Nature Note #106: Adventures in Pennsylvania: Pennypack Trust
So this past Sunday, I visited a cool spot called Pennypack Trust in Huntington Valley to check out whether I could get some early warblers that were migrating through. When I had arrived, it was already 5 o' clock and I only had about an hour and a half of light, but I managed to take a good number of pictures.
As I headed out, a male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) hid in a tangle near the feeders. While a favorite of many feeder watchers and birders, cardinals are a lot more shy and retiring than people realize and are more likely to heard making their obvious chip notes from the undergrowth or by the male's sweet, ringing song in the morning and afternoon.
A male Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) made an appearance with his mate and dabbled around in a small pond near the entrance. I marveled at the different patches and swatches of color that were apparent on its body. The second photo shows the speckled back suggesting that this bird might be younger than a male with a darker, more solid gray back. This is mainly speculation on my part though, as I admired this common bird in close quarters. Unlike other wild birds, Mallards (for the most part) are so used to people that they rarely feel threatened by a close approach.
Many a squirrel was running, jumping, and scurrying through the trees and leaves, trying to gather what remained of the previous fall's harvest. Their grinding teeth could be heard as they prised open walnuts that lay littered on the ground. They seemed bothered by my observation though and made sure to scamper away when they felt that their personal space was being encroached upon.
As I crossed the fields towards the bridge that would take me to Pennypack Creek, I looked up to see a small hawk sitting in a faraway tree. While my binoculars didn't furnish me with a good enough look (shocking!), I did snap some fair pictures of the mystery bird. It turned out to be an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) and is only the second one I've seen this year.
I soon headed down a long, rocky decline that was fringed by eroded dirt walls with trees standing guard on either side. A sign that even in a lovely place like this, death is still evident and noticeable, even though many would rather avert their eyes to that inevitable prospect. A deer pelvis sat a tangle near the rocky decline, poised and bleached in the evening sunlight, yet detached from the rest of the body it once made whole.
My searches on eBird for migrating songbirds had paid off as some Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmorum) were at the bottom of the hill near an old bridge that crossed Pennypack Creek. They flitted around the branches and twigs of the stream side trees, feeding on the emerging midge adults that were accumulating in persistent clouds around the bridge. Hopefully, some will stick around into next month when I hope to start my Warbler Bingo challenge, but in that moment I shared with them, I felt peaceful. They are such a delight to see!
Lastly, many bulbs are sprouting and seeing them reach full bloom is a wonderful thing to witness after experiencing such a long, cold, snowy winter. To see yellows, whites, reds, greens, and blues against the brown ground is wonderful and makes up for the bland white and gray we northerners have seen for more than enough days this year.
As I left, I thought about what I'd seen and how I'd make a posting out of it. Three days later, I finally got round to it, but I'm happy to say that with the warmer weather coming and migration soon to ramp up, I can predict more frequent updates for the blog and hopefully some more excellent photos as well.
As I headed out, a male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) hid in a tangle near the feeders. While a favorite of many feeder watchers and birders, cardinals are a lot more shy and retiring than people realize and are more likely to heard making their obvious chip notes from the undergrowth or by the male's sweet, ringing song in the morning and afternoon.
A male Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) made an appearance with his mate and dabbled around in a small pond near the entrance. I marveled at the different patches and swatches of color that were apparent on its body. The second photo shows the speckled back suggesting that this bird might be younger than a male with a darker, more solid gray back. This is mainly speculation on my part though, as I admired this common bird in close quarters. Unlike other wild birds, Mallards (for the most part) are so used to people that they rarely feel threatened by a close approach.
Many a squirrel was running, jumping, and scurrying through the trees and leaves, trying to gather what remained of the previous fall's harvest. Their grinding teeth could be heard as they prised open walnuts that lay littered on the ground. They seemed bothered by my observation though and made sure to scamper away when they felt that their personal space was being encroached upon.
As I crossed the fields towards the bridge that would take me to Pennypack Creek, I looked up to see a small hawk sitting in a faraway tree. While my binoculars didn't furnish me with a good enough look (shocking!), I did snap some fair pictures of the mystery bird. It turned out to be an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) and is only the second one I've seen this year.
I soon headed down a long, rocky decline that was fringed by eroded dirt walls with trees standing guard on either side. A sign that even in a lovely place like this, death is still evident and noticeable, even though many would rather avert their eyes to that inevitable prospect. A deer pelvis sat a tangle near the rocky decline, poised and bleached in the evening sunlight, yet detached from the rest of the body it once made whole.
My searches on eBird for migrating songbirds had paid off as some Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmorum) were at the bottom of the hill near an old bridge that crossed Pennypack Creek. They flitted around the branches and twigs of the stream side trees, feeding on the emerging midge adults that were accumulating in persistent clouds around the bridge. Hopefully, some will stick around into next month when I hope to start my Warbler Bingo challenge, but in that moment I shared with them, I felt peaceful. They are such a delight to see!
Lastly, many bulbs are sprouting and seeing them reach full bloom is a wonderful thing to witness after experiencing such a long, cold, snowy winter. To see yellows, whites, reds, greens, and blues against the brown ground is wonderful and makes up for the bland white and gray we northerners have seen for more than enough days this year.
As I left, I thought about what I'd seen and how I'd make a posting out of it. Three days later, I finally got round to it, but I'm happy to say that with the warmer weather coming and migration soon to ramp up, I can predict more frequent updates for the blog and hopefully some more excellent photos as well.
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