A Perfect July Morning For Hiking and Fishing At The PPL Wetlands

A cold front came through Northeastern Pennsylvania last  Friday bringing blue skies,  less humidity and much cooler temperatures to our area for the weekend. Perfect walking weather. On Sunday I drove to the PPL River lands in Salem Township to take advantage of the beautiful July weather. 

I left my nephew Mikey at Lake Took-A-While where he was going to try his luck at catching some fish. I began my hike at the lake, and not the wetlands area of the nature preserve as I usually do. I soon discovered he wasn’t the only one fishing.

There were a pair of noisy king fishers crisscrossing the lake. They were  competing with my nephew for the fish. I love watching these birds and hoped to catch a photograph of one catching a fish, but they flew  to  the other side of the lake. 

As I watched the kingfishers fly away I spotted another bird looking for a meal  of  fish from  the lake, a great blue heron sitting in a tree. 

And, I saw one more feathered fisherman as I walked toward the wetlands, an osprey flying overhead. Their diet is exclusively made up of fish.

 The July sun quickly warmed up the cool morning air as I walked along the old Susquehanna canal toward the wetlands. 

I spotted a few chipmunks and gray  squirrels along the way. This chipmunk was peeking at me as I walked past.

I also found a napping red squirrel.

He wasn’t happy when I woke him up as I approached and let me know it with a loud shriek. 

I soon came to the older trees of the wetlands. They shielded me from the now intense July sun. I enjoyed the sun filtering through the leaves. 

I saw a few more birds on my walk including this song sparrow,

a phoebe,

and a Baltimore oriole.

I continued my walk through the wetlands.

I encountered  another sleeping critter, a muskrat. As  I approached he woke up and immediately dived into the safety of the duckweed covered water. 

And I startled a family of wood ducks  on one of the ponds. They  quickly swam into the thicker brush. 

There were also a few turtles enjoying the July sun, 

as was  this green frog.

I walked back to the river lands and learned my nephew was not having much luck with the fishing. I took another short walk with my macro lens,

capturing the beauty of the many dragonflies around the ponds and canals.  

There were also many wildflowers in bloom.

I also saw a mother robin teaching her offspring how to hunt for food.Here is a link to some more photographs of the birds I saw on my hike. PPl Wetlands birds July 8 2018.  

It was getting hot out and my nephew and I decided to end our excursion to the PPl Wetlands. Once again it was a great experience. I love walking through these woodlands and sharing what I find. Here is a link to some more photographs from my hike. PPL Wetlands July 8 2018. 

The linden, in the fervors of July,
Hums with a louder concert. When the wind
Sweeps the broad forest in its summer prime,
As when some master-hand exulting sweeps
The keys of some great organ, ye give forth
The music of the woodland depths, a hymn
Of gladness and of thanks.”
–  William Cullen Bryant, Among the Trees