Back Home In Pennsylvania : More Birds In The Susquehanna Wetlands Than In Gibraltar And Spain.

I was back in the Susquehanna Wetlands on Sunday. I stopped on my drive home from the Newark airport early Sunday morning. I traveled to Europe to observe the Spring migration of the birds from  Africa to Europe. It is supposed to be one of the best places to see this migration in Europe. Well, I wasn’t so lucky and encountered unusual rainy and windy conditions. When the weather was clear I wasn’t seeing many birds either. I learned that the unusual weather, with constant storms and winds from the west, delayed the Spring migration. I was disappointed but still had a wonderful visit to these two countries, a lot more on that in my blog posts.

So, as I was driving  home from the hotel at the airport where I spent the night after my flight, I decided to visit the Susquehanna Wetlands, my favorite place to observe nature throughout the year.  I wanted to see how Spring was advancing here.  The sun was  shining in mostly clear skies when I arrived at the wetlands, a small private nature preserve along the ancient Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It is about a 1/2 drive from my home.  The access gate was still closed for the Winter so I parked by the ponds near the gate.   I left my Jeep and immediately realized that I was not dressed for the 28 degree temperature and wind. I had only a light coat I took to Europe and I was cold. And I was disappointed to not see any ducks or geese on the ponds. I had been seeing flocks of ring necked ducks, wood ducks, mallard ducks and a lot of Canada geese on the ponds before my trip. Not a bird was  seen  on Sunday morning.

And it was also very quiet on my walk into the wetlands. I usually am always greeted by the songs of Carolina wrens and northern cardinals, even in the Winter. And many sparrows, woodpeckers, chickadees and other Winter resident birds are fluttering in the woods along the trail.  I was surprised and disappointed. I was hoping to see a lot of bird activity and to hear the spring peepers, a species of frog that appears early in Spring. Family and friends told me they were peeping while I was away, but not on this cold March morning. As I walked along the road under the still bare trees it  seemed more like January than Spring. However, I did notice the lush green leaves of the garlic mustard plants, at least they were growing again, although not a real sign  of Spring, since  I have seen green garlic mustard in January in mild Winters. .

I walked to the parking lot, in silence, and down to the Susquehanna River, one of the oldest rivers on the planet, and my favorite. I spent last summer exploring it from it’s source in Cooperstown New York, to it’s end in Havre de Grace in Maryland. I love this river. It was once very polluted but with strict  environmental regulations it was,  remarkably,  becoming clean and supporting wildlife again. I now fear for it’s future with the reckless repealing of  these environmental protections in my country.

After a few minutes watching the river flow I walked toward the path to the Beaver Trail in the wetlands, shivering from the cold,

 I heard a very welcome sound, the  unmistakable sound of an eastern phoebe, a sure sign Spring was indeed here!  This small flycatcher  is one of the first  migratory  song birds to return in Spring. I tried to find this brave bird that returned to Northeastern Pennsylvania in this frigid weather, I wasn’t able to get  photo this morning but I hope to encounter him or her, and it’s family during the Spring and Summer. I  continued into the wetlands, an area of ponds and canals, remaining from an old canal along the river.

Here,  I immediately was greeted by another sound of Spring, wood ducks,  and their unmistakable whistle like sounds, as they too, flew away and avoided my camera. I was able to finally get photos of another bird that signals the arrival of Spring, one of many red winged blackbirds perched in a tree tops, signing it’s song to establish it’s mating territory. I also noticed the  buds on the red maple trees along the trail, more evidence Spring was here.

And finally, popping up every along the trail in the wetlands, a  clear sign to convince me Spring arrived. The lowly skunk  cabbage was emerging from the cold, frozen ground.

It is able to produce it’s own internal heat melting the frozen ground and snow and is one of the first native plants to appear in Spring,

I also saw a few song sparrows, year long residents in the wetlands,  along the trail. 

I walked toward  the Water Fowl pond, one of the two ponds I  visited earlier,

and this time I saw a large flock of ring necked ducks ,

and  noisy Canada geese on the waters and small island  in the pond.

And my decision to visit the wetlands was rewarded when I saw a huge flock of tree swallows perched in a tree.

Occasionally the entire flock, hundreds of them,  would fly over the ponds. It was a wonderful display and another sure sign, that despite the cold,  Spring was here. 

The magical  display of the swallows was interrupted when  a  bald eagle flew directly overhead, however,  it flew too  quickly  to get a photo.

I walked through the wetlands hearing some woodpeckers and Carolina wrens but I was tired from my travels and didn’t spend a lot of time waiting to get photos. I sometimes spend a 1/2 hour trying to photogrpah a bird. I just wanted to get my five mile walk in and see what  I could see.

And I did see a few more song sparrows,  American robins,

and this white breasted nuthatch which were easy to photograph. I again missed a chance to get some beautiful bald eagles photos. One was perched in a tree above the trail, I didn’t see it until it took off  before I could get any photos of our national symbol.

I saw a few more wood ducks in the wetlands but they saw me first and were gone.  I was able to get some photos of these mallard ducks.

I continued my hike in the cold and wind and walked inbto the river lands area of the nature preserve. 

Here fishing in Lake Took-A-While, picnicking   and walking dogs  on the trails are allowed. However there was no one engaging in any of these activities  on this cold Spring day.

There were a few double crested cormorants,

and common mergansers swimming in the blue waters of the lake. The hooded mergansers I saw on my last visit had gone.

I walked along the lake

seeing a few dark eyed juncos feeding on the ground on  the trail.

I also  heard a belted kingfisher chattering  on the opposite shore of the lake.  There were more double crested cormorants flying over the lake,

 and landing awkardly on the water.

As usual I walked to the end of the lake and turned back.  The sun continued  to warm the cold morning air.

On my hike back to the wetlands I saw a few common grackles in the tree tops. To me, these birds have a sinister look to them.

I walked back into the wetlands and nw saw a few turtles  swimming  in the  canals,

or enjoying the March sun on a log.   I believe this are invasive red eared slider turtles.

I also saw both  green winged and blue winged teals  in the wetlands but I didn’t get any photos.  I was able to get some photos of a few eastern bluebirds,

and a tufted titmouse.

In addition to the turtles,  the warming temperatures  resulted in another sign of Spring, I heard my first spring peepers singing in the wetlands. There weren’t many but it was a welcome sound after a long, dark and cold Winter. I know they will get louder in the coming days  and weeks. As I returned to the ponds near my Jeep I saw another flock of swallows. This time they weren’t tree swallows but the smaller northern rough winged swallows.

They were perched on branched closer to the ground and swam over the ponds.

I also saw a few tree swallows   flying over the ponds. It was a great  to see these large flocks of birds traveling back to the wetlands.  And, I know it will be  the first of many of the wonderful sights that will occur in the next few weeks as the wetlands  awaken from it’s Winter sleep.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web page with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hike. Susquehanna Wetlands. birds March 23 2025

The warm March sun made me want to remain in the wetlands but  had walked 5 miles and was tired and hungry from my travels.  It was time to head home. I loved my travels in Spain and Gibraltar but, as Judy Garland once said,  there is no place like home. I was glad I stopped in the wetlands on my way home. It is one of the reasons I live here  Northeastern Pennsylvania, the best place to live on our planet, in my humble opinion.  I am looking forward to sharing the beauty of the Spring I will observe here and on my other hikes in the woods of Pennsylvania.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web page with some more photos from  my  five mile hike. Susquehanna Wetlands.  March 23 2025

 

“We learn to praise God not by paying compliments but by paying attention. Watch how the trees exult when the wind is in them. Mark the utter stillness of the great blue heron in the swamp. Listen to the sound of the rain. Learn how to say ‘Hallelujah’ from the ones who say it right.” Frederick Buechner