Spring Flowers, Song Birds And Sunshine On A Sunday Morning In The Susquehanna Wetlands.

After my visit to Fort Washington State Park last Friday, I returned to the Susquehanna Wetlands in Salem Township Luzerne County  last Sunday. It was a chilly 45 degrees when I arrived. But it is Spring and I  found many  flowers blooming and song birds singing  on my usual five mile hike.  It was a cool start. The temperature was a chilly 45 degrees when I arrived at the wetlands around 8 a.m. .  However, the skies were mostly clear and the strong April sun was already warming it up.  As usual I stopped at the large pond on the entrance road to look  for waterfowl. 

There were no water birds on the pond but I did see this osprey perched  high on a tree top.  

I drove to the parking area and began my hike in the wetlands. Despite the cool temperatures signs of Spring were everywhere. Many of the trees had a green hue from their new buds, and 

I  immediately noticed the many delicate  Spring flowers now blooming on, and  on the side of,  the trail including downy yellow violets, 

Labrador violets,

cuckooflowers,

Carolina spring beauties and, 

one of my favorite. patches of azure bluets.

The skunk cabbage continued to grow along the trails, 

and were joined by patches of mandrake or may apples. 

It was pretty quiet, as far as seeing wildlife in the wetlands, at the start of my hike. 

It was too cold for the wood frogs to be active and the I only heard  the calls of the red-winged blackbirds. But,  as I  continued my walk. I saw a  song birds , a few yellow-rumped warblers in the fluttering in the trees. They are pretty birds. 

This one was busy gathering some materials for a nest. 

The songs of the male  northern cardinals also  echoed through the wetlands. 

I was hoping to see some wood ducks on the canals in the wetlands. I didn’t see any until , until, while photographing this Canada goose on it’s nest,  two of them that were swimming right in front of me flew away before I could get a photo. Thus happens a lot with wood ducks. 

There were also a few squirrels scampering around, and, 

as the strong April sun warmed the air the turtles started to emerge form the waters in the canals and ponds and enjoy the sunshine. 

I walked down to the Susquehanna River where I seem to always see some birds or other critters.  I have seen bald eagles, kingfishers, wood ducks, and cormorants at this overlook. None of theses birds were there last Sunday.  But  I was surprised to see a spotted sandpiper on a log on the banks of the river. 

I started to walk toward the river lands section of the nature preserve  and on the way I heard and saw a few more song bird singing  along the trail, a Carolina wren , they have the most beautiful song in the Spring. and, 

a yellow warbler. I love this birds that always look happy. 

I also spotted the bright red  feathers of a male red-winged blackbird. 

He was agitated and excited and flew from trees branches to cattail stalks,

It was a beautiful display. 

It was apparent he was trying to attract a female and I soon  saw the young lady he was wooing. This is her. 

I watched this courtship for about ten minutes until they both flew off toward the wetlands for some privacy. I took dozens of photos and you can see more in this gallery on my blog website. Here is the link Red-winged blackbird Susquehanna Wetlands April 24 2022. 

I walked into the river lands and along scenic Lake Took-A-While. It reflected the clear blue skies. 

The only birds on the lake were some double-crested cormorants. 

However there were some more song birds in the trees along the trail, including a few more yellow warblers and

song sparrows. 

I also saw a few common grackles, ,

an eastern phoebe,

American robins,

white throated sparrows and, 

this tufted-titmouse gathering some nesting materials.  Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos of the birds I saw on my hike. Susquehanna  Wetlands birds April 29 2022. 

I didn’t see any more song birds on my hike back to the wetlands. I did see a lot more turtles, 

a few frogs,

and this chipmunk. 

As always, I  would like to have stayed in the wetlands and river lands until sunset, especially this time of year, when the beauty of  Nature can be found everywhere. I truly enjoy looking for anything , big or small, that I come across on my hike and I enjoy sharing with you folks. I am looking forward to a lot more blog these next few weeks. I love Spring! Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos from my hike in the wetlands. Susquehanna Wetlands April 24 2022. 

April will not fail to turn out as it should be, and as it generally is, one of the sweetest, dearest, loveliest months of the year.Joseph Grimaldi

fskokoski@gmail.com

This is my first post