Snow, Ice, Sparrows And Woodpeckers, Another Year Ends At The Susquehanna Wetlands

It was hard to believe it was the last weekend of the year.  Another year flew by. They seem go faster as I grow older. I spent a lot of weekends at the Susquehanna Wetlands near my home in Luzerne County during  the year.  And I took two more hike there on the last weekend. It was a cold and  dreary December morning when I arrived on Friday morning.  It was windy with temperatures in the low 20’s. At least there was no  snow on the ground.   I parked at the ponds near the access road again. The road is closed in the Winter. The ponds were covered in ice.

 There were only a few critters stirring on the day after Christmas, a few song sparrows,

and a flock of Canada geese that flew overhead. The geese would be staying on the river now and feeding in the cornfield during the day.

There was no other bird activity in the Woodlands along the access road.  I was glad the early snow we had this year had melted.   The garlic, mustard

and Dame‘s rocket plants growing along the road were still green. These invasive species are excellent edible and can be found  on even some of the coldest days of the year.

Brown withered  leaves still clung to the oak trees intoe woods along the road.

I walked to the river, about a half mile from where I parked. There  was some ice on the river.  I heard a couple mallard ducks fly off as I approached.

It was quiet walking into the wetlands under the ancient leafless trees. I miss the sounds of  the song  birds, insects and frogs I hear in the Spring and Summer months.

The  old canals which were frozen. I had hoped to see a river otter or a mink.  I have seen  both the past few years. I have not seen either of these critters this year.

Walking through the drab and dreary woodlands, I saw withered deertongue grass,

Canada wildrye grass,

and hazel alder seed cones.

Only the princess pine club-moss

winterberries

and this cinnabar red polypore mushroom   provided some color to the browns and grays og Winter. .

I was surprised to see these  mushrooms and a few, I believe , scurfy wiglet mushrooms growing at the end of December.

I walked to the Water Fowl pond  which was also  frozen. I had seen  a family of river otters playing on the ice in previous  Winters.

There were np otters but there were a   lot of sparrows near the ponds,including, swamp sparrows,

song sparrows,

white-throated sparrows

and American tree sparrows.

A usual I walked toward the river lands area of the private nature preserve and park.

This time I walked back down to the river. I sometimes see bald eagles perched along the river,

There were no eagles but I saw a few mallard duck and common mergansers  swimming on far side of the river.   

I walked along the river and into the new trails in the meadows that were once farm fields in the middle of the wetlands. Here I hoped to see some of our Winter resident birds here, but there  none.

I left the wetlands and walked over to the canal in the River lands. I have seen mink in this area in the past but again there were no mink muskrats beavers, or river otters in the canal.

It was still cloudy, windy and cold.  I had already walked around 3 miles and I wanted to get home because there was a snow and ice storm predicted for the afternoon and I didn’t want to drive in it, so I began my hike back to the wetlands.

  I don’t enjoy my Winter hikes like I do my hikes in the Spring and Summer when everything is green and alive. It was a dreary  and cold  hike , but it was better than sitting inside watching television.And you never know what you will  discover, even in the Winter . Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with  some more photos from my hike in the wetlands. Susquehanna Wetlands hike December 26 2028.

I returned to the wetlands on Sunday morning. We did get the ice and snowstorm that was predicted. A crust of freezing rain fell a top the snow  in my backyard.  I decided to drive to the wetlands thinking there would be less snow and ice there.   I was wrong,  when I arrived at the wetlands, there was about an inch of snow coated with ice.  The ground  was a sheet of ice.

I follow the same route as my previous hike , first stopping at the ice and snow covered Water Fowl ponds,

then walking on a snow ice crusted access road.  I walked slowly,slipping and sliding with each step  but I was determined to get some hiking in. I never miss my daily hike. I hike at least five miles a day and sometimes more on weekends. I wasn’t sure if I would get my three  miles in on these icy conditions ( I did two miles on the streets near my home earlier) but I was going to try. I didn’t see or hear any of the sparrows I salon my Friday hike but I saw a hairy woodpecker,

and a pair of red-bellied woodpeckers

in the woods along the access road.

I slowly,walked and slid to the banks of  Susquehanna River and then into,

the wetlands. It was little easier walking where there was a lot of leaf litter but much of the trail was icy.

I didn’t take a lot of photos because I was trying not to slip and fall on the icy trail. There were not many birds active on the windy and cold morning,

I walked to the Water Fowl pond, hoping to see some playful mink or otters but there were none.

I slowly walked toward the river lands and saw this tufted titmouse feeding on some seeds,

and I saw  more woodpeckers, a downy woodpecker,feeding on some lichens,

and a northern flicker.

I slowly walked toward the river lands and walked back down to the Susquehanna River. I heard a few mallard ducks but didn’t see or hear nay common mergansers.

I walked into the new trails cut into the wetlands and was again surprised not to see any bird activity.

Like my last visit I wanted to see if the mink was on the canal near the river land section of the preserve. It wasn’t,but I walked over to Lake Took-A_While to see if the bald eagles were around, again my attempt to find some cool wildlife failed.

However, in the  brush and shrubs near the lake I did see a Carolina wren,

a golden crowned kinglet,

a few eastern bluebirds,

all members of a feeding party organized by a flock of black-capped chickadees. I believe other species of birds follow the gregarious and noisy chickadees and feed with then for protection from predators.

I still didn’t fall and decided to  end my hike back to my Jeep.

On the way I saw a few more downy woodpeckers and this red bellied woodpecker. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with  some more photos of the birds I saw  my hike in the wetlands. Susquehanna Wetlands hike birds December 28 2025.

It was a slow walk back to my Jeep on the icy trails. I had accomplished my goal.  I had walked four miles on the ice and snow. And didn’t break a bone. These Winter hikes frustrating and tiresome but I still like seeing the critters that are out there in the cold and to admire the  Winter scenery Still, I count the days until Spring.   It will come soon enough, just as fast as another year passed. Time doesn’t stand still but only seems to move faster each year.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with  some more photos from  my hike in the wetlands.  Susquehanna Wetlands hike  December 28 2025.

“Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own.” –Charles Dickens