Middle Creek, A Great Place To Watch Migrating Waterfowl, Even When the Lakes Are Frozen.

It’s that time of year when all of nature, we humans included, start anticipating the arrival of  Spring. In the bird kingdom, a lot of the migratory waterfowl species start heading north. And for countless years canadian and snow geese, tundra swans and many species of ducks would stop at Middle Creek in southeastern Pennsylvania. Some years the numbers of these birds would be over 100,000. What a spectacular sight to see. I have been traveling to  the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area with my brothers and nephew for over 10 years now. And have witnessed truly amazing flocks on and around the Middle Creek lakes.

Unfortunately this year, we arrived to find the lakes  almost completely frozen over. There were still plenty of birds on and around the lake but nowhere near the numbers we have seen in past years. We are guessing they are staying south and may just fly over the Middle Creek area without resting here, as they do in milder years,  later in the Spring.

It was still worth the visit to this conservation area managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. We joined hundreds of others watching the flocks of snow geese, canadian geese and tundra swans taking off from the frozen lakes. Mallard, black and pintail ducks also could be seen and we were lucky to see a bald eagle. Although the number of birds was much less than other years it was still a wonderful place to see many beautiful species of waterfowl and they travel through our area. And the Middle Creek area itself is a beautiful place to visit, with the old farm houses, some dating to the 1700’s, the quaint towns and the  Amish horse and buggies that drive the rural roads. Already planning our trip for next year, when we hope to stay overnight. Just hope the weather is a lot warmer than this year. Here are tow links, this one to the beautiful landscape of Middle Creek and the surrounding areas,   https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-5/nggallery/blog-photos/middle-creek-landscapes-march-15-2015  And this one to more of the birds I photographed. 

 https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-5/nggallery/blog-photos/middle-creek-birds-march-15-20152015#gallery/47bc55144fee0cf3ee7abae8f3d1a455/1120

 Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve itslife than destroy it. ~Henry David Thoreau