LIFE IN THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED

March 17, 2025March 17, 2025

They Go Together Like Corned Beef and Cabbage

Find a stand of Common Cattails in a marsh, a stormwater basin, or along a pond edge right now and you’re almost certain to find a male Red-winged Blackbird …

March 16, 2025

Spring Golden Eagle Migration

It appears that spring has at last arrived. It’s time to have a look around!

Diurnal flights of northbound blackbirds including Common Grackles have been overspreading the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed since late February.

And thawed soils are providing opportunities for nocturnal migrants like American Robins to search for earthworms and other invertebrates during their daytime layovers.

Now that there is open water between here and the Great Lakes, flocks of waterfowl like these migratory Canada Geese are flying day and night on an excursion that will ultimately take them to their nesting grounds in the wilderness areas of Canada and Alaska.

Of the bird species that pass southbound through the lower Susquehanna valley during autumn, we can generally observe many of the surviving individuals as they return north during the spring. But there are numerous exceptions. One of them is Golden Eagles.

While the strong northwest winds of late autumn create ideal lift for migrating Golden Eagles along our linear ridges, they also tend to enhance the birds’ tendencies to “ridge hop” their way south, thus pushing many of them southeast from the main corridor of the eastern population’s route through the central Appalachian Mountains. Here in the lower Susquehanna region, we observe these vagabonds at our numerous hawk watches which happen to be located along the outer periphery of the birds’ primary flight path. It appears that a greater percentage of these wayward eagles tend to be younger, less-experienced birds than those seen passing hawk-counting stations in the central Appalachians. Lucky for us, we get to see more of the showy juvenile and immature Golden Eagles—at least during the fall season.

In the spring, southerly breezes and the urge to “ridge hop” in a northerly direction tend to concentrate Canada-bound migrating Golden Eagles along the northernmost ridges in their Appalachian flyway. To see them, we took a short drive up the Juniata River valley to the 90,000 acres of Rothrock State Forest and Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch. During our visit there earlier this week, gusty winds from the southwest brought us an opportunity to see the elusive northbound flights of some of the members of eastern North America’s population of Golden Eagles.

Jo Hays Vista, Rothrock State Forest — Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch is located along State Route 26 atop Tussey Mountain, just south of State College, Pennsylvania. Visitors can find ample parking at the Jo Hays Vista along the west side of the road on the crest of the ridge .

State College, Pennsylvania — Looking north from Jo Hays Vista to State College and the main campus of Penn State University. Bald Eagle Mountain is in the background and behind it lies Allegheny Front and Plateau.

From the Jo Hays Vista parking area, follow the Mid State Trail (orange blazes) south along the ridgetop for about a half mile to the Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch lookout.

Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch lookout — The lookout at Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch is located within a utility right-of-way with talus slopes flanking the ridgetop clearing.

Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch — An interpretive sign shows a statistical graphic describing the seasonal abundance of Golden Eagle sightings at the site. The peak time: late February through early April.

Observers at Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch — Tussey Mountain is the only hawk-watching station in the lower Susquehanna region staffed by an official counter to collect data during the spring migration season. You can view the daily counts at hawkcount.org. You can contribute to them by visiting the hawk watch to help scan the skies.

By late morning, a small flight of Golden Eagles had commenced. Most of the birds seen at Tussey Mountain are adult or near-adult birds with dark wing linings and slightly paler flight feathers. It’s a two-toned appearance similar to that of a Turkey Vulture and there is little if any variation in the length of the flight feathers. These birds are three years of age or older, are or soon will be sexually mature, and often travel in pairs separated by a minute or two of flight time.

This Golden Eagle caught our attention with its longer central tail feathers and some longer secondary feathers in the wings that create a wavy appearance. As they get older, immature eagles should become more skilled as fliers, so each new set of flight feathers is usually shorter than those they’re replacing. Based upon the characters contributing to its ragged appearance, this bird is probably in the early months of its fourth or fifth calendar year of life.

Common Ravens are forever vigilant around our regional hawk watches. They can sometimes help us find otherwise hard-to-spot migratory raptors in the bright, sunny skies.

Common Raven and Golden Eagle — Ravens really like to harass younger birds like this second or third-year Golden Eagle.

Older, more stoic raptors like this adult Bald Eagle spend less time contending with the antics of the persistent ravens.

Third-year Immature Golden Eagle — One of the final sightings of the day was this magnificent Golden Eagle. Look closely and you can see evidence of some molt completed last year in the outer tail feathers and the innermost primaries in the wings. On top, there were tawny bars on the wing coverts. This bird is probably just beginning its third calendar year of life and will start replacing many more flight feathers later this spring.

For more information on the region’s hawk watches and the birds you’ll see there, be certain to click the “Hawkwatchers Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab at the top of this page. And for a more detailed look at how to determine the age of Golden Eagles, particularly during the autumn migration, click the “Golden Eagle Aging Chart” tab at the top of this page.

February 26, 2025August 4, 2025

Winter Survival: Generalists and Specialists

We’ve seen worse, but this winter has been particularly tough for birds and mammals in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Due to the dry conditions of late summer and fall in 2024, the wild food crop of seeds, nuts, berries, and other fare has been less than average. The cold temperatures make insects hard to come by. Let’s have a look at how some of our local generalist and specialist species are faring this winter.

House Sparrows and a House Finch — House Sparrows (bottom) and House Finches (top) are generalists. To survive and thrive, they are adapted to a variety of habitats and types of food. House Sparrows live almost anywhere man-made structures are found. They are true omnivores and will eat almost anything, especially if they see something else try to eat it first. The House Sparrow’s close association with humans has allowed it to become the most widespread and successful living avian dinosaur. On a cold night, they’ll take shelter either within dense vegetation alongside a building or within the structure itself. Though not nearly as cosmopolitan, the House Finch has successfully colonized much of the eastern United States after escaping from captivity as a cage bird in New York during the middle of the twentieth century. Upon being trans-located here from the arid southwest, they adapted to suburbs and farmlands consuming primarily a granivore diet of seeds supplemented with seasonally available berries. They quickly became accustomed to offerings at bird-feeding stations as well. To survive the harsh winters in the northern sections of their range, eastern populations of House Finches are developing a pattern of migration. These movements are most evident in late fall when dozens or sometimes hundreds can be seen heading south over regional hawk-counting stations.

Northern Flicker feeding on Poison Ivy — Though they require dead trees for nesting and as places to find the grubs and adult insects upon which they primarily feed, woodpeckers including the Northern Flicker are generalists, seldom passing by a supply of fruits like these Poison Ivy berries as a source of winter food. Flickers regularly visit suburban areas where they’ll drop by at bird-feeding stations for suet. During the warmer months, they are the woodpecker most frequently seen on the ground where swarms of ants garner their full attention.

The Pileated Woodpecker is seldom found outside of mature forests where it digs relentlessly to remove grubs and other infestations from dead wood. But it is not a true specialist…

Pileated Woodpecker eating Poison Ivy — …it too finds a supply of Poison Ivy berries to be indispensable during a cold winter day.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a generalist, feeding mostly on insects, but also consuming small seeds and some berries, including those of Poison Ivy. It nests well to our north in tall spruces and other evergreens. During migration and in winter, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet may be found in deciduous trees, brush, and tall grass in habitats ranging from forests to parks and suburbia. This male is displaying its seldom-seen red crown.

The Golden-crowned Kinglet, seen here on a Poison Ivy vine, is more of a specialist than the Ruby-crowned species, though the two will often occur in mixed groups during the winter. The Golden-crowned Kinglet nests in Spruce-Fir forests and in conifers within mixed woodlands. Even during migration, and particularly in winter, these birds are seldom found far from a stand of large evergreens within which they find shelter for the night.

The Hermit Thrush’s generalist lifestyle allows it to survive cold season weather in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. During summer, it breeds in coniferous and mixed woods from the northern parts of our valley north into Canada and feeds primarily on worms, insects, and other arthropods. During migration and in winter, the Hermit Thrush becomes a regular visitor to deciduous forests, woody parks and suburbs, particularly where a supply of wild berries is available to supplement its diet.

Iconic as it pulls earthworms from lawns during the warmer months, the generalist American Robin is fully dependent upon a crop of berries to survive winter conditions in the lower Susquehanna valley. The drought afflicted wild food crop of 2024 has led to fewer robins spending the season here and has delayed the northward push of migrating birds until the ground thaws and the earthworms make the ground rumble once again.

It’s insects for the nestlings during spring and summer, then berries through the winter for the cheerful Eastern Bluebirds, another generalist species.

American Crows are an excellent example of a generalist species. They’ll go anywhere to find food and they’ll eat almost anything. Like the House Sparrow and several other generalists, they adapt very well to human activity and actually thrive on it. Garbage anyone?

Another career generalist is the widely worshiped White-tailed Deity, a species adapted to nearly all man-made landscapes with adequate vegetation upon which to browse. Pushed to the limit during severe weather, some individuals will consume carrion and even resort to cannibalism.

You might think the Great Blue Heron is a specialist. Nope, it’s an accomplished generalist. Great blues will live, feed, and breed on almost any body of fresh or brackish water. And their diet includes almost anything that swims. In winter, you’ll even see them in fields hunting mice and voles.

The Red-shouldered Hawk is a generalist with a diet ranging from amphibians and reptiles to small rodents and large insects. Mostly regarded as a species of bottomlands, they’ll frequent woodland edges, roadsides, and suburbia during the winter months.

During its periodic winter visits to the region, the American Tree Sparrow feeds on seeds among the grasses and forbs of semi-open country with scattered short shrubs and trees. A generalist species, it will show up at backyard bird-feeding stations, particularly during periods of inclement weather. In summer, the American Tree Sparrow nests in tundra with growths of stunted willows and spruce and their diet includes insects as a source of protein for themselves and their young.

The White-crowned Sparrow has similar winter habitat preferences to the tree sparrows…

White-crowned Sparrows — …it becomes adaptable and something of a generalist when searching for food during bad winter storms.

The Savannah Sparrow is an omnivore favoring insects in summer and seeds in winter. Though very closely tied to its grassland habitat year-round, snow cover can push these birds to enter woodier environs to consume fruits like these rose hips.

Dusk and dawn during the short days of winter are the prime hunting times of a mammal specialist, the Short-eared Owl. Its presence in the lower Susquehanna valley is dependent on two dominant factors: extensive grassland habitat and an adequate population of the owl’s favored food, the Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). The Short-eared Owl’s requirements as a specialist species make finding a suitable place to live difficult. Unlike the generalist birds and mammals that often adapt to the widespread man-made disturbances in the region, populations of specialists frequently become fragmented, reduced in abundance, and subject to extirpation.

The Meadow Vole is a generalist rodent that can be abundant in grasslands, early successional growth, fallow fields, marshlands, and, of course, meadows. They are primarily herbivores, but will occasionally consume insects and other arthropods. Usually nocturnal, some individuals venture out along their surface runways during daylight hours becoming vulnerable to diurnal raptors including kestrels, harriers, and buteos.

Short-eared Owl patrolling a grassland for Meadow Voles — A Short-eared Owl in near darkness patrolling a grassland for Meadow Voles.

The eastward expansion of the Coyote (Canis latrans), a species of western North America’s grasslands and scrublands, and its progressive mixing with the Wolf (Canis lupus) in these eastern extensions of its range, has produced an expanding population of very adaptable generalists we call Eastern Coyotes (Canis latrans var.). These omnivorous canines colonized the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed during the last four decades to replace extirpated wolves as the top-tier natural predator in the region. Their primary diet includes Meadow Voles in grasslands and other small mammals along woodland edges and in successional habitats. Seasonally, they consume the berries of numerous wild plants. Slightly larger than their western ancestors, Eastern Coyotes with the admixture of Wolf genetics can subdue small ungulates. Like other apex predators, they are attracted to vulnerable prey and thus play a crucial role in culling the weak and diseased among their potential quarry species to assure the health and potential of populations of these species as long-term sources of food energy. The benefit to the prey species is however largely diluted in populous areas of the northeast; most venison consumed by Eastern Coyotes here is in the form of road kill. During periods of extended snow cover when small rodents and other foods become inaccessible, Eastern Coyotes, particularly young individuals, will wander into new areas seeking sustenance. Sometimes they venture into cities and suburbs where they explore the neighborhoods in search of garbage and pet foods placed outside the home. (Video clip courtesy of Tyler and Grace Good. Click image to view.)

Wildlife certainly has a tough time making it through the winter in the lower Susquehanna valley. Establishing and/or protecting habitat that includes plenty of year-round cover and sources of food and water can really give generalist species a better chance of survival. But remember, the goal isn’t to create unnatural concentrations of wildlife, it is instead to return the landscape surrounding us into more of a natural state. That’s why we try to use native plants as much as possible. And that’s why we try to attract not only a certain bird, mammal, or other creature, but we try to promote the development of a naturally functioning ecosystem with a food web, a diversity of pollinating plants, pollinating insects, and so on. Through this experience, we stand a better chance of understanding what it takes to graduate to the bigger job at hand—protecting, enhancing, and restoring habitats needed by specialist species. These are efforts worthy of the great resources that are sometimes needed to make them a success. It takes a mindset that goes beyond a focus upon the welfare of each individual animal to instead achieve the discipline to concentrate long-term on the projects and processes necessary to promote the health of the ecosystems within which specialist species live and breed. It sounds easier than it is—the majority of us frequently become distracted.

Being an individual from a population of a very successful generalist species is no guarantee of survival. This Eastern Gray Squirrel fell from a tall tree when the limbs became ice covered during a storm earlier this month. Just a freak accident? Maybe, but mistakes like this are often fatal in the natural world. This squirrel’s passing may seem brutal, but it provides a better opportunity for other squirrels and animals that share its food and cover requirements to make it through the winter. And those survivors that didn’t suffer such a fatal mistake or, more importantly, don’t possess a vulnerability that may have contributed to such a mishap will have a chance to pass those traits on to a new generation. This squirrel as an individual is gone, its species lives on, and may be stronger for its passing.

Prescribed Burn of a Grassland — Pennsylvania Game Commission crews maintain a grassland ecosystem for Short-eared Owls and other specialists using prescribed fire to prevent succession beyond its earliest stages. Among the additional specialist species benefiting from this management tool are Monarchs and other butterflies whose host plants survive early-season fire, but not competition with woody vines, shrubs, trees, and invasive herbaceous growth.

On the wider scale, it’s of great importance to identify and protect the existing and potential future habitats necessary for the survival of specialist species. And we’re not saying that solely for their benefit. These protection measures should probably include setting aside areas on higher ground that may become the beach intertidal zone or tidal marsh when the existing ones become inundated. And it may mean finally getting out of the wetlands, floodplains, and gullies to let them be the rain-absorbing, storm-buffering, water purifiers they spent millennia becoming. And it may mean it’s time to give up on building stick structures on tinderbox lands, especially hillsides and rocky outcrops with shallow, eroding soils that dry to dust every few years. We need to think ahead and stop living for the view. If you want to enjoy the view from these places, go visit and take plenty of pictures, or a video, that’s always nice—then live somewhere else. Each of these areas includes ecosystems that meet the narrow habitat requirements of many of our specialist species, and we’re building like fools in them. Then we feign victimhood and solicit pity when the calamity strikes: fires, floods, landslides, and washouts—again and again. Wouldn’t it be a whole lot smarter to build somewhere else? It may seem like a lot to do for some specialist animals, but it’s not. Because, you see, we should and can live somewhere else—they can’t.

The Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister), a threatened species in Pennsylvania and a critically imperiled species in Maryland, is a habitat specialist requiring the forested rocky slopes, talus-flanked ridgetops, and caves of the Ridge and Valley Province for its nest sites and survival. Isolated populations survived within similar environs in the lower Susquehanna River valley’s Piedmont Province and on South Mountain through at least the first half of the twentieth century, but have since been extirpated. Human encroachment that fragments their habitat and promotes exposure to parasite-hosting mammals including the Raccoon (*Procyon lotor)*, carrier of the Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascarius procyonis), could prove fatal to remaining populations of this native mammal. (National Park Service image by Rick Olsen)

The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) is a specialist species that uses its highly adapted bill to feed on marine invertebrates including mollusks, few of which are actually oysters. Reliant upon tidal ecosystems for its survival, many of the seashore animals that make up this wader’s diet are themselves specialist species. Oystercatchers spend nearly their entire lives in tidal marshes or within the intertidal zone on beaches. They also frequent rocky jetties, particularly during high tide. This individual was photographed near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay in Northhampton County, Virginia, a location that, when the waters of the Atlantic started rising over 10,000 years ago, was the lower Susquehanna valley about 60 miles from the river’s mouth at present-day Norfolk Canyon along the edge of the continental shelf. Get the drift?

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.

February 10, 2025February 11, 2025

Groundhog Stew

Our procrastinating groundhog

Susquehanna Stew

Is out to have a look around

Eight days overdue

Nibbling on some morsels

Basking in the sun

Almost three months since his last meal

Gee, that must be fun

But eating dried-up grasses

Might not do the trick

He might start feeling woozy

Or even getting sick

All this nonstop grazing

Stew’s just like a cow

He needs to find a way to stop

And end this binge right now

So when he saw his shadow

He knew just what to do

Time to head down under

‘Til wintertime is through

This crazy superstition

Sure did take its toll

The situation’s urgent

He’s headed for his hole

But Stew’s no fan of digging

Or all that woodchuck hype

This marmot has no burrow

His home’s a broken pipe

So if you want to see him

In springtime when it rains

Keep an eye on the clover field

Outside the flooding drains

Always a great time Stew. See you in the spring. And remember, it’s never a good idea to be late for dinner, so stay away from the carrots, celery, potatoes, and onions—someone may get the wrong idea!

January 12, 2025

Out for a Walk at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

And we were not alone.

Sandhill Cranes take a walk on the ice at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area’s Willow Point earlier today.

January 3, 2025January 2, 2025

A Final Look at the Bald Eagles of 2024

As it turns out, 2024 was a big year for Bald Eagles—being officially named the national bird and all. You may be surprised to learn that the ringing in of a new year brings with it a new age class designation for all non-adult eagles. Sound confusing? No need to worry. We were fortunate enough to get pictures of about half of the Bald Eagles we happened to see in the lower Susquehanna valley earlier today, so we thought it only proper to share with you both the images and an explanation.

Adult Bald Eagle — An adult Bald Eagle in definitive plumage, a bird probably in at least its sixth year of life and at least five years old. Tomorrow, New Year’s Day 2025, will be the first day of at least its seventh year of life.

Hatch-year Bald Eagle — A hatch-year/juvenile Bald Eagle beginning to show the abundance of white it will possess in the wing linings and on the belly during its second and third years. Under the age classification system we’ve adopted here, non-adult eagles will be advanced to the next in the series of sequential age categories beginning tomorrow, New Year’s Day. This first-year bird, born sometime during 2024, will thereafter be designated as a second-year/Basic I Bald Eagle for the duration of 2025.

Second-year Bald Eagle — A second-year/basic I immature Bald Eagle showing lots of white below and a jagged appearance to the trailing edge of the wings. This untidy look is caused by retention of some of the longer juvenile secondaries among flight feathers that were dropped and replaced by shorter ones earlier this year during the bird’s first molt.

Fourth-year Bald Eagle — A fourth-year/basic III immature Bald Eagle on the eve of becoming a fifth-year/basic IV immature bird. By the end of 2025, this eagle may very well be indiscernible from older adult Bald Eagles in definitive plumage.

Bald Eagle and Red-shouldered Hawk — A fourth-year/basic III immature Bald Eagle and an adult Red-shouldered Hawk doing a New Year’s Eve tango.

That’s a wrap, and that’s it for 2024. Have a Happy New Year! See you in 2025.

December 30, 2024December 30, 2024

Photo of the Day

Introduced species often exhibit greater vigor than the plants and animals that are indigenous to an ecosystem. Today, we found this Red-eared Slider, a native of the lower Mississippi River basin, basking in the intermittent sunshine on the edge of a Susquehanna valley pond still partially covered with ice from the deep freeze earlier this month. These turtles do not hibernate but instead brumate, remaining motionless on the bottom of the pond or under adjacent embankments. During brumation, they eat nothing, but will come to the surface to bask on warm winter days. This ability to be a “light sleeper” gives the invasive Red-eared Slider an advantage over the native turtles in our ponds, lakes, and rivers. When spring finally does arrive, they’ll be the first to emerge and begin feeding, gaining the vitality they’ll need to start mating and depositing eggs before the local species. Red-eared Sliders were released into the waters of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed as unwanted pets and are now freely reproducing. Their growing numbers are displacing some of our native species including several of our uncommon and rare turtles.

December 29, 2024January 12, 2025

Three Diminutive Geese at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

In addition to the Canada Geese and Snow Geese currently visiting Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, three smaller geese of interest were seen there this afternoon.

Ross's Goose — **Small Goose #1-** First reported several days ago, this Ross’s Goose continues to be seen in the company of Canada Geese.

**Small Goose #2-** Just 100 feet to the right of the Ross’s Goose, we spotted this dark little Cackling Goose, another rarity. It is probably a Richardson’s Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii), a subspecies that nests in the arctic tundra of north-central Canada.

Compare the bill size and shape, Canada Goose vs. Cackling Goose. — Compare the bill size and shape, Canada Goose to the left and Cackling Goose to the right.

There you have it, the three little geese—a Ross’s and two Cackling. They’re among North America’s smallest of the geese species and seldom are they seen so close together.

December 27, 2024December 28, 2024

White Friday: Snow-colored Waterfowl Glowing in the Winter Sun

Our outing at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area was today highlighted by teasing views of glistening white geese and swans—the tundra breeders that by February will create a sensation attracting thousands of birders, photographers, and other visitors to the refuge.

At noisy flock of at least five hundred high-flying Snow Geese arrived at Middle Creek just after noontime.

"Blue Geese" and Snow Geese — Several of the “Blue Goose” color morphs were easily discernible among the hundreds of typical white birds.

A short while later, some of the fifty or more Tundra Swans that have been visiting Middle Creek throughout the week started to stir,…

December 26, 2024December 27, 2024

A Ross’s Goose the Easy Way

The Ross’s Goose (Anser rossii) is a rare but regular transient in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. This species nests in the arctic tundra of northernmost central Canada and winters in the valleys of California and in parts of Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, primarily near the northwestern rim of the Gulf of Mexico. A population also spends the colder months in western Texas, New Mexico, and an adjacent portion of north-central Mexico. The Ross’s Goose looks like a tiny version of a Snow Goose and is most often detected among flocks of these latter birds during their late winter visits to our area. Finding a single Ross’s Goose among thousands of Snow Geese can oft times be an insurmountable challenge, so it’s nice when one decides to drop by in a crowd within which it is much more discernible.

Snow Geese and Canada Geese — A couple of Snow Geese along with Canada Geese and other waterfowl seen this afternoon from the Willow Point overlook at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.

Ross's Goose with Canada Geese — A petite little Ross’s Goose seen late this afternoon among several hundred Canada Geese north of Willow Point.

Ross's Goose and Canada Geese — The Ross’s Goose was last seen walking across the ice to the distant northern shoreline of the lake where it and the Canada Geese were later flushed skyward by several Bald Eagles.

In case you were wondering—yes, despite the ice on Middle Creek’s lake, the Sandhill Cranes are still being seen in the vicinity of Willow Point.

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.

December 18, 2024December 19, 2024

Seven Reasons to Visit Middle Creek’s Willow Point Right Now

Here are 7 reasons why you, during the coming week or so, should consider spending some time at Willow Point overlooking the lake at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.

REASON NUMBER ONE— Wildlife is at close quarters along the trail leading from the parking lot to Willow Point…

Look carefully and you may see one or more species of woodpeckers in the mature trees. We found this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in a maple near the trail’s terminus at the Willow Point viewing area.

REASON NUMBER TWO— A variety of waterfowl species are lingering on ice-free sections of the lake surrounding Willow Point…

Noisy flocks of Tundra Swans and Canada Geese on open water at Willow Point.

Mallards — Mallard drakes near the point.

A small flock of Green-winged Teal feeding among the Mallards.

A flock of Northern Shovelers has been frequenting the shallows along the south side of Willow Point for at least two weeks.

Common Mergansers diving for benthic fare.

REASON NUMBER THREE— Bald Eagles are conspicuous, easily seen and heard…

REASON NUMBER FOUR— Northern Harriers have been making close passes over Willow Point as they patrol Middle Creek’s grasslands while hunting voles…

REASON NUMBER FIVE— The annual observance of the White-tailed Deity holidays may be drawing to a close for the gasoline and gunpowder gang, but for the supreme ungulates, the rituals that lead to consummation of their unions are still ongoing…

REASON NUMBER SIX— Sandhill Cranes are still being seen from Willow Point…

REASON NUMBER SEVEN— The crowds that will accompany the arrival of thousands of Snow Geese in early 2025 can make visiting Willow Point a stressful experience. Visit now to see these birds and mammals at Willow Point and you might just have the place all to yourself. Then you can spend your time looking through the flocks of waterfowl and other birds for unusual new arrivals instead of wading through a sea of humanity.

December 17, 2024

Photo of the Day

Freezing water to the north of the lower Susquehanna valley is currently pressuring migratory waterfowl including these Hooded Mergansers to come south. As local ponds and lakes also become coated with ice, open water on the river offers many benthic feeders their only opportunity to forage.

December 11, 2024December 14, 2024

Purple Finch Irruption?

Each spring and fall, Purple Finches are regular migrants through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Northbound movements usually peak in April and early May. During the summer, these birds nest primarily in cool coniferous forests to our north. Then, in October and November each year, they make another local appearance on their way to wintering grounds in the southeastern United States. A significant population of Purple Finches remains to our north through the colder months, inhabiting spruce-pine and mixed forests from the Great Lakes east through New England and southeastern Canada. This population can be irruptive, moving south in conspicuous numbers to escape inclement weather, food shortages, and other environmental conditions. Every few years, these irruptive birds can be found visiting suburbs, parks, and feeding stations—sometimes lingering in areas not often visited by Purple Finches. Right now, Purple Finches in flocks larger than those that moved through earlier in the fall are being seen throughout the lower Susquehanna valley. Snow and blustery weather to our north may be prompting these birds to shift south for a visit. Here are some looks at members of a gathering of more than four dozen Purple Finches we’ve been watching in Lebanon County this month…

Male Purple Finch — A male Purple Finch in successional forest edge habitat consumes seeds from a dried stand of goldenrod.

December 9, 2024December 9, 2024

Photo of the Day

December 2, 2024December 3, 2024

Eagles at Conowingo Dam

Few places in North America offer an observer the opportunity to stand in one spot and, with a single 180° sweep of a pair of binoculars, count 165 Bald Eagles. Sounds impossible, but we experienced just that earlier today along the Susquehanna River below Conowingo Dam at Fisherman’s Park off U.S. Route 1 west of Rising Sun, Maryland. More than 200 eagles are there right now, so you really ought to think about visiting to see it for yourself. If you can’t make the trip, or if you need a little more convincing, we’ve put together a big collection of photographs for you to enjoy. Have a look…

Eagle Watchers at Fisherman's Park, Conowingo Dam — In late November and December, hundreds of eagle watchers and photographers travel to Fisherman’s Park along the west shore of the Susquehanna River below Conowingo Dam/U.S. Route 1 to witness the largest annual gathering of our national symbol on the east coast.

Fisherman's Park at Conowingo Dam — The park provides facilities for viewing right on the waterfront and is maintained by the operator of the hydroelectric dam, Constellation Energy.

Bald Eagles along the East Shore of the Susquehanna below Conowingo Dam — From the riverside viewing area, we counted 165 Bald Eagles on the rocks along the east shore of the river and on the electric transmission line trestles. That count didn’t include scores of additional birds obstructed from our view along the near shore downstream and along the east shore behind the mid-river island below the dam.

Third-year Bald Eagle — A third-year/basic II immature Bald Eagle showing a neater, cleaner trailing edge of the wings with no more long juvenile flight feathers. The wide dark stripe through the face gives the bird an osprey-like appearance. The bill color is usually more noticeably yellow than a second-year bird, but both can have extensive white in the belly feathers and elsewhere on the underside and shoulders.

Third-year Bald Eagles — Third-year/basic II immature Bald Eagles exhibiting aggressive behavior.

Gulls at the Conowingo Dam Turbine House — The water passing through the dam not only attracts eagles, but other birds as well. Many, including these gulls, are looking for fish stunned or disoriented by their trip through the turbines, gates, or spillways.

More than one hundred Ring-billed Gulls are currently being seen at Conowingo Dam.

We saw a few American Herring Gulls as well.

Juvenile American Herring Gull — A juvenile American Herring Gull.

Probably a hundred Black Vultures or more were in the vicinity.

A Black Vulture by the park’s riverside lookout.

We heard this Peregrine Falcon as it tangled with several eagles behind us before it quickly darted away across the top of the powerhouse and dam.

Double-crested Cormorants were diving persistently in search of unwary prey.

Double-crested Cormorant eating Gizzard Shad. — A composite image of a Double-crested Cormorant gulping down a Gizzard Shad.

Eagle Photographers at Conowingo Dam — But these vigilant eagle watchers and photographers don’t come to Conowingo Dam and Fisherman’s Park to see Bald Eagles of various age classes flying around. Nor do they come to see the other amazing birds attracted to the waters passing through the dam.

Bald Eagles Mix It Up — And they don’t even come to see some pretty good aerial fights among the numerous eagles congregated in the river gorge.

Immature Bald Eagle Fishing — They come specifically to see and photograph Bald Eagles swooping in to grab a fish. That’s their objective and they’re serious about it!

Fourth-year Bald Eagle with Gizzard Shad — A probable fourth-year/basic III immature Bald Eagle with a Gizzard Shad.

Bald Eagle with Gizzard Shad — A Bald Eagle, possibly a fifth-year/basic IV bird, carrying away a freshly caught Gizzard Shad.

Adult Bald Eagle Fishing — An adult Bald Eagle comes in for the grab.

If you go to Fisherman’s Park, time your visit for when the light is at its best—late morning through early afternoon. Don’t forget, it’s very cold down along the river, so dress appropriately. And finally, visit on a weekday if you can. The parking area can fill to capacity during the weekend and you may be turned away.

Don’t wait. The eagles visiting the Susquehanna at Conowingo Dam could get pushed further south by rough winter weather. Then again, adult pairs may take advantage of milder conditions to begin returning north early to nest.

November 29, 2024November 30, 2024

Photo of the Day

Bald Eagle at Nest — The arrival of arctic air and sub-freezing temperatures reminds us that winter is soon here. But for this Bald Eagle, preparations for spring are already underway. Pairs nesting in the lower Susquehanna valley have begun courtship and many females will be incubating eggs in January. By March, parents will be bringing food to hungry nestlings. The timing of the Bald Eagle’s breeding cycle provides the best chances for an adequate supply of provisions for their young. Their peak demand for food coincides with the arrival of thousands of migrating waterfowl and other birds and with the migration of suckers and other fish on local streams. From these massive legions of migrants, adult eagles cull the weak and vulnerable, or scavenge the carcasses of those that have already perished. Bald Eagles in Florida and elsewhere in the south have a nesting schedule with similar benefits; their young are hatching now to fed by parents taking advantage of the immense numbers of waterfowl and other birds presently arriving to spend the winter there.

November 27, 2024November 30, 2024

Nothing But Leftovers?

If you provide supplemental foods for the birds visiting your garden sanctuary, we don’t need to tell you how expensive those provisions have become. It can be quite frustrating when the majority of these pricey supplies get gobbled up by the chunky squirrels that dominate your feeding station and leave hungry birds with nothing but the tiny little scraps.

Here at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters, we like to feed whole peanuts in the shell to the resident and migratory native birds. But placed out in the open on a stump or a tray, or even within a hopper feeder, peanuts are quickly carried away and cached for latter use by squirrels and jays. The chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, wrens, and woodpeckers that could really use the extra food to maintain their body fat through the winter get nothing but leftovers.

It’s not unusual for squirrels and jays to scarf up and carry away 90% or more of the expensive peanuts placed at your feeding station. The dozen or more other species of native birds that will partake of this offering get the leftovers or nothing at all.

We’ve discovered a solution that, for us, saves money and more efficiently feeds the native species of birds that stop by our oasis. We’ve been using inexpensive ($6-$8) wire mesh tube feeders intended for suet nuggets to serve whole peanuts in the shell to our guests. As long as they can’t knock the feeders to the ground, squirrels have failed to raid the contents. Like other birds, Blue Jays can still peck away to remove the peanuts from their shells and eat them on the spot, but they can no longer haul off a whole feeder load at a time. Each must carefully crack the shell and remove an individual peanut or portion thereof for immediate consumption. The empty shells remain mostly in the tubes and don’t make a mess. Pesky hoards of non-native European Starlings sometimes visit, but soon become frustrated because their bills aren’t adapted for cracking the hardened peanut husks; they grab any loose morsels they can get, then move along.

Suet Nugget Feeders — We assemble these suet nugget feeders without installing the included perches. We fill them with UNSALTED peanuts in the shell, then hang them from stiff wire hooks beneath the larger horizontal limbs on some of our trees. About every 5 to 10 days, we take them down to remove empty shells, clean the feeder, and add peanuts. A 2-pound bag that would disappear within hours if freely accessible to squirrels now fills 3 feeders or more and nourishes our native birds for a week or longer.

The list of native birds visiting our peanut feeders includes:

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Blue Jay

Carolina Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Carolina Wren

So don’t pay hard-earned cash to feed nothing but leftovers to your intended guests, give wire mesh tube feeders and whole peanuts in the shell a try. The colorful native birds will thank you with their presence.

November 23, 2024November 24, 2024

Photo of the Day

Rainbow Over Stony Creek Valley — Late this afternoon, this rainbow accompanied passage of a brief rain shower over the Stony Creek Valley and Saint Anthony’s Wilderness near Rausch’s Gap in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.

November 21, 2024November 21, 2024

Photo of the Day

There’s now a sense of urgency because for the Eastern Chipmunk, the opportunities to gather and store nuts, seeds, and acorns are slipping away. The time has arrived for retreat to its burrow where, because it stores no body fat for winter, this member of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) relies upon its cache of provisions for snacking between periods of extended slumber during the coldest months of the year.

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.

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.

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.

November 14, 2024November 15, 2024

Another Unusual Golden Eagle?

Golden Eagle and Common Raven — This Golden Eagle was seen tangling with a Common Raven as it passed a lower Susquehanna valley hawk-counting station earlier today.

Unusual Golden Eagle? — A composite image shows a close-up view of the migrating raptor. It has the showy white tail with a black terminal band that Golden Eagle enthusiasts regard as particularly spectacular on these majestic birds when they’re young. But where are the conspicuous white patches in the wings? And just how old is this eagle? We’ll give you a hint; if you note the appropriate field marks, this is actually a classic example of a bird its age. To learn the critical field marks and to determine the age of this bird, be certain to click the “Golden Eagle Aging Chart” tab at the top of this page.

November 12, 2024November 13, 2024

Yet Another “Barthelemyi Golden Eagle” at Second Mountain Hawk Watch

Earlier today, observers at Second Mountain Hawk Watch at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, were treated to excellent looks at a migrating “Bartelemyi Golden Eagle”, a rare variant of the species recognized by white scapulars that mimic a pair of epaulets on the shoulders.

For more information on the “Barthelemyi Golden Eagle” sightings at Second Mountain, see our post from December 6, 2023.

Remember, it ain’t over ’til it’s over, there are still more eagles and other raptors on the way! And if you’d like to catch a glimpse of one of these rare “Barthelemyi Golden Eagles”…well, you know where you oughta be.

November 12, 2024November 14, 2024

A Visit to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Mid-November is our favorite time of year to visit Hawk Mountain Sanctuary on Blue Mountain/Kittatinny Ridge just to the east of the lower Susuquehanna valley near Kempton, Pennsylvania. By now, the huge crowds that come to see October’s world-famous raptor flights and spectacular fall foliage have dwindled to small groups of serious hawkwatchers and hardy trail enthusiasts. Join us as we drop in on the Keystone State’s most famous birding destination.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Entrance — The entrance to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is located at 1700 Hawk Mountain Road off PA Route 895 east of PA Route 61.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Headquarters — Start your visit with a stop inside the refuge headquarters building where you’ll find raptor ecology and migration displays, a gift shop, and a window overlooking a busy bird-feeding station. Hawk Mountain is a non-profit organization that receives no taxpayer support and relies largely upon membership fees and donations for the majority of its operating expenses. Inside the headquarters building, you can pay dues and join on the spot.

Native Plant Garden — The native plant habitat includes a pond and a rain garden that collects stormwater from the roof of the headquarters building. There’s also a memorial fern garden named for the refuge’s first curator, Maurice Broun, author of a 1938 index to the ferns of North America.

Trail Sign — After a visit to the habitat garden, it’s time to make our way toward the lookouts.

PA Historical Marker, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. — 2024 marks the 90th anniversary of the founding of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. We stopped at the trail crossing along the mountain road to admire this newly erected sign.

Hawk Mounatin Sanctuary Trailhead Gate — Trail fees are collected to support the sanctuary’s operations and maintain its 2,600 acres. Members enter free.

Hawk Mountain Interpretive Kiosk — Interpretive signs and trail information are provided throughout the refuge, particularly along the mile-long climb to the North Lookout.

River of Rocks Trail — Aside from the route to the lookouts (along which sturdy shoes and good balance are a must), many of the sanctuary’s hiking trails require special equipment and preparations. Be certain to follow the posted guidelines.

Raptor education panels along the lookout trail. — The scope of Hawk Mountain’s educational mission includes topics ranging from local Appalachian natural history to global raptor conservation.

Hawk Mountain South Lookout — Just a few hundred yards from the entrance gate, South Lookout provides a panoramic view of the “River of Rocks” talus outcrop and beyond. On days with southerly winds, autumn raptor flights are sometimes enumerated from this location.

Hawk Mountain’s “classroom in the sky”, the North Lookout, hosts school and scout groups learning raptor identification and ecology. It’s the sanctuary’s primary location for counting thousands of migrating birds of prey each fall.

Students quickly learn to identify distant Turkey Vultures by their upturned wings held in a dihedral posture and by their rocking motion in flight.

Hawk Mountain North Lookout — After the pupils depart for the day, there are but few observers remaining to find and count passing hawks and eagles during mid-November.

While sitting quietly among the boulders of North Lookout waiting for the next bird to come along, one can be treated to a visit by one or more of a local population of Southern Red-backed Voles (Clethrionomys gapperi).

Red-tailed Hawks remain common among the flights of mid-November migrants.

While you were busy looking up, the Southern Red-backed Vole was at your feet scarfing up the crumbs from your sandwich. When not availed of our leftovers, its diet includes seeds, various plant parts, and subterranean fungi.

Playful groups of Common Ravens often provide comic relief during interludes in the parade of migrants.

Don’t look now, but your friend the vole has scurried away and a Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda) has arrived from beneath the rocks to finish the remnants of your lunch. On the rocky outcrops atop the ridges of southeastern Pennsylvania, these mammals are often found in close company; Red-backed Voles traveling through the burrows and runways created by Northern Short-tailed Shrews instead of excavating their own. Unlike the vegetarian voles, shrews are classified as insectivores, behaving mostly as carnivorous mammals. Equipped with salivary venom, they can consume prey as large as other similarly sized vertebrates, including small voles.

But late-season visitors really want to see a Golden Eagle. On a chilly day with gusty northwest winds, few are disappointed.

Hatch-year/juvenile American Goshawk — We got very lucky during a recent day on North Lookout, spotting this rarity, a hatch-year/juvenile American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus), a species which, in 2023, was split from the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), a species which was simultaneously assigned the new common name Eurasian Goshawk. Even more recently, within the past several weeks, the genus name Astur has replaced Accipiter for the goshawks, now formally known as the the American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus) and the Eurasian Goshawk (Astur gentilis). The new classification includes Cooper’s Hawk in the genus Astur, while the Sharp-shinned Hawk remains in the genus Accipiter.

If the cold of mid-November doesn’t cramp your style, and if you’d like to seize your best opportunity for a much-coveted sighting of one or more of the late-season specialties, then now is the time to visit Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Bring a cushion upon which to sit, dress in layers, pack a lunch, and plan to spend the day. You could be rewarded with memorable views of the seldom-encountered species some people spend years of their lives hoping to see.

To learn more, check out the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary website.

November 8, 2024November 8, 2024

Posts

They Go Together Like Corned Beef and Cabbage

Bald Eagles in March

Photo of the Day

Spring Golden Eagle Migration

Winter Survival: Generalists and Specialists

Think Spring: Order Your Seedlings Now!

Groundhog Stew

Out for a Walk at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

An Early Winter Interlude

Photo of the Day

Photo of the Day

A Final Look at the Bald Eagles of 2024

Photo of the Day

Three Diminutive Geese at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

White Friday: Snow-colored Waterfowl Glowing in the Winter Sun

A Ross’s Goose the Easy Way

Photo of the Day

Seven Reasons to Visit Middle Creek’s Willow Point Right Now

Photo of the Day

Purple Finch Irruption?

Photo of the Day

Eagles at Conowingo Dam

Photo of the Day

Nothing But Leftovers?

Photo of the Day

Photo of the Day

Five Favorite Visitors from the Northern Forests

Another Unusual Golden Eagle?

Yet Another “Barthelemyi Golden Eagle” at Second Mountain Hawk Watch

A Visit to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Photo of the Day

Photo of the Day

Photo of the Day