First thing this morning, this juvenile Eastern Bluebird left the safety of a nest box at the susquehannawildlife.net headquarters. Its parents remain nearby and will continue watching over and feeding it for a couple of weeks. Remember to give young birds and animals plenty of space. Keep your covert cats in the house and your overt dogs on a leash. And don’t assume that the cute little animals you find need your help, it’s almost always best to just leave them alone.
This juvenile Great Horned Owl and its sibling have attained their first set of flight feathers and left the nest. The duo is still being watched and fed by their parents, which remain hidden in a nearby woodlot.
A “Taiga Merlin” (Falco columbarius columbarius) with an Eastern Kingbird snatched from midair. Both these species are accomplished fliers that rely upon aerial pursuit to catch their prey, the former preferring small birds and the latter flying insects.
A Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons) in a Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata) along the Conewago Creek east of Conewago Falls. This Neotropical migrant nests sparingly along stream courses throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.
The Common Yellowthroat is one of our most frequently encountered warblers. It can be found in almost any shrubby habitat, but is particularly numerous in streamside and wetland thickets. Many remain through the summer to nest and raise young.
Great Crested Flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitus) are arriving now in forests throughout the lower Susquehanna valley. Those that don’t pass through will stay to nest in tree cavities including old woodpecker excavations, so let those snags standing!
The Blue-winged Warbler is a Neotropical migrant that nests among successional growth near taller timber in scattered locations throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Its song, a ringing “beee-bzzz”, is one of the easiest in the warbler family repertoire to recognize and remember. The Blue-winged Warbler has become less widespread as a breeding species as forests and woodlots have matured and utility right-of-ways are sprayed or cleared of shrubs and small trees with greater frequency.
The Northern Parula is a Neotropical migrant that nests in mature forest trees along the lower Susquehanna. It is a warbler most often located by listening for its buzzy song, “zzzzzzzup”, then searching the treetops in the area with hope of detecting its movements there.
The Blackburnian Warbler, a Neotropical migrant, feeds high in the canopy of mature forests during stopovers in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, so you need to look up to find one. This male was seen searching for insects along the branches of an American Beech (Fagus grandifolia).
The Gray Garden Slug (Deroceras reticulatum) is an invasive inhabitant of places subjected to human disturbance, especially cultivated farmland and, as the common name suggests, gardens. They are most active at night, hiding beneath plant litter, trash, and rocks during the daytime. This inch-long specimen was photographed while out and about on a recent dreary and damp afternoon. Natural enemies of terrestrial slugs include birds, toads, frogs, snakes, and some beetles in the family Caribidae. In the field and vegetable patch, keeping leaf litter and other debris away from the base of young plants can reduce damage caused by these hungry mollusks.
In spring, the majority of migrating Rusty Blackbirds move north through the lower Susquehanna basin in late March and April. Some, like this female seen yesterday along a forested tributary of Conewago Creek east of Conewago Falls, linger into May. Because it is almost exclusively a denizen of wet bottomlands, the Rusty Blackbird is the least numerous of the regularly occurring blackbirds in our region.
The handsome Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the earliest and most numerous of the warblers to migrate through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed each spring. Look for them now in woodlots and forests throughout the area.
If you’ve ever worked in a plant nursery at this time of year, you’ve certainly heard this inquiry from customers looking for something unique, “What is that little tree with the pink-purple blooms that’s flowering right now along the edge of the woods?” It’s the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), also known as the Judas Tree, a spectacular species for inclusion in garden landscapes, along forest edges, or as part of a vegetated riparian buffer. In coming weeks, the showy blossoms, which pollinators adore, will give way to an abundance of handsome heart-shaped leaves. The northern edge of the native range for this member of the legume (pea) family happens to include the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, so it does quite well here. Because the Eastern Redbud only grows to a height of twenty to thirty feet, it can be planted near homes and other buildings. It would make a great choice for your Arbor Day project this Friday, April 29.
The aquatic larval stage of a damselfly is commonly known as a nymph. It feeds on small underwater invertebrates, then, as an adult, transitions to grabbing flying insects in midair. While many species inhabit streams, Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) nymphs are found primarily in wetlands and small pools of water. This one was produced from eggs laid last summer among submerged vegetation in the susquehannawildlife.net headquarters pond. In just a few weeks, it will climb a stem or cluster of leaves and transform into a colorful adult-stage damselfly known as an imago. To see a photo gallery featuring this and other species of odonates found in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, click on the “Damselflies and Dragonflies” tab at the top of this page.
A “Tiger” Wolf Spider (Tigrosa species) lurks beneath the doorstep at the susquehannawildlife.net headquarters. These arachnids reach only about one inch in length but appear startlingly larger due to their husky build. To feed, Wolf Spiders spin no web for snagging flying insects. Instead, they keep watch with their eight eyes, then ambush or chase down suitable prey. If handled roughly or pinched between an object such as a shoe and your skin, Wolf Spiders can inject a sore-producing venom. We like having them around our entranceway, just to keep a few eyes on things.
Presently in the valleys of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, you’re sure to see a gorgeous nightmare, showy stands of flowering Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana). Invasive groves like this one quickly dominate successional habitat and often create monocultures, often excluding native pioneer trees like Eastern Red Cedar and several species of deciduous hardwood. The void beneath the pear trees in this photograph shows how deer browsing can intensify the damage, preventing other plant species from becoming established in the understory. In autumn, crimson foliage again makes these non-native trees a standout in the landscape. The red leaves attract birds including American Robins and Cedar Waxwings to the abundant berries, but European Starlings usually get to them first. Planted specimens of ornamental Callery Pears began producing fertile seeds when multiple varieties became available in addition to the self-sterile “Bradford Pears” that were planted widely during the last decades of the twentieth century. Cross-pollination between varieties produces the fertile seeds that are distributed by starlings and other birds as they digest the fruit.
During the late nineteenth century, Great Egrets were nearly exterminated by hunters who shot adult birds, often at their nest sites, to collect the ornate plumes that adorn their heads and backs during breeding season. Parentless young were left to die in the nests while the showy feathers of the adults were sold to clothiers as decorations for expensive hats. In Pennsylvania, the Great Egret nests at just a few locations and is listed as an endangered species.
In the urban landscape, massive old trees like this Eastern Sycamore not only provide shade and beauty, but they can also be essential nesting sites for birds like these Yellow-crowned Night Herons, a species listed as endangered in Pennsylvania. This pair is part of a small colony located in the stylish midtown section of the state’s capital city, Harrisburg.
The American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) is a member of the Ardeidae, the heron and egret family. It is a stealthy migrant, making its flights under cover of darkness, then resting and feeding in dense stands of Common Cattails and other marsh plants during the day. It avoids detection by raising its bill skyward to create a profile and color scheme that blends well with the contours of the vegetation. In Pennsylvania, loss of wetland habitat used for nesting has led to the American Bittern being listed as an endangered species.
American Wigeons, sometimes called Baldpates because of the white foreheads and caps on the drake birds, are migrating through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed right now. These dabbling ducks feed mostly upon vegetative matter in the shallow waters of wetlands and ponds. They’ll cross the border into Canada to nest.
Winter Wrens will soon be gone for the year. For now, they can still be found creeping around like a tiny mouse among fallen timber in moist forests and in dense thickets of brush. To sustain themselves through the coldest months of the year, they pick invertebrates from among the wood and bark along the undersides of decaying logs, where the process of decomposition creates enough warmth to keep their prey alive in all but the most severe of weather conditions. Along the Susquehanna near Conewago Falls, look for them among the stonework of the abandoned Pennsylvania Canal. Listen too for their uniquely mystic song, a long jumble of fluted and chattering notes that softly floats through quiet woodlands, sometimes raising the question: Is that a bird?
The Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) is a rare but regular spring migrant in the Susquehanna valley. After wintering along the coast, they journey to breeding locations on inland ponds in Canada and Alaska. For the past several days, this one has been feeding on minnows along the river’s west shore just downstream of the mouth of the Conodoguinet Creek near Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania.
Steady winds from southerly directions are presently propelling migratory ducks into and through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Of the more than one dozen species that regularly occur, Northern Pintails (female in the center) are typically here and gone in a flash, so you’ll need to promptly check local wetlands or keep an eye on the sky if you want to catch a glimpse of them.
Cedar Waxwings are currently roaming the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed in search of ripe berries to satisfy their appetites. If you want them to visit your garden, you need fruit-bearing shrubs, trees, and vines. There’s a great selection available from your County Conservation District’s annual tree sale. Preorders are due soon, so check out their website or give them a call today. Then you’ll be ready for the flight of the waxwings!
Migrating American Robins feast on the juicy red fruits of a Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus), a European shrub distributed for conservation plantings under the name Highbush Cranberry. The North American version of Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum), is very similar and is considered by some authorities to be a subspecies of V. opulus.
