A Walk In The PPL Wetlands, A Lot More Birds Are Back Including A New Bald Eagle.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Northeastern Pennsylvania, a little cool, but plenty of sunshine. I headed to the PPL Wetlands early since I wanted to get back early to watch my favorite hockey team, the Philadelphia Flyers, who were in the playoffs. On our way down, I was taking my nephew Mike fishing, we stopped to check out the bald eagle nest and found mommy proudly caring for a new member of her family. I wish to see this little fellow soaring in our skies for many years.
I dropped my nephew Mike at Lake Took-A-While to do some fishing and walked the canals to the wetlands.
There were a many of the usual residents on the way. I saw quite a few red winged blackbirds in the brush.
And, since the strong April sun warmed the cool air a lot of frogs and turtles were taking advantage of the sunshine on the logs and banks of the canals.
I walked past mommy goose still sitting on her next and some more geese, mallard and wood ducks and this pair of blue winged teals.
The trees were now starting to sprout fresh new leaves giving the wetlands a lot of much welcome color.
And many new plants were sprouting up along the paths and trails including this not so welcome plant, poison ivy.
The trout lilies were already finished blooming, the skunk cabbage have grown profusely and the interesting mandrake or may apples were now sprouting on the woodland floor.
The squirrels and chipmunks were also scampering about including this red squirrel that did not appreciate me getting too close to his or her tree he or she called home.
And a lot of our feathered friends either returned to their summer homes at the wetlands or were passing through on their migration further north. I spotted a few yellow rumped warblers including this one darting through the trees and brush. This is a link to some more photographs of the yellow rumped warbler. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/yellow-rumped-warbler-1
I think this tiny bird, hopping from limb to limb was a gray blue gnat catcher and here is a link to some more photographs of this small bird. Please correct me if i made a wrong identification.https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/blue-gray-gnat-catcher
I found this sparrow, I think it is a chipping sparrow, on the ground enjoying a meal that wasn’t very appetizing to me.
I also saw a yellow warbler, a song sparrow, a red winged hawk, a rusty blackbird and was very happy to see these beautiful birds, the cedar waxwings return.
It was getting near game time so i headed back to my car at the riverlands and saw this pair of flickers fluttering from tree to tree. Never realized how complex and beautiful they are before this encounter. Here is a link to some more photographs of these birds.https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/common-flicker
It was short hike but any time I can spend in the woods this time of year is well spent. And it is only going to get better. I got home in time for the game but, although they played well, the Flyers lost and so ended their season. But that means more time in the woods for me. Here is a link to some more photographs from my visit to the wetlands. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/ppl-wetlands-april-24-2016
“There is an unreasonable joy to be had from the observation of small birds going about their bright, oblivious business”
― Grant Hutchison,
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