swifts are fast-flying diurnal migrants. They are beginning to congregate into larger groups in preparation for their departure. Some are already on the move.

Cedar Waxwings are currently being seen in roving flocks throughout the region. Their migration is less of a point-to-point flight and more of a continuous wandering in search of berries and other wild foods.

Not everyone is yet ready to go. American Goldfinches are still in the midst of their nesting cycle and won’t begin leaving until the young are on their own and colorful adult males like this one are beginning to molt into their drab winter plumage.

Autumn migration flights are an ever-changing process, with different species peaking at different times throughout the season. In these months just after the nesting season, each of these species is more numerous than at any other time of the year. And of course, the more often we as observers get out and have a look, the more of them we’ll see.

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 through the lower Susquehanna valley this fall. Nearly four months of autumn hawk migration flights lie ahead, so 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, then stop by for a visit or two. See you there!

Nocturnal Migrants at Liftoff — A large nightfall liftoff of nocturnal migrating birds is shown here on this evening’s State College, Pennsylvania, Doppler Radar base velocity loop. Returns indicating birds moving toward the radar site (the white dot in the center of the color mass) are shown in green, and those indicating birds moving away are indicated in red. This is a big flight headed generally in a south-southwest direction. (NOAA/National Weather Service Doppler Radar image)

July 27, 2024July 27, 2024

Wildflower Meadow Update

Do you recall our “Photo of the Day” from seven months ago…

Riverfront Park Wildflower Meadow — Here’s something to look forward to in the new year. The good citizens of East Donegal Township in Lancaster County have partnered with Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to establish an extensive wildflower meadow on what had been a mowed field of turf grass at Riverside Park in the Susquehanna floodplain near Marietta. As the photo shows, the lawn plants have been eliminated in preparation for seeding with a diverse assortment of native grasses and wildflowers to provide habitat for birds and pollinators including butterflies, bees, and other insects. Once established, the meadow’s extensive vegetative growth will help reduce stormwater runoff by better infiltrating rainfall to recharge the aquifer. During flood events, the plantings will provide soil stabilization and increase the ability of the acreage to uptake nutrients, thus reducing the negative impact of major storms on the quality of water in the river and in Chesapeake Bay. Check the project’s progress by stopping by from time to time in 2024!

Well, here’s what that site looks like today…

And there are pollinating insects galore, most notably butterflies…

A Cabbage White collecting nectar on Blue Vervain.

A Sulphur — A Clouded or Orange Sulphur among the grasses in the meadow.

The Least Skipper is our tiniest butterfly.

The Little Glassywing (Vernia verna), this one feeding on vervain nectar, deposits its eggs on Purpletop grass, which then functions as the host plant for this butterfly’s larvae.

A Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta) feeding on the nectar of a Black-eyed Susan.

A Common Buckeye on a “Gloriosa Daisy”, a showy, large-flowered cultivar of Black-eyed Susan.

A Red-winged Blackbird with a caterpillar found among the meadow’s lush growth.

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Blue Vervain. Nearby Yellow (Tulip) Poplars and other trees serve as host plants for this butterfly’s larvae.

Black Morph Eastern Tiger Swallowtail — The black morph of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail shows subdued shading in the wings that closely resembles the brilliant color patterns of the more familiar yellow form.

The Sachem, this one visiting a Black-eyed Susan, is a variable species with a range that normally lies south of the 40th parallel, the line of latitude that intersects the Susquehanna in the area of the Conejohela Flats at Washington Boro.

A Sachem visiting the blooms of Oxeye sunflower. During recent weeks, scorching winds from the south and southwest have transported an abundance of these vagrant skippers into the lower Susquehanna valley and beyond.

Here and there among the meadow’s plantings we noticed one of our favorites starting to flower, the Partridge Pea.

Partridge Pea happens to be a host plant for another vagrant from the south, the big, lime-yellow Cloudless Sulphur. We saw at least half a dozen patrolling the meadow.

Why on earth would anyone waste their time, energy, and money mowing grass when they could have this? Won’t you please consider committing graminicide this fall? That’s right, kill that lawn—at least the majority of it. Then visit the Ernst Seed website, buy some “Native Northeast Wildlflower Mix” and/or other blends, and get your meadow planted in time for the 2025 growing season. Just think of all the new kinds of native plants and animals you’ll be seeing. It could change your life as well as theirs.

A Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis), more commonly known as a hummingbird moth, visits the flowers of Blue Vervain in the Riverfront Park wildflower meadow.

June 29, 2024August 30, 2024

Fish Nurseries in the Susquehanna

Resilient to the pressures of flooding, ice scour, drought, and oft times really poor water quality, Water Willow (Dianthera americana, formerly Justicia americana) is the most common herbaceous plant on the Susquehanna’s non-forested alluvial islands. Yet, few know this native wildflower by name or reputation.

Water Willow on Alluvial Island — Pure stands of emergent Water Willow endure at times brutal conditions on non-forested islands in the Susquenanna.

Water Willow (foreground) and Black Willow. — Alluvial deposits of sand, clay, gravel, and silt create ideal substrate for mats of Water Willow along shorelines of the Susquehanna and its larger tributaries. Provided the loose substrate remains moist, this emergent thrives even when water levels retreat during periods of dry weather. The woody plant in the background, the native Black Willow (Salix nigra), shares similar soil preferences but is found growing on slightly higher ground as a non-emergent tree or shrub. It is a member of the willow family (Salicaceae).

Water Willow in bloom. — In bloom now, the orchid-like flower of the Water Willow is a quick giveaway that it is not a close relative of the willow trees but is instead a member of the acanthus family (Acanthaceae) and is allied with the genus Ruellia, the wild petunias.

The spring of 2024 has been very kind to our beds of Water Willow. Rainfall in the Susquehanna watershed has been frequent enough to maintain river levels just high enough to keep the roots of the plants wet. During the interludes in storm activity, dry spells have rolled back any threat of flooding on the river’s main stem, thus eliminating chances of submerging the plants in muddy water and preventing the sun from keeping them warm, happy, and flowering early. Thundershowers throughout the basin earlier this week have now raised the river a few inches to inundate the base of the plants and make mats of Water Willow favorable places for newly hatched fry and other young fish to take refuge while they grow. Here’s a look…

The Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius) is a common native minnow of the Susquehanna. This juvenile was found among several dozen small fish taking refuge in the cover of Water Willow below Conewago Falls.

The Mimic Shiner (Notropis volucellus) is generally regarded to be a native transplant from the Mississippi drainage that has become established in the Susquehanna and many of its tributaries, possibly after introduction by way of bait buckets. However, the fish tends to be very fragile and dies quickly upon handling, so its use and transport as a bait species may be impractical. The Mimic Shiner is very common in around Conewago Falls.

Juvenile Mimic Shiner — A juvenile Mimic Shiner less than one inch in length found among flooded Water Willow below Conewago Falls earlier this week.

Juvenile Quillback — One of about a dozen juvenile Quillbacks (Carpiodes cyprinus) found in Water Willow just below Conewago Falls. For spawning, local populations of this compact native species of carpsucker favor the gravel-bottomed pools among the Jurassic-Triassic boulders of the falls’ pothole rocks. Probably hatched within the last eight weeks, this specimen was just one inch long.

Spotfin/Satinfin Shiner among Water Willow Rhizomes — As summer progresses, stands of emergent Water Willow begin to expand their size by sending out rhizomes. Increasing numbers of small fish like this Spotfin/Satinfin Shiner (Cyprinella species) concentrate in the cover of the thickening vegetation.

Spotfin/Satinfin Shiners — The importance of these patches of emergent wildflowers (sounds weird, doesn’t it?) is demonstrated by the numbers of fish gathered within their underwater forest of stems and leaves by summertime.

Spotfin/Satinfin Shiners (Cyprinella species) — To protect them from burial by silt and to prevent them from being swept away by current, spawning Spotfin/Satinfin Shiners deposit their eggs in crevices of submerged rocks and wood, often in or near mats of Water Willow. Males guard the eggs until hatching. The fry must then take shelter among boulders, cobble, and plant cover. Note the breeding-condition male in the upper right.

Panfish like this non-native Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) will often choose nesting sites in deeper water adjacent to beds of Water Willow, particularly if submerged growth like this Water Stargrass adds to the availability of cover for their young after hatching.

Smallmouth Bass gather in a pool adjacent to a Water Willow-covered island. These non-native predators rely on beds of these indigenous plants to provide habitat for their young, then, after spawning, lurk in the waters surrounding them to ambush less-than-vigilant minnows and other victims.

By now you’ve come to appreciate the importance of Water Willow to the sustainability of our populations of fish and other aquatic life. Like similar habitat features that reduce sediment runoff and nutrient pollution, undisturbed stands of terrestrial, emergent, and submerged native plant species are essential to the viability of our freshwater food webs.

June 10, 2024

Photo of the Day

The bright-red flower buds of the Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) precede clusters of white blooms that will, in coming weeks, attract a variety of butterflies and other pollinators to this indigenous shrub. Its peeling bark and colorful deciduous leaves attract interest throughout the year. In the lower Susquehanna watershed, Ninebark is most frequently found growing along stream banks. It will often thrive on steep slopes with moist soils, so is useful as an erosion control species as well. To add it to your refuge’s landscape, look for it at nurseries that stock native plants. Once there, you’ll find a variety of cultivars that are sure to satisfy even the fussiest of gardeners.

May 24, 2024May 25, 2024

Arboreal Birds and Tent Caterpillars

During the past week, we’ve been exploring wooded slopes around the lower Susquehanna region in search of recently arrived Neotropical birds—particularly those migrants that are singing on breeding territories and will stay to nest. Coincidentally, we noticed a good diversity of species in areas where tent caterpillar nests were apparent.

Eastern Tent Caterpillar Nest — The conspicuous nest of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum), a native species of moth. The first instar of the larval caterpillars hatch in early spring from egg masses laid on the limbs of the host tree by an adult female moth during the previous spring. Soon after they begin feeding on the host tree’s first tender shoots, these tiny, seldom-noticed larvae start communal construction of a silk tent to act as a shelter and greenhouse-like solar collector that will both provide protection from the elements and expedite their growth.

Here’s a sample of the variety of Neotropical migrants we found in areas impacted by Eastern Tent Caterpillars. All are arboreal insectivores, birds that feed among the foliage of trees and shrubs searching mostly for insects, their larvae, and their eggs.

The Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina) is found among thick understory growth on forested slopes.

The Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa) nests in woodland undergrowth, often near steep, forested slopes.

In the locations where these photographs were taken, ground-feeding birds, including those species that would normally be common in these habitats, were absent. There were no Gray Catbirds, Carolina Wrens, American Robins or other thrushes seen or heard. One might infer that the arboreal insectivorous birds chose to establish nesting territories where they did largely due to the presence of an abundance of tent caterpillars as a potential food source for their young. That could very well be true—but consider timing.

**Already Gone-** By the time Neotropical migrants arrive in our area, the larval stages of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar’s life cycle are already coming to an end. The nests that these native insects constructed to capture the energy of the springtime sun have allowed the larvae to exit and browse foliage when conditions were suitable, then return for shelter when they were not. While inside, the larvae could move among the chambers of their structure to find locations with a temperature that best suited their needs. Therein the solar heating and communal warmth sped up digestion and growth.

Having left arboreal environs, Eastern Tent Caterpillar larvae are now food for ground-feeding birds like our resident Wild Turkeys. They need only get past the bristly hairs on the caterpillar’s back and the foul taste that may result from its limited diet of cyanogenic Black Cherry leaves.

The arboreal Yellow-billed Cuckoo (seen here) and its close relative the Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) are the two species of birds in our area known to regularly feed on bristly tent caterpillars. But having just arrived from the tropics to nest, they’ll need to rely on other insects and their larvae as sources of food for their young.

Black Cherry defoliated by Eastern Tent Caterpillars. — Final-instar Eastern Tent Caterpillars often defoliate Black Cherry trees before moving to the ground to pupate. Their timing allows them to feed on the fresh foliage while it is still young and tender, and to largely avoid becoming food for the waves of Neotropical birds that arrive in the lower Susquehanna basin in May.

So why do we find this admirable variety of Neotropical bird species nesting in locations with tent caterpillars? Perhaps it’s a matter of suitable topography, an appropriate variety of native trees and shrubs, and an attractive opening in the forest.

Black Cherry in Flower — The end of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar’s larval surge may spell the end of their nests for the year, but it’s not the end for the Black Cherry and other host trees in the Prunus (cherry) and Malus (apple) genera. Because it’s still early in the season, they have plenty of time to re-leaf and many will still flower and produce fruit. Those flowers and foliage will attract numerous other insects (including pollinators) that benefit breeding birds.

The Blue-winged Warbler inhabits shrubby breaks in the forest such as this utility right-of-way where Black Cherry trees have sprouted after their seeds arrived in waste deposited by fruit-eating (frugivorous) birds. Already attractive to a variety of insectivores, these openings soon lure egg-laying Eastern Tent Caterpillar moths to the cherry trees growing therein. Even in dense forest, a small clearing created by a cluster of dead trees makes good bird habitat and will sooner or later be visited by fruit-eating species that will inadvertently sow seeds of Black Cherry, starting yet another stand of host trees for Eastern Tent Caterpillars. It’s the gap in the forest that often attracts the birds, some of which plant the host trees, which sometimes entice Eastern Tent Caterpillar moths to lay their eggs.

Here in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, the presence of Eastern Tent Caterpillar nests can often be an indicator of a woodland opening, natural or man-made, that is being reforested by Black Cherry and other plants which improve the botanical richness of the site. For numerous migratory Neotropical species seeking favorable places to nest and raise young, these regenerative areas and the forests surrounding them can be ideal habitat. For us, they can be great places to see and hear colorful birds.

May 13, 2024May 14, 2024

See Food and an Oriole Doubleheader

The rain and clouds have at last departed. With blue skies and sunshine to remind us just how wonderful a spring afternoon can be, we took a stroll at Memorial Lake State Park in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to look for some migratory birds.

Though running just a few days later than usual, Indigo Buntings have arrived to begin nesting.

This Common Loon dropped by Memorial Lake during a storm several days ago and decided to stay awhile. It’s a species that winters in oceanic waters along the Atlantic seaboard and nests on glacial lakes to our north.

Shoreline Vegetation at Memorial Lake — **Clear Water-** Memorial Lake is one of the few man-made lakes in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed to be appropriately vegetated with an abundance of submerged, floating, and emergent plants. As a result, the water from Indiantown Run that passes through the impoundment is minimally impacted by nutrient loads and the algal blooms they can cause. Buffers of woody and herbaceous growth along the lake’s shorelines provide additional nutrient sequestering and help prevent soil erosion and siltation.

Along the edge of the lake, this Orchard Oriole and its mate were in yet another stand of tall walnut trees.

Early in the season and early in the day, we started seeing Common Nighthawks flying above wooded areas north of the lake at 4 o’clock this afternoon. After all the raw and inclement weather they’ve experienced in recent days, the warm afternoon was probably their first opportunity to feed on flying insects in quite a while.

What? You thought we were gonna drop in on Maryland’s largest city for a couple of ball games and some oysters, clams, and crab cakes—not likely.

May 8, 2024May 14, 2024

A Pre-dawn Thunderstorm and a Fallout of Migrating Birds

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.

Looks like a good day to take the camera for a walk. Away we go!

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.

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 Yellow Warbler likes streamside thickets too. You can also find them along lakes, ponds, and wetlands, especially among shrubby willows and alders.

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…

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!

March 24, 2024August 30, 2024

Prescribed Fire: Controlled Burns for Forest and Non-forest Habitats

Homo sapiens owes much of its success as a species to an acquired knowledge of how to make, control, and utilize fire. Using fire to convert the energy stored in combustible materials into light and heat has enabled humankind to expand its range throughout the globe. Indeed, humans in their furless incomplete mammalian state may have never been able to expand their populations outside of tropical latitudes without mastery of fire. It is fire that has enabled man to exploit more of the earth’s resources than any other species. From cooking otherwise unpalatable foods to powering the modern industrial society, fire has set man apart from the rest of the natural world.

In our modern civilizations, we generally look at the unplanned outbreak of fire as a catastrophe requiring our immediate intercession. A building fire, for example, is extinguished as quickly as possible to save lives and property. And fires detected in fields, brush, and woodlands are promptly controlled to prevent their exponential growth. But has fire gone to our heads? Do we have an anthropocentric view of fire? Aren’t there naturally occurring fires that are essential to the health of some of the world’s ecosystems? And to our own safety? Indeed there are. And many species and the ecosystems they inhabit rely on the periodic occurrence of fire to maintain their health and vigor.

**For the war effort-** The campaign to reduce the frequency of forest fires got its start during World War II with distribution of this poster in 1942. The goal was to protect the nation’s timber resources from accidental or malicious loss due to fire caused by man-made ignition sources. The release of the Walt Disney film “Bambi” during the same year and the adoption of the Smokey the Bear mascot in 1944 softened the message’s delivery, but the public relations outreach continued to be a key element of a no-fire policy to save trees for lumber. Protection and management of healthy forest ecosystems in their entirety has only recently become a priority. (National Archives image)

Man has been availed of the direct benefits of fire for possibly 40,000 years or more. Here in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, the earliest humans arrived as early as 12,000 years ago—already possessing skills for using fire. Native plants and animals on the other hand, have been part of the ever-changing mix of ecosystems found here for a much longer period of time—millions to tens of millions of years. Many terrestrial native species are adapted to the periodic occurrence of fire. Some, in fact, require it. Most upland ecosystems need an occasional dose of fire, usually ignited by lightning (though volcanism and incoming cosmic projectiles are rare possibilities), to regenerate vegetation, release nutrients, and maintain certain non-climax habitat types.

But much of our region has been deprived of natural-type fires since the time of the clearcutting of the virgin forests during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This absence of a natural fire cycle has contributed to degradation and/or elimination of many forest and non-forest habitats. Without fire, a dangerous stockpile of combustible debris has been collecting, season after season, in some areas for a hundred years or more. Lacking periodic fires or sufficient moisture to sustain prompt decomposition of dead material, wildlands can accumulate enough leaf litter, thatch, dry brush, tinder, and fallen wood to fuel monumentally large forest fires—fires similar to those recently engulfing some areas of the American west. So elimination of natural fire isn’t just a problem for native plants and animals, its a potential problem for humans as well.

Indiangrass on Fire — Indiangrass (seen here), Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, and Little Bluestem are native species requiring periodic forms of disturbance to eliminate competition by woody plants. These warm-season grasses develop roots that penetrate deep into the soil, sometimes to depths of six feet or more, allowing them to survive severe drought and flash fire events. In the tall grass prairies, these extensive root systems allow these grasses to return following heavy grazing by roaming herds of American Bison (Bison bison). Without these habitat disturbances, warm season grasslands succumb to succession in about seven years. With their periodic occurrence, the plants thrive and provide excellent wildlife habitat, erosion control, and grazing forage.

To address the habitat ailments caused by a lack of natural fires, federal, state, and local conservation agencies are adopting the practice of “prescribed fire” as a treatment to restore ecosystem health. A prescribed fire is a controlled burn specifically planned to correct one or more vegetative management problems on a given parcel of land. In the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, prescribed fire is used to…

- - Eliminate dangerous accumulations of combustible fuels in woodlands.
  - Reduce accumulations of dead plant material that may harbor disease.
  - Provide top kill to promote oak regeneration.
  - Regenerate other targeted species of trees, wildflowers, grasses, and vegetation.
  - Kill non-native plants and promote growth of native plants.
  - Prevent succession.
  - Remove woody growth and thatch from grasslands.
  - Promote fire tolerant species of plants and animals.
  - Create, enhance, and/or manage specialized habitats.
  - Improve habitat for rare species (Regal Fritillary, etc.)
  - Recycle nutrients and minerals contained in dead plant material.

Let’s look at some examples of prescribed fire being implemented right here in our own neighborhood…

Prescribed Fire at Fort Indiantown Gap — Prescribed fire is used regularly at Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to keep accumulations of woody and herbaceous fuels from accumulating on and around the training range areas where live ordinance and other sources of ignition could otherwise spark large, hard-to-control wildfires.

Prescribed fire in grassland. — A prescribed fire in late winter prevents this grassland consisting of Big Bluestem and native wildflowers from being overtaken by woody growth and invasive species. Fires such as this that are intended to interrupt the process of succession are repeated at least every three to five years.

Prescribed Fire to Control Invasive Species — In its wildlife food plots, prescribed fire is used by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to prevent succession and control invasive species such as Multiflora Rose, instead promoting the growth of native plants.

A woodlot understory choked with combustible fuels and tangles of invasive Multiflora Rose. — An example of a woodlot understory choked with combustible fuels and dense tangles of invasive Multiflora Rose. A forester has the option of prescribing a dose of dormant-season fire for a site like this to reduce the fuel load, top kill non-native vegetation, and regenerate native plants.

Precribed Fire to Eliminate Woody Growth — A dose of prescribed fire was administered on this grassland to kill the woody growth of small trees beginning to overtake the habitat by succession.

Precribed Fire Education Sign at middle creek Wildlife Management Area — The Pennsylvania Game Commission employs prescribed fire at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and on many of their other holdings to maintain grasslands.

Prescribed fire is used to eliminate invasive species including Multiflora Rose from grasslands at Middle Creek W.M.A. Annual burns on the property are conducted in a mosaic pattern so that each individual area of the grassland is exposed to the effects of fire only once every two to five years. Without fire or some type of mechanical or chemical intervention, succession by woody trees and shrubs would take hold after about seven years.

Prescribed fire is planned for a fraction of total grassland acreage at Middle Creek W.M.A. each year. Another section of the mosaic is targeted in the following year and yet another in the year that follows that. Because burns are conducted in the spring, grassland cover is available for wildlife throughout the winter. And because each year’s fire burns only a portion of the total grassland acreage, wildlife still has plenty of standing grass in which to take shelter during and after the prescribed fire.

Prescribed fire at Middle Creek W.M.A. provides grassland habitat for dozens of species of birds and mammals including the not-so-common Grasshopper Sparrow…

…and stocked Ring-necked Pheasants that do nest and raise young there.

Prescribed Burn Maintains Savanna-like Habitat — On a few sites in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed , prescribed fire is being used to establish and maintain savanna-like grasslands. This one, located on a dry, south-facing slope near numerous man-made sources of ignition, can easily be dosed with periodic prescribed burns to both prevent succession and reduce fuel accumulations that may lead to a devastating extreme fire.

Pitch Pines in Savanna-like Habitat — One year following a prescribed burn, this is the autumn appearance of a savanna-like habitat with fire-tolerant Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida), Bear Oak, warm-season grasses, and a variety of nectar-producing wildflowers for pollinators. These ecosystems are magnets for wildlife and may prove to be a manageable fit on sun-drenched sites adjacent to man-made land disturbances and their sources of ignition.

Red-headed Woodpecker Adult and Juvenile — Savanna-like grasslands with oaks and other scattered large trees, some of them dead, make attractive nesting habitat for the uncommon Red-headed Woodpecker.

Wild Turkey in Savanna-like Habitat — Prescribed fire can benefit hungry Wild Turkeys by maintaining savanna-like grasslands for an abundance of grasshoppers and other insects in summer and improving the success of mast-producing oaks for winter.

In the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, the caterpillar of the rare Eastern Buck Moth feeds on the foliage of the Bear Oak, also known as the Scrub Oak, a shrubby species that relies upon periodic fire to eliminate competition from larger trees in its early successional habitat.

Leaves of the Bear Oak in fall. The Bear Oak regenerates readily from top kill caused by fire.

Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea) is a native cool-season grass with a colorful inflorescence in spring. But given the right situation, it can aggressively overtake other species to create a pure stand lacking biodiversity. It is one of the few native species which is sometimes labelled “invasive”.

Prescribed Burn to Reduce Prevalence of Reed Canary Grass — Prescribed fire can be used to reduce an overabundance of Reed Canary Grass and its thatch in wetlands. Periodic burning can help restore species diversity in these habitats for plants and animals including rare species such as the endangered Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii).

On the range areas at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, disturbances by armored vehicles mimic the effects of large mammals such as the American Bison which periodically trampled grasses to prevent succession and the establishment of woody plants on its prairie habitat. To supplement the activity of the heavy vehicles and to provide suitable habitat for the very rare Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) butterflies found there, prescribed fire is periodically employed to maintain the grasslands on the range. These burns are planned to encourage the growth of “Fort Indiantown Gap Little Bluestem” grass as well as the violets used as host plants by the Regal Fritillary caterpillars. These fires also promote growth of a variety of native summer-blooming wildflowers to provide nectar for the adults butterflies.

Depiction of Pennsylvania's Last American Bison, Killed in Union County in 1801. (Exhibit: State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg) — A last record of a wild American Bison killed in Pennsylvania was an animal taken in the Susquehanna watershed in Union County in 1801. The species is thereafter considered extirpated from the state. Since that time, natural disturbances needed to regenerate warm-season grasses have been limited primarily to fires and riverine ice scour. The waning occurrence of both has reduced the range of these grasses and their prairie-like ecosystems in the commonwealth. (Exhibit: State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg)

A male Regal Fritillary on the range at Fort Indiantown Gap, where armored vehicles and prescribed fire provide suitable prairie-like habitat for this vulnerable species.

Honey Bee Collecting Minerals After Prescribed Burn — Prescribed fires return the nutrients and minerals contained in dead plant material to the soil. Following these controlled burns, insects like this Honey Bee can often be seen collecting minerals from the ashes.

Fly Collecting Minerals from Burned Grasses — A Greenbottle Fly gathering minerals from the ash following a prescribed burn.

In Pennsylvania, state law provides landowners and crews conducting prescribed fire burns with reduced legal liability when the latter meet certain educational, planning, and operational requirements. This law may help encourage more widespread application of prescribed fire in the state’s forests and other ecosystems where essential periodic fire has been absent for so very long. Currently in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, prescribed fire is most frequently being employed by state agencies on state lands—in particular, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on State Forests and the Pennsylvania Game Commission on State Game Lands. Prescribed fire is also part of the vegetation management plan at Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation and on the land holdings of the Hershey Trust. Visitors to the nearby Gettysburg National Military Park will also notice prescribed fire being used to maintain the grassland restorations there.

For crews administering prescribed fire burns, late March and early April are a busy time. The relative humidity is often at its lowest level of the year, so the probability of ignition of previous years’ growth is generally at its best. We visited with a crew administering a prescribed fire at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area last week. Have a look…

Members of a Pennsylvania Game Commission burn crew provide visitors to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area with an overview of prescribed fire. — Members of a Pennsylvania Game Commission burn crew provide visitors to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area with an overview of prescribed fire and the equipment and techniques they use to conduct a burn.

Burn Boss Checking Weather — Pennsylvania Game Commission Southeast Region Forester Andy Weaver will fulfill the role of Burn Boss for administering this day’s dose of fire. His responsibilities include assessing the weather before the burn and calculating a probability of ignition.

Burn Boss Briefing Crew — The Burn Boss briefs personnel with information on site layout, water supply location(s), places of refuge, emergency procedures, the event’s goals and plan of action, crew assignments, and the results of the weather check: wind from the northwest at 5 miles per hour, temperature 48 degrees, and the relative humidity 63%. Today’s patient is a parcel of warm-season grasses receiving a dose of fire to eliminate invasive non-native plants, woody growth, and thatch. The probability of ignition is 20%, but improving by the minute.

Prescribed Fire Test Burn — To begin the burn, a test fire is started in the downwind corner of the parcel, which also happens to be the bottom of the slope. Fuel ignition is good. The burn can proceed.

Igniting the Fire — Crews proceed uphill from the location of the test fire while igniting combustibles along both flanks of the area being treated.

Prescribed Fire Crew Member with Equipment — A drip torch is used to ignite the dried stems and leaves of warm-season grasses and wildflowers. Each member of the burn crew wears Nomex fire-resistant clothing and carries safety equipment including a two-way radio, a hydration pack, and a cocoon-like emergency fire shelter.

Wildfire ATV — An all-terrain vehicle equipped with various tools, a fire pump, hose, and a small water tank accompanies the crew on each flank of the fire.

Effective Fire Break — With green cool-season grasses already growing on the trails surrounding the burn zone, very little water was used to contain this prescribed fire. Where such convenient fire breaks don’t already exist, crews carry tools including chain saws, shovels, and leaf blowers to create their own. They also carry flame swatters, backpack water pumps, shovels, and other tools to extinguish fires if necessary. None of these items were needed to control this particular fire.

Halting the Process of Succession in a Grassland with Prescribed Fire — This fast-burning fire provides enough heat to damage the cambium layer of the woody tree and shrub saplings in this parcel being maintained as a grassland/wildflower plot, thus the process of succession is forestalled. Burns conducted during previous years on this and adjacent fields have also controlled aggressive growth of invasive Multiflora Rose and Olives (Elaeagnus species).

Containing the Fire on the Flanks — Crews proceed up the slope while maintaining the perimeter by igniting dry plant material along the flanks of the burn zone.

The Crew Monitors the Burn — Ignition complete, the crews monitor the fire.

Prescribed Fire: Natural Mosaic-style Burn Pattern — The Burn Boss surveys the final stages of a safe and successful prescribed fire. The fire has left behind a mosaic of burned and unburned areas, just as a naturally occurring event may have done. Wildlife dodging the flames may be taking refuge in the standing grasses, so there is no remedial attempt to go back and ignite these areas. They’ll be burned during prescribed fires in coming years.

And later in the summer, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails on Joe-pye Weed.

Bobolinks in Indiangrass — Bobolinks glow in the late August sun while taking flight from a stand of warm-season grasses maintained using springtime prescribed fire. The small dots on the dark background at the top of the image are multitudes of flying insects, many of them pollinators. The vegetation is predominately Indiangrass, excellent winter cover for birds, mammals, and other wildlife.

Prescribed burns aren’t a cure-all for what ails a troubled forest or other ecosystem, but they can be an effective remedy for deficiencies caused by a lack of periodic episodes of naturally occurring fire. They are an important option for modern foresters, wildlife managers, and other conservationists.

February 22, 2024February 24, 2024

Time to Order Trees and Shrubs for Spring

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.

Mature Trees in a Suburban Neighborhood — 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.

Cumberland County Conservation District Annual Tree Seedling Sale—

Orders due by: Friday, March 22, 2024

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.

Dauphin County Conservation District Seedling Sale—

Orders due by: Monday, March 18, 2024

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.

Lancaster County Annual Tree Seedling Sale—

Orders due by: Friday, March 8, 2024

Pickup on: Friday, April 12, 2024

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.

American Goldfinches and Pine Siskin on Sweet Gum — 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.

Sweet Gum in a Beaver Pond — 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.

Silky Dogwood Stream Buffer — “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.

Lebanon County Conservation District Tree and Plant Sale—

Orders due by: Friday, March 8, 2024

Pickup on: Friday, April 19, 2024

Common Pawpaw flower — 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.

Hybrid American Chestnut — Care to try your hand at raising some chestnuts? Lebanon County Conservation District has hybrid American Chestnut seedlings for sale.

Perry County Conservation District Tree Sale—

Orders due by: Sunday, March 24, 2024

Pickup on: Thursday, April 11, 2024

Pollinator Garden — 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.

Eastern Bluebird — Wait, what?,…twelve bucks,…that’s cheaper than renting!

York County Conservation District Seedling Sale—

Orders due by: Friday, March 15, 2024

Pickup on: Thursday, April 11, 2024

Buttonbush flower — 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.

Deciduous Tree Planting Protected by Shelters — 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!

January 26, 2024January 26, 2024

The Fog of a January Thaw

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.

York Haven Dam Powerhouse — 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.

Mallards and a pair of American Wigeon on a frozen lake. — 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.

American Robin in a Callery pear — 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.

American Robin — The January thaw has melted the snow from lawns and fields to provide thousands of visiting robins with a chance to forage for earthworms.

Cooper's Hawk — 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,…

…and this young Red-shouldered Hawk, an uncommon bird of prey most often found in wet woods and other lowlands.

Red-shouldered Hawk in flight. — Unimpressed, each of our visiting buteos remained for just a few minutes before moving on in search of more favorable hunting grounds and prey.

Early Successional Growth — As snow melted and exposed bare ground in fields of early successional growth, we encountered…

…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.

Adult Male Northern Harrier — 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…

Pileated Woodpecker in Silver Maple — 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.

January 22, 2024January 22, 2024

Birds Along the River’s Edge

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.

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.