Another Hike In The Tioga State Forest Near Arnot In Tioga County
I slept well after my busy Saturday attending two college graduations, driving 100 miles and hiking 7 miles. I awoke early at my hotel in Mansfield in Tioga County. It was overcast and cool but I still planned to hike in the Tioga State Forest again. I had a quick cup of coffee, checked out of my hotel and was on the road by 6:15 a.m. I drove to the small village of Arnot and again parked just outside of the town along the Arnot Road near the entrance to the Tioga State Forest. 
I walked along Arnot road back toward the village, passing the small ponds with the beaver lodges along the way. I soon heard a sort of moaning sound which had me curious. 
As I continued my walk I realized it was a pair of American beavers getting romantic. 
I watched as they embraced and rolled in the water until they realized I was watching. One of them, I am thinking the male splashed it’s tale as the couple separated. I am sure they continued their activity I interrupted after I left. 
I walked along the highway and heard, then saw a colorful yellow warbler in the same tree where I saw the Baltimore oriole the previous afternoon. It’s bright yellow color stood out on the dreary, cloudy and cool morning. 
I also saw a few American robins,
and swamp sparrows in the wetlands near the ponds. 
I came to Landrus Road, it was the name of the well maintained dirt and gravel access road into the Tioga State Forest I hiked on the day before. The lush green new leaves also stood out on the cloudy morning.
As I entered the forest I heard and saw this red-eyed vireo,
singing in a tree along the road. These birds are long distance migrants and travel from their Winter homes in South America to breed here. They are one of our most common warblers.
I also saw this eastern cottontail rabbit scamper across the road. 
There were a few trails that led into the forest but I decided to continue my hike on the access road,
and to see if there was any wildlife on the ponds I saw on Saturday. I came to the first pond and there was no wildlife activity. I hoped to maybe see a bald eagle or osprey, or at least a great blue heron or a kingfisher. Although I saw on wildlife I still enjoyed the peace and quiet feeling of the forest and pond in the morning. 
I continued to the second pond,
and the bird blind I saw on Saturday.
. Here I did see a few water fowl including this female hooded merganser. 
I left the blind and stood along the shore of the pond near the campsite,
and I saw a couple of spotted sandpipers hopping on a beaver lodge. These birds migrate from Mexico and South America to breed here in North America and the forests of Pennsylvania. 
and a couple of greater yellowlegs,
that were flying over the pond and landing on the stumps in the water. These birds were just passing through our area on their way to their breeding ground in the boreal forests of northern Canada. 
I also heard the distinctive song of an eastern phoebe and saw this bird singing in a tree near the campsite. 
I left the pond and continued my hike on the access road.
There were a lot of birds singing in the trees, besides the red-eyed vireos, yellow warblers and robins I had seen earlier I also saw a black and white warbler,
and many ovenbirds. The ovenbirds were the most common bird I saw and heard on my seven mile hike. 
A light and raw began to fall as I continued my hike through the lush forest. I soon learned there were a few primitive camp sites along the road, this one occupied by a some folks in a camping trailer. 
There were also a few more side trails which I wish I had more time to explore. I followed the trail out about two miles when I decided to follow a side trail that took me on a gradual climb up a ridge. The were some wetlands along the trail. 
Along the trail there were more wildflowers in bloom including many different species of violets, this, I believe is a marsh violet, 
and this a common white bog violet. As I caution in all my posts, I am no expert at birds, or any flora or fauna I rely on field guides and iPhone apps for my identifications so please forgive, and correct me if I misidentify a plant or animal species. 
Heartleaf foamflowers and 
plantain leafed pussytoes also grew in the moist soils along the trails. All of these are native flowers. 
The trail continued through a mainly second growth hardwood forest with mostly black cherry trees. In this forest I saw a few more birds, including a beautiful scarlet tanager , which stood out in the lush green canopy of trees, 
and a black throated green warbler. 
The light rain continued on my hike and I saw dozens of eastern newts , also called red-spotted or orange newts crawling on the ground of the trail and surrounding woods. The newts have three stages in their life cycle and these were in their terrestrial sub-adult phase.
The trail continued up the ridge,
and here there were many cinnamon ferns growing on one side of the trail,
and golden ragwort flowers
on the other side.
The trail then crossed a fast running stream, I believe it was called Red Run, 
and then took me to a small pond. Here the trail continued but it narrowed and become overgrown. I was out about 3 1/2 miles so I decided to head back. 
Near the pond I saw an American redstart,
some song sparrows, 
and eastern towhees, this is a female. 
The skies began to gradual clear on my hike back. I saw many of the same birds as my hike out, and also a few common yellowthroats. Here is a link to a gallery with more photos of the birds I saw on my seven mile hike. Tioga State Forest Arnot birds May 12 2024. 
As I was nearing the end of my hike I saw a Park Ranger driving on the access road .He stopped to say hello and we engaged in a pleasant conversation on my wildlife sightings and the Tioga State Forest. 
Of course, the skies began to clear as I left the forest,
and walked back to my Jeep. I looked for the beavers on the pond but they were probably resting from their morning activities. It was around 11 a.m. when I finished my seven mile hike. I still had a two hour drive home ahead of me. 
I wish I could have spent some more time in the forest, one of so many we are blessed to have in Penn’s woods in our Commonwealth. However, we are destroying so much of the forest that remain unprotected so we must encourage the politicians to create more state forest and game lands to preserve the beauty of nature for the future generations to enjoy. And this old timer who hopes to have a few more years left to explore the State Parks and Forest of Pennsylvania. Here is a link to a gallery with more photos from my seven mile hike. Tioga State Forest Arnot birds May 12 2024. 
“Nor do we pay greater worship to images shining with gold and ivory than to the forests and to the very silences that they contain.” Pliny the Elder
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” Henry David Thoreau
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