A Couple Of Hikes in The November Sunshine At The Susquehanna Wetlands And River Lands

I returned to the Susquehanna Wetlands and River Lands in Salem Township,  Luzerne County last weekend. It is my “go to” place to enjoy nature and look for wildlife. It was a  cold,   partly sunny morning and windy morning. ,Temperatures were  in the mid 30’s   when I arrived around 9 a.m. Saturday.   As usual, I hiked to the banks of the nearby Susquehanna River. I was surprised how high the water was. We didn’t get much rain here in Northeastern Pennsylvania  so I am guessing they must had had more rain further north in the watershed of the river.

It is so different walking into the wetlands now.

The trees are bare and wetlands  silent.  It is not  like walking in  the lush green woodlands  of Spring of Summer when the wetlands are  filled with the sounds of frogs, song birds and insects.  It is so alive here in the warmer months.   And I love warm weather. I am not a fan of the cold anymore. . But, I will admit, it wasn’t too bad  walking in the peace and quiet,   under the naked trees,  on Saturday.  And I always enjoy looking for the few critters that remain active in the colder months. 

And there were a few critters active  on this walk . This week I saw a small flock of about a dozen wood ducks that were still here in the wetlands. . They weren’t around last weekend. However, as usual they saw me before I saw them and they quickly flew when I approached,  except this one which I believed may have had an injured wing. It  still was able to  swim away pretty quickly.

After seeing the ducks I heard a splash and saw  some fur disappear under the murky waters of a canal. I stopped and waited. I was hoping it was a river otter. It popped it’s head up a few times but to quickly for me to get a photo or identify what it was. I watched and waited and my patience paid off. It was a muskrat,

and it crawled up on the bank of the canal. I hadn’t seen one in a few weeks and was wondering if they were still active in the  wetlands. Apparently   they  are.

I continued on my hike through the wetlands  and saw some of  the usual Winter resident birds, including a few song sparrows,

white-throated sparrows,

and a few swamp sparrows. 

There weren’t as many birds this week as there was on my hike the previous week.   I didn’t see any woodpeckers in the wetlands. Last week  I saw over a dozen. Why?, I don’t know. I  did see  a few northern cardinals and a

tufted titmouse but that was it in the area where  a lot of birds usually feed on the many winterberry, green briar and poison ivy berries. Not this week.

There were no birds on the Water Fowl pond or surrounding woodlands  either.

But when I started walking toward the river lands  I saw a pair of red tailed hawks fly overhead,

their shrill calls  echoing over the wetlands. 

It is November and there  were no wildflowers blooming in the wetlands.   The landscape was mostly brown and gray. The only colors were provided by the winter berries,

and some remaining red oak,

and  sycamore leaves that still clung to the tree branches. 

I enjoyed walking under the now weak November sunshine.  The deep blue skies reflected off of the waters in the canals  making for a scenic walk.

As I neared the river lands  I encountered a flock of American goldfinches,

feeding off  of seeds of some alder trees in fields along an access road.

I walked into the river lands, and, as always hoped to see a bald eagles or at least some ducks, herons or a belted kingfisher. I didn’t see any of these birds, just scenic lake Took-A-While and a few fishermen.

As in the wetlands, the waters of the lake reflected  the clear blue skies.  It wasn’t a warm day but  the sunshine still made for a pleasant hike.

I walked to the end of the lake and then began my hike back into the wetlands. As on my walk out there was little bird activity.  It wasn’t until I returned to the wetlands that  I saw the wood ducks again,  but they quickly flew off as I approached.

As I was finishing my five mile hike I saw a small flock of cedar waxwings feeding on some winterberries. I love seeing these stately birds and it was a good way to end my hike.

I decided to return to the wetlands on Sunday morning. It was colder  and temperatures below freezing.

 There was a thick frost on the ground and the  still green wood ferns were covered in frost. I was hoping to get some photos of the wood ducks that eluded me on Saturday.

Surprisingly, despite the cold , there was more bird activity then on Saturday. I  heard the cheerful song of some Carolina wrens and saw this winter wren along the path.

There were also a few house finches  in the treetops.  I usually don’t see these birds  in the wetlands.

There were a lot of the usual residents too, the song sparrows, swamp sparrows, yellow throated sparrows  and American goldfinches I had seen on my hike the previous day, I didn’t stop to try and  get more photos except if the just  landed in front of my like this goldfinch.

The path to the Water Fowl  Pond was flooded and I am not sure why, so I started walking toward the river lands.

On the way I heard a red bellied woodpecker, and saw this hairy woodpecker,

and it’s close relative, the downy woodpecker. They are almost identical, except the hairy is bigger and has a much larger beck. I am finally becoming comfortable telling them apart.

As I approached the river lands I saw a few American tree  sparrows, I didn’t see them to often in the wetlands.

And there was a flock of eastern bluebirds fluttering in the branches of the trees near the trail,

singing loudly in the November sunshine. 

And I saw a few blue jays. They are not my favorite birds, they raid the nest of many migratory song birds, but they are pretty birds and a part of nature. Here is a link to a photo gallery with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hikes.  Susquehanna Wetlands and River Lands bird . November 18 19 2023

 

As on the previous day I hiked out to the river lands and along Lake Took-A-While. And once again I saw no birds or other wildlife.   I walked to the end of the lake and back to the wetlands where I finished another great five mile hike. The wetlands and wetlands are not as alive as they are in the  warmer months but they are still a great place to spend a cold Fall or Winter day. And I will probably spend  many a cold and  wintery day here in the next few months,. But I am already looking forward to seeing the first skunk cabbage, robin and other signs of Spring. Here is a link to a photo gallery on my blog website with some more photos from my hikes.  Susquehanna Wetlands and River Lands November 18 19 2023

We seldom think of November in terms of beauty or any other specially satisfying tribute. November is simply that interval between colorful October and dark December. Then, nearly every year, come a few November days of clear, crisp weather that make one wonder why November seldom gets its due.
      There is the November sky, clean of summer dust, blown clear this day of the urban smog that so often hazes autumn…
      There is the touch of November air, chill enough to have a slight tang, like properly aged cider. Not air that caresses, nor yet air that nips. Air that makes one breathe deeply and think of spring water and walk briskly. ~Hal Borland, “Bright November Day,”