Sights And Sounds Of Spring On An April Afternoon Hike In The Susquehanna Wetlands

It had been two weeks since I last visited the Susquehanna Wetlands in Luzerne County.  And two weeks is a long time in April, especially after few days of record breaking warm weather.  Temperatures soared into the 80’s for a few days last week.  It was cooler, but still mostly sunny and warm on Friday afternoon,  so I decided to return to the wetlands for an  afternoon hike. I usually hike in this private nature preserve in the morning on weekends.

I didn’t  hike in the wetlands the previous week because of my cataract surgery.  I am still  recovering from the surgery, and will  need glasses for distance,  but my  vision for  close objects has improved.  I would test my new vision on this hike. When I arrived at the wetlands, for some reason, the access road to the parking lot and trail head was still gated and closed. So I parked at the Water Fowl Ponds and began my hike. I didn’t see any ducks, geese or water fowl on the ponds, but I did notice , even without the ability to see far, the green leaves that appeared on the trees.  What a difference from my last hike.

It was a beautiful new world.  My clearer vision made the sudden appearance look  even more amazing. As I walked toward the parking lot,

I also noticed the many wildflowers now blooming along the road. Native, appropriately named, Spring beauty, flowers, and,

common blue violets were growing everywhere along the trail.

Invasive common wintercress,

garlic mustard flowers,

and even the lowly dandelion added to the beauty  of the wetlands.

Fiddlehead or ostrich ferns were now growing along the trails. It is amazing how much new growth could occur in such a short period of two weeks

There was not much bird activity in mid afternoon, and I only saw this hairy  woodpecker in a treetop on my walk to the parking lot.

As usual, I walked down to the banks of the ancient Susquehanna river, which now had green trees growing along the shore.

Here I also encountered some of the unpleasant new arrivals in spring, mosquitoes, and ticks. I pulled at least a dozen ticks off me on my 5 mile hike.

Screenshot

I walked back up to the trail head of the wetlands,

and under the trees with the new green leaves.

Along the trial I saw more of the  beautiful spring wildflowers, including, ,downy yellow violets,

Labrador violets,

and sweet white violets, all native to Pennsylvania. It is amazing how many different native species of violets grow in our woodlands.

I walked long  the Beaver Trail along the old canals and ponds ,

where I found patches of azure bluets on the ground.

The skunk cabbages have grown rapidly and spreading their large leaves all along the trail,

creating carpets of green on the once dull, brown and dead Winter ground.

I walked to the Water Fowl pond,

and again did not see any wood ducks. In fact, I wouldn’t see or hear  any wood ducks on my 5 mile hike. I believe they are tending to their young in their nest in hollows in trees in the wetlands. I did see one of the pair of Canada geese that were nesting on the pond.

As usual, I began my 1 mile walk to the Riverlands area of the nature preserve,

On the way I saw a few of the many  red-winged blackbirds who returned to the wetlands a few weeks ago,

and another migratory bird that also  returned to the wetlands, the small, but beautiful blue gray gnatcatcher.

I love to spend time trying to photograph these birds that constantly move from branch to branch in search of insects.

I also saw a pair of mating common green darner dragonflies fly from a branch and onto a tree trunk. The circle of life certainly has returned, and quickly, to the wetlands in the  two weeks since I was last here. The birds and  colorful wildflowers  weren’t the only  sign of Spring. I also heard  some Spring peepers and wood frogs as I walked through the wetlands.

A few painted turtles were enjoying the late afternoon sunshine in the wetlands.

May Apple or mandrake and

wood anemone flowers were growing along the trail.

I was going to walk back down to the Susquehanna river, but, the path there was flooded from the spring rains,

so I walked back to the Beaver Trail and followed it  to the river lands.

On the way I saw this pair of northern cardinal along the trail, this is the colorful male,

and this the female.

I walked into the river lands under the clear blue skies under the still strong late afternoon April sun.

In the canal along  the trail  I saw this  muskrat taking an afternoon swim.

I walked on the bridge over the canal and came to scenic  Lake Took-A-While. Puffy cumulus clouds floated over the clear blue waters of the lake.   Crab apple trees were blooming along the trail.

These are  , I think, are  Chinese crab apple trees blossoms.

It was now close to 6 p.m. and, as the sun was  getting lower on the horizon ,

I now encountered a lot of bird activity along the lake.  There were both male,

and female red winged black birds,

common grackles,

and a flock of yellow rumped warblers  fluttering in the trees along the trail.

There were also some insects active in the late afternoon, including this bumble bee visiting a ground ivy flower.

I walked to the far end of the lake,

enjoying the new green leaves that appeared on many of the trees around the lake.

I began my hike back to the wetlands seeing  a few more birds along the way including a  hairy woodpecker, and

a  Carolina wren, both  year log residents of Pennsylvania,

and a flock of northern rough winged swallows who migrated from southern Florida and Mexico to breed in the United State and in our Commonwealth.

The flock of double crested cormorants were still swimming on the lake.

It was early evening when I walked back into the wetlands,

I enjoyed the sounds of the Spring peepers and wood frogs and the songs of some of the birds I saw earlier.

And, as I was finishing my hike,  I spotted this ospry perched in a tree top above the canal in the wetlands. Another migratory bird that will be enjoying the many fish the live in the wetlands and Lake Took-A-While. Here is a link to a gallery on my  blog web page with some more photos of the wildlife I saw on my 5 mile hike. Susquehanna Wetlands wildlife April  17 2026.

Although my vision was limited, I still enjoyed the beauty of the sights and sounds of the beauty of Spring 0on my hike in the wetlands. It will take 3 weeks for my  eyes to heal and I get my newglasses. I am looking forward to exploring the woodlands and forests of our  Commonwealth, our Country and our planet keeping my new eyes peeled.  Here is a link to a gallery on my  blog web page with some more photos from  my 5 mile hike. Susquehanna Wetlands  April  17 2026.

“Spring is when
flowers beckon
in every corner
of your heart.”
― Bhuwan Thapaliya