Looking For Spring At Community Park

The days are getting longer  now and the sun is setting after 8 p.m.  here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I took advantage of the increased daylight and visited our local Community Park with my nephew Mikey  last Thursday evening.  

I left my nephew to try and catch some fish at Lake Irena and I took a walk around the lake. 

I soon found these handsome critter slowy crawling across the trail. 

It was a large snapping turtle.It was either a female or male heading to the lake to mate or a female returning from the surrounding woodlands after having laid her eggs.

I would think it was just heading to the lake to mate  since Spring was late in coming to our area this year. We had our 5th coldest April on record. It stopped its steady crawl as I approached and we spent some time checking each other out.  It then continued on it’s journey to the lake. Here is a video of the turtle. 

I continued my walk around the lake. I was hoping to see some water birds but was surprised to find only this one male mallard duck swimming on the lake. 

The cold April had delayed the growth of the Spring vegetation. The trees were still leafless. I did find some signs of Spring including the blooming of the low bush blueberries (huckleberries in these parts)  and

a trailing arbutus flower. 

And of course the skunk cabbages. 

The trail was still wet from an earlier thunderstorm so I only made one lap along it’s shores. 

I was disappointed that there were not more birds in the woods along the lake. I saw a few crows and this flycatcher, and that was it. 

I walked back and sat and watched my nephew Mikey fish for awhile. He wasn’t doing to good  either. He caught one small sun fish.  Still it was a nice to enjoy the evening sunshine. Here is a link to some more photographs from my  hike. Community Park hike May 3 2018. 

It was cooler and mostly cloudy Friday after the thunderstorm but still a nice day for a walk.  I decided to  leave the  office a few hours early to again visit Community park. 

There were a lot more folks at the park in the afternoon. Some fishing and some just enjoying the May weather, Despite the clouds temperatures were still in the 70’s. 

I took my macro lens with me to look for, and capture, some signs of the late arriving Spring. 

Some years many of the trees are in full bloom by now. Not this year. I had to look close to find some leaves on the birch,

and maple trees.

The oaks, always the last to get leaves. were just staring to bud.

The blueberries did have flowers,

and I learned that the bees were quick to find them. Sadly, there are far fewer bees in our woodlands these days .

I walked along the lake a few times, hoping to see some water birds and perhaps a bald eagle or an osprey. Once  again I found few birds of any type. But, as always, I was able to see something, and I was able to get a photo of  a crow attacking  a hawk.  

The only other birds I saw on my hike were some crows, the same solitary mallard duck and a lot of robins. 

I was rewarded with some color from a few  wildflowers growing on the trail.

Even the dandelions look good in the Spring. I am sure  the warm weather will bring more life to Community Park in the ensuing weeks. And I hope to watch it arrive! I love the Spring!!! Here is a link to some more photographs from my hike. Community park  May 4th 2018. 

“Spring drew on…and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.” 
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre