Some Signs Of Spring, But It Is Still Winter , And Felt, And Looked Like It At The Susquehanna Wetlands Last Weekend

I returned to one of my favorite hiking trail at the Susquehanna Wetlands in Salem Township in Luzerne County  on Saturday. It wasn’t my first choice. There were 60, 000 snow geese on the lake in the Middle Creek Wildlife Preserve in Lancaster County.  . I would have taken the 1 1/2 hour drive to Middle Creek and stayed over night  Friday  to see the snow geese  on the lake early Saturday morning.  It is a magical sight watching them fly from the lake at sunrise. Unfortunately,  I had  a colonoscopy on Friday afternoon and was not able to drive. So, instead,  I decided to drive  back to the Susquehanna Wetlands again early Saturday morning. I had seen  a few  early signs of Spring on my hike there the previous Saturday and hoped to see more this  week.   

I was hoping more ice would have melted on the ponds and canals  in  the wetlands during the week. I have seen mink, river otters, beavers and muskrats  here on the open waters when the ice  starts melting  in late Winter. .  It was mostly cloudy with  a seasonably cold 32 degrees when I arrived.

I found the Water Fowl pond  near the access road still frozen solid when I arrived.

At least there was no snow on the ground. I  had to walk on the access road to the parking lot and trail heads in the wetlands. The gate is still closed for the Winter.

I then walked down to the Susquehanna River and found it ice free. There was a large ice dam on the river further north in Wilkes Barre.

There was a steady and  northwesterly wind  as I walked toward the canal along  the Beaver Trail. It sure felt like Winter.

The canal was still frozen solid too. In fact there was less open water on the canal than the previous week.

I then walked to the Water Fowl pond and found it totally frozen. The previous week there was some open water along the edge of the pond.

I wasn’t seeing or hearing any birds on my hike. The previous week I saw some mallards on the open waters. It was still Winter and it sure looked and felt like it on this dreary and cold last day of February. 

However, when I started my hike toward the river lands section of  the nature preserve, I saw my first sign of Spring, the skunk cabbages I saw on  my hike the previous week. These braves plants  are the first to sprout in late Winter, no matter how cold it is,  or deep the  snow.

I walked back along the canal. It was cold and quiet. No birds , chipmunks or squirrels were stirring.

There is not much food left for the Winter resident birds, only some hazel catkins,

and common greenbrier berries. The birds must have found some other sources of food in other areas of the wetlands.

I walked along the  canal and found there was no open water this week.. The waters were I saw some mallard ducks last week were frozen over again.  As I continued my hike  the clouds starting breaking up  and some blue skies appeared.

I was walking back down to the Susquehanna River when I heard a sure and welcome sound of Spring, the unmistakable call of a wood duck. I didn’t think they would be back in the wetlands with so much ice still on the canals and ponds. I walked to the river,

and heard, and this time saw, some more ducks, this time a flock of mallards.  They saw me too, and flew off as I approached.

I walked along the river and,   into the meadow and old farm fields  on the new trail.

Here I  saw another sign of Spring,  wild garlic or onion grass was drawing along the trail.

I also saw a few gray squirrels scurrying in the treetops.

I  left the meadows,

and came to the stream where I saw mallard ducks and a muskrat last week. There were no ducks or muskrats this week since the stream was frozen again. A reminder it is still Winter.

I walked into the river lands and found Lake Took-A-While still covered in ice.

As I walked along the lake, like the pervious week, I found a flock of cedar waxwings feeding on some crab apples.

I could watch these elegant birds all day,

as they were   feeding on the crab apples..

I walked along the frozen lake,

and saw yet another sign of Spring,  a   male red winged blackbird perched a tree top,

and singing loudly  as he was marking his  territory awaiting the return of the females. 

There red marking become brighter in the Spring to attract a mate.

I ended my hike and walked back to the wetlands  under the now mostly clear skies. The strengthening March sun warmed the cool morning air.

The green garlic mustard,

 and  Dame’s rocket leaves were another welcome sign of Spring.

In the wetlands I saw a few more Winter resident birds, a flock of white throated sparrows,and,

black-capped chickadees.

As I was ending my hike, this prognosticator  of Spring,  a groundhog,  popped up along the path as I walked by.

We stared at each other for a few seconds,

  until he ran off  into the distance.

It was a cold and windy 5 mile hike. The ponds, canals and lake were still frozen but I was glad to finally see  a few sign of Spring.    It was still Winter but not for long. The wetlands were waking up from there long Winter sleep.. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web-page with some more photos from my hike in the wetlands. Susquehanna Wetlands February 28 2026.

It was cloudy and cold again last  Sunday morning. There was some snow in the forecast  early in the morning and I wanted to stay close to home. I also wanted to visit my niece and here family early in the afternoon so I decided to return to the wetlands.  There was even moreice onWater Fowl ponds then there wason Saturday..

Once again I walked into the wetlands  and this time I saw a Winter resident,  a hairy woodpecker  along the access road..

I followed the same trail as my previous hike,  down to the Susquehanna River,

and into the wetlands.

There was no bird activity or wildlife on the frozen ponds and Water Fowl.

I walked along the frozen canals,

and back down to the river.

Here I saw a few Canada geese and

a few common mergansers on the river.

I walked along  frozen Lake Took-A-While again.

Here I saw a colorful eastern bluebird,

and another hairy woodpecker,

this one pecking a hole in a tree along the lake for its nest,

another sure sign  of Spring. 

As usual I walked to the edge of the lake before beginning my hike back into the wetlands. Here, 

I saw lttle wildlife or bird activity, just a flock of dark-eyed juncos. These birds will soon be returning to the forest in north Pennsylvnai and Canada  where they breed in the Spring and Summer. Here is a link to another gallery on my blog web-page with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hikes in the wetlands. Susquehanna Wetlands birds February 28-   March 1 2026.

I finished my hike in the bright March sunshine. It was a nice walk , knowing Winter’s days are numbered in the wetlands. I am looking forward to watching the wetlands awaken.   Here is a link to another gallery on my blog web-page with some more photos from my Sunday hike in the wetlands. Susquehanna Wetlands  March 1 2026.

 

Though the groundhog and crocus creep into their holes
It’s Spring, and the almanac shows it;
Though a polar wave over the continent rolls
It’s Spring! And we don’t care who knows it!
~Robert J. Burdette, “March,”