Snow And Ice On MY First Hike Of Winter At The Susquehanna Wetlands

Winter arrived with snow and cold here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It was a frigid 8 degrees at my home in Hazle Township in Luzerne County. As usual. despite the weather, I decided to drive the 20 miles to the Susquehanna Wetlands and see if any critters were stirring in the artic cold.  The weak December sun was shining in clear, deep blue skies when I arrived. It was 10 degrees with a strong northwesterly wind. I parked next to  the Water Fowl ponds near the access road since the road was gated for the  Winter.  There were no ducks or geese on the frozen ponds,

and the woods were quiet on my 1/2 mile walk on the access road to the parking lot and trail head. I usually see a lot of our resident Winter birds in the woods along the road but none were stirring in the frigid cold.

At the parking lot, as usual, I first walk down to the Susquehanna River hoping to see a bald eagle. I rarely do but I keep looking. The water level of the river was much higher after  the recent rains. Despite the frigid temperatures there was no ice on the river yet.

I walked up to the trail-head into wetlands,

and  under the bare trees to the Beaver Trail along the old Susquehanna Canal. The canal was frozen solid. I had hoped there would be some open water where I might see a muskrat, mink,  beaver or river otter.  Nothing was stirring here either, not even a bird.

After about a 1/4 mile I always take the trail between this pond

and wetland/marsh that leads to the Water Fowl Pond. This is   where I usually always see a lot of bird activity throughout the year. On Sunday there was only a few song sparrows.  The birds and other critters were probably huddled up because of the frigid temperatures.

I left the ponds and began my hike along the frozen canal towards the river lands area of this small, private nature preserve.

Along the way I saw some of the winter berries and

green brier berries which provide food for the birds in the Winter but there were no birds eating them on this cold December morning.

I walked along the frozen canal and ponds. The deep blue skies. the white snow and sunshine made for some nice Winter scenery. I was the only ome enjoying it. no people or animals were out and about  this morning. 

I  continued my walk to the river lands  and,  I first heard,  then saw, a flock of dark-eyed juncos scurrying on the ground,

and in some alder trees I found a large flock of American goldfinches feeding on the seeds.

The male goldfinches are a lot duller in their Winter feathers.

I entered the river lands and found Lake Took-A While to be mostly ice covered. I had hoped foe some open waters where I many have seen some ducks, herons or other water fowl, and bald eagles flying over the lake  looking for a fish for breakfast.

The lake was frozen  and there was  no birds or other wildlife activity on or along the lake or canal. There was no human activity either. I didn’t see a person along the lake or anyway in the wetlands or river lands on my five mile hike.

I walked  to the other end of the lake, as usual,

and began my hike back to the wetlands under the clouds that formed in the deep blue sky.

Even the weak December sun was able to warm the frigid   morning air a little , and,  with the winds diminished,    some birds became active. They have to  eat too, even on the coldest days.

 I saw a pair of  Carolina wrens singing along the trail,

and this downy woodpecker landed near me,

and was feeding om some sort of seeds.

A small flock of friendly black-capped chickadees were in the trees.

An American crow was cawing in a treetop across the canal.

As I was leaving the river lands I saw this bald eagle soaring away in the distance, not a very good photo but I am always excited to see these majestic birds on my hikes.

As I walked back into  the wetlands,

it almost became calm and the sun had warmed it up a bit. The birds noticed,

I saw a few winter wrens  fluttering  in the trees along the trail.

 A large flock of song  sparrows were searching for seeds on the ground. I also heard tufted titmice, black capped,  red-bellied woodpeckers and other birds in the woodlands along the trail. Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hike at the wetlands. Susquehanna Wetlands birds December 22 2024.

If I had time I could have stayed and observed and photographed a lot more birds, However  it was now after 11 a.m. and the Philadelphia Eagles were playing at 1 p.m. and I never miss an Eagles game, so I had to quickly walk through the wetlands back to my Jeep.  Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos from my first  my hike  of the winter at the wetlands. Susquehanna Wetlands  December 22 2024.

It was cold and I didn’t see anything exiting or exotic to share here in my blog but, as I often say, I just love being outside, in the woods, following my dad’s advice, with my eyes peeled.  I drove home and watched the Eagles, another passion my dad instilled in me. He was a lifelong Eagles and Phillies fan.  They lost but it was a good game. Hopefully they will get to the Super Bowl and I may be sharing photos

“December’s wintery breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer’s memory…”
― John Geddes

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