Winter Ends And Spring Arrives. A Couple Of Hikes In The Susquehanna Wetlands

I returned to the Susquehanna Wetlands in Luzerne County on the last Sunday in  Winter.  I am not a fan of Winter anymore and was looking forward to this  weekend for three months.  We  had a few mild days here in Northeastern Pennsylvania and I was hoping all of the ice on the ponds and canals had melted.  It was cloudy and a seasonably cold 31 degrees when I arrived at the wetlands.  The access gate was still closed so I parked near the  Water Fowl  pond. Leaving my Jeep, I was glad to see the ice did melt and the ponds were ice free.

I was hoping to hear the honking of Canada geese,  the quacking  of mallard ducks or the whistling of  wood ducks as I approached the pond but there were no ducks on the now open water.

I walked  over to the access  road and followed it for about  a 1/2 mile to the parking lot. I didn’t see much bird activity in the woods along the road,

just this red-bellied woodpecker.

I did see some signs Spring, the green leaves of the garlic mustard,

Dame’s rocket,

and onion grass  were sprouting along the trail. All of these plants are edible.

As usual I walked down to the banks of the Susquehanna River,

before walking in on the trails in the wetlands.

Here I heard, then saw  my first phoebe of the season. These  small flycatchers are the first to return in the Spring.

They return to the same nesting area every year and I believe I have seen  this bird and it’s ancestors  on these same trees for over 10 years now. I was expecting their return after seeing the first spider web of the season the previous week.  The appearance of the spider webs meant their were insects in the wetlands, and phoebes feed on insects.

I walked along the canal on the Beaver Trail. It was the first time the waters weren’t frozen in months.  I often see  muskrats on the waters, and sometimes beaver, minks and even river otters. There were none on  this Sunday morning,

but I did see this  red squirrel.

I walked through the wetlands and marshes to the Water Fowl Pond.Here I heard a few wood  ducks fly off as I approached but I didn’t see them.

I began my one mile hike to the river lands section of the private nature preserve,

and saw this pair of nesting Canada geese, honking loudly as I approached their nesting territory.

Walking along the canal I also saw a few American robins,

song sparrows,

and, this belted kingfisher. Seeing, and hearing, the kingfisher back in the wetlands is another sure sign of Spring. 

I walked back down to the river,

where I saw a few female common mergansers flying up the river as I approached,

As I have the last few weeks, I walked along the river,, which is still high from the recent rains and melting snow,

and  into the old farm fields  on  the new trails added to this section of the  wetlands. This are usually sparrows, goldfinches and other year long residents feeding on the seeds from the wildflowers in the fields but there were none around on this hike

I left the wetlands and walked into the river lands and along Lake Took-A-While.  The clouds began to break and some  blue skies appeared above the lake. Here I always look for migrating ducks in the Spring and kingfisher, herons and bald eagles during the Spring and Summer. There were none on Sunday

I did see, as   I walked along the lake I saw this beautiful mute swan..   Although it is a beautiful bird it is not native to Pennsylvania and are harming the environment by destroying native vegetation and displacing native wildlife.

Other new arrivals sang in the trees along the lake and canal,  male red winged blackbirds, many will stay here and serenade the wetlands and river lands all Summer

and rusty blackbirds. who are just passing through. I rarely see them here in the warmer months. It was  good to see the first buds on the red maple trees were they were perched

I walked along the lake another new arrival flew overhead, a turkey vulture.

I walked to the end far  of the lake ,

before heading back to the wetlands. Soon the lake will be lined with fishermen and their families.

Back n the wetlands I saw a few of our year long resident birds, a downy woodpecker,

and northern flicker.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web-page with some more  photos of the birds I saw on my hike in the wetlands and river lands. Susquehanna Wetlands birds March 15 2026.

As  I  was finishing  my 5 mile hike I heard one last sound of Spring, and one of my favorite, the welcome  sound of a few  spring peepers and wood frogs. This is a true sign of Spring, one of my favorite sounds. They are telling the  wetlands the long Winter sleep will soon be over.  Every walk  here in the wetlands will be an opportunity to see something new and the beauty of this wonderful time of year. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web-page with some more  photos from my hike in the wetlands . Susquehanna Wetlands  March 15 2026.

I returned to the wetlands the following Saturday.  It was a seasonably cold week so I didn’t anticipate seeing much new plant growth but I hope to see some more bird returning or migrating through the wetlands. It was partly cloudy and cool with temperatures in the 30’s when I arrived. The access gate to the parking lot was still closed so I parked near the Water Fowl Ponds again. 

Once again there were no  ducks, geese or herons on the ponds. I didn’t even hear any in the distance.

I followed my same route asthen previous week  and walked on the access road,

to the Susquehanna River,

and into the wetlands. I heard the eastern phobe but didn’t see it.

I  did see this northern flicker calling loudly in a tree top.

On the ground I noticed the garlic mustard,

and Dames’s rocket continued to grow. if I had a bag I would have harvested some of these edible wild greens.

The skunk cabbage also continued to sprout from the cold March soil.

I walked to the Water Fowl pond again ,

and here I saw this red tailed hawk perched in a red maple tree before it flew when it heard the honking of the Canada geese when I approached.

There were two pairs of  Canada geese nesting in the wetlands, both not happy when I approached, this one near the Water Fowl pond,

and this louder one along the Beaver Trail. I wonder which will have the first fuzzy yellow goslings appear in few weeks.

As usual I walked toward the river lands,

again walking down to the Ssquehanna River, hoping to see a bald eagle or a kingfisher There wasn’t either, and in fact not many other birds either.

After walking along the river, and through the abandoned farm fields,

I came to the march along another access road. Here I watched this male red winged blackbird singing in the marsh,

and establishing it’s territory.

The brighter and larger the  red and yellow patches indicate an older and more dominanat male.

I walked into the river lands and along Lake Took-A-While under the cloudy and  dreary skies.

The mute swan I had seen the previousweek was still there, joined by a few double-crested cormorants.

I began my hike back to the wetlands,

and here

I saw this early season fungus, witch’s  butter,

and some Christmas ferns.

I had hoped to see more wildlife but I wasn’t disapoiinted with my hike, especially when I again heard the early spring peepers and wood frogs as I fisnished my five mile hike   Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web-page with some more  photos from my hike in the wetlands . Susquehanna Wetlands  March 21 2026.

“Spring is far more than just a changing of seasons; it’s a rebirth of the spirit.” —Toni Sorenson

“The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.” —Harriet Ann Jacobs