Not Much Mountain Laurel In Bloom But A Lot Of Migratory Birds On A Hike On The Greater Hazleton Rails To Trail.

A year ago there was a spectacular display of mountain laurel on the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails.   (I had to review my blog from last year to remind me. You can read it by clicking on the bold link in the last sentence.)    As I mentioned in my blog  on my hike to Tank Hollow last Saturday the bloom varies from year to year. Often,  after a large  bloom,  the mountain laurel needs to recover  and puts on a poor  bloom the following year.  So my expectations were low when I decided to hike on the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails on Sunday. It was partly sunny with temperatures in the 60’s when I arrived at the east end of the trail in Foster Township.

I like to hike on this more remote part of the trail because I see more bird and wildlife activity and there is always the chance of seeing a bear or a snake. This section of the trail has an older mostly hardwood  forest. There is not  much mountain laurel on this part of the trail,

 but were  some in bloom.

It  is always nice to see these pretty flowers, the official  state flower of  of Pennsylvania.

I walked through the lush green woodlands,   and the lush green  cinnamon,

bracken

and hay-scented ferns. June is the greenest month of the year.

I soon heard two of the most common birds I see and hear on the train, an oven bird,

and a red-eyed vireo.

A black and white warbler , another migratory bird,  was nearby,

and a year round resident, a downy woodpecker was searching for insect under the bark of a tree trunk.

Later on my hike I would see a causing of the downy woodpecker the larger hairy woodpecker. One can usually tell them apart by the much larger beak on the hairy woodpecker.  In  reading the blog I posted last year, and share above, it is pretty much the same casts of critters and wildflowers and plants I see every year. But you never know, every hike in the forests can reveal something new and unexpected. Hope springs eternal.

On this hike I saw a lot more of  the usual, but still beautiful wildflowers.  I love seeing them on my hikes each year,  no matter how many times I have seen them before including,   slender yellow  wood sorrel,

Philadelphia fleabane,or,

eastern smooth beardstongue, all native to Pennsylvania.

Or oxeye daisies  and

yellow salsify,  also pretty flowers,  but invasive  to our area.

And I saw more of the usual migratory song birds I see every year. All beautiful even though I have seen hundreds of them. Near the utility pole line that crosses the trial I saw  this scarlet tanager,

a blue headed vireo ,

and  a couple of eastern towhees, all long distance migratory birds.

I also saw this field  sparrow which only migrates to the southern part of our State in the Winter.

I followed the trail out of the mature woodlands,

and into the  abandoned anthracite  coal mining area and the strip mine reclamation area.

Here are I  found younger birch, aspen pine and locusts trees.

And in these more open areas I saw  more yellow wildflowers, meadow hawkweed,

and field  mustard.

I also saw mullein plants along the trail.  They will bloom later in the Summer. These are all invasive in Pennsylvania.

In the trees in the reclamation area I saw an  indigo bunting and

a mourning dove. perched in a treetop.

I often find garter snakes crawling along the trail here. The Black or Hazle Creek flows at the bottom of the reclamation area and there is beaver lodge along  the creek. I know  from the many newly gnawed trees along the trail. I crossed the bridge over the active railroad right of way. This is one of the oldest active railroads in the United States. It carried my  great grandparents and grandparents, and many of the ancestors of the folks who live in the Hazleton area,  to  live and work in the coal mines when they arrived from Europe. There is more information on this history in my many previous blogs on the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails ( and a lot more photos too.)

After crossing the bridge, the trail  continues through some abandoned strip miles,

then a mixed hemlock/white pine and hemlock woodland,

where an abandoned strip mine filled with water and created a nice little pond along the trail.  There is a bench here  and it would be nice place to rest and enjoy the quiet of the trail.    And it was quiet. I hadn’t seen anyone on the trail.

However, when I continued on the trail, and reached the old abandoned Ashmore Road I met a friend on a bicycle.  We began to talk and he told, me and shied me some photos of a mother black bear and her three cubs he had just seen on the road to the trailhead. I was now  keeping my eyes peeled and hoping as I continued my hike. I would love to see the bear and her cubs.

In the trees along the trail I saw a few common yellowthroats,

chipping sparrows,

and this brown headed cowbird.

I now walked past the pine/heath barrens which were tinted pink

from the many sheep  laurel blooming there.

I continued for another 1/2 mile,

and came to the area of the trail where the mountain laurel bloom

As soon as I approached I knew it wasn’t a good year for the mountain laurel.

There were many flowers in bloom, but not like last year.  The mountain laurel was taking a much deserved rest and, hopefully will provide us with a spectacular show next year.

I did see, almost at the exact same location  as last year, a black throated blue warbler along the trail,

and a colorful chestnut sided warbler in the mountain laurel.

It was now late morning and I was out almost three miles so I began my hike back, hoping to see the black bear and here cubs.

I didn’t see  the bear or many birds or other wildlife activity as the strong June heated the cool morning air. Most wildlife takes shelter in the shade on warm Summer afternoons.

I did see a few oven birds, they remain active and sing on even the hottest Summer days,

and I saw this great crested flycatcher perched on a tree, catching some of the now active insects flying above the trail.   Here is a link  to a gallery on my blog web-page with some more photos from on my hike. Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails birds June 14 2026.

In addition to the flies and gnats I saw a a  lot of red spotted admiral butterflies on the trail, many feeding on the scat left by coyotes.

I didn’t see any bears as I finished my 6 mile hike,  Ionly saw another person a bicycle.  Here is a link  to a gallery on my blog web-page with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hike. Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails  June 14 2026.

It was another enjoyable hike for  me on this wonderful trail. I am sorry I couldn’t share  photos of another spectacular mountain laurel bloom or a mommy bear and her cubs,  but there is always next time.  And I am looking forward to the weekend and another adventure I can share the beauty of nature I find here on my blog.