Tag Archives: Photos

DOC Bird Hike At Wildwood

: Walking along Wildwood

: Looking for birds.

: Taking a break.

It was a lovely day for a hike, especially one for scouting birds. Our goal was to locate the migrating Red Winged Blackbirds, Bluebirds, and Wood Thrushes as they returned for breeding.

: Red Winged Blackbird

: Wood Thrush

The male Red Winged Blackbirds were everywhere. We did not see any females so they probably had yet to arrive. There were no Bluebirds evident around the bluebird houses, but we know they have arrived, since they have been viewed elsewhere. No sign of Wood Thrushes yet, but they have frequented Wildwood in past springs and summers.

: Those are turtles piled on a log,

: This Canada Goose refused to move!

: The huge sycamore!

We did see Egrets, Canada Geese, a snake, a dead raccoon that looked like it was sleeping, a Blue Jay, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, a Thrasher and many, many turtles! Then there was the huge sycamore that was estimated to be at least 100 years old!

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March 23rd Haldeman Island Hike

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: Getting Ready to Explore

: Setting Up to Scope the Waterfowl

: Scoping The Birds

On March 23rd the Duncannon Outdoor Club and Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community held another Haldeman Island hike with the great leadership of the knowledgeable Scott Bills, state games representative. We have received many emails commending Mr. Bills for his vast knowledge of waterfowl and other bird species. It was a great learning experience, viewing 16 of the 20 species of waterfowl found on the island.

We also were honored with the presence of a male and female bald eagle on their massive nest. Upon arrival we had a flock of Tundra Swan fly in formation overhead honking their way North to Canada. Scott pointed out how gracefully a swan lands in the water. There was hardly a ripple upon landing.

We hope to schedule another such event in the future, since we had such a great turnout and actually had to turn people away. If you wish to be notified of another such event email dtakach@duncannonatc.org and your email address will be added to the Duncannon Outdoor Club email list to received hike notifications.

Vernal Ponds and Jefferson Salamanders Hike

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: Vernal Pond

: Jefferson Salamander

: The Hikers

It was a great day, a little windy, but you couldn’t ask for better weather and trail conditions. We even got to hike on moss! Just the week before the trails were covered in snow and ice making footing very precarious. The vernal pond was not frozen over making observation easy with no sign that the Jefferson Salamander had been there. It has not been quite warm enough yet for them to migrate. We also stopped at the non-vernal pond and had a little discussion about toads and frogs. There was a little excitement on the way back when one of the puppies got loose, but the kids made a mad dash and caught the dog. Continue reading →

Feeling Blue? Try This…

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Eastern Bluebird

The winter months in Pennsylvania can bring a joy to us all. There are the snow covered mountains, icicles dangling from tree branches and icebergs floating down the rivers. For some, a few months of this is more than enough and your mind begins to have “warmer” thoughts. As the winter thaw has begun and spring is here to celebrate, you might consider the blue in your backyard, bluebirds!

The eastern bluebird is native to Pennsylvania but has the challenge of surviving among some non-native species. This is where you can get involved and have the joy of watching these birds thrive in your own backyard. Continue reading →

Ashes to Ashes

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bark of mature ash tree

The ash trees in our state of Pennsylvania are under attack! The villain is discreet but extremely effective. Millions of ash trees have been killed to date and chances are all true ashes will have perished when it is said and done. The worst part may be that you never saw it coming. In fact, if the trees in your own backyard have not been affected, you might not of even known it was happening. But rest assured, the ash trees as we know them are dying and there is not much you can do to stop it. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is the ash tree killer that was first discovered in the United States in the summer of 2002 in Michigan. These super creeps were most likely doing damage a decade before their discovery. Native to Asia, there is no native or natural predator here in the states that can stop the pest. Pennsylvania confirmed the presence of EAB in the western part of the state in 2007. The pest is swiftly and successfully destroying our ash in more than half of the 67 counties in PA to date. Continue reading →

Berry Mountain Hike and Hypothermia

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: At the Bottom

: At the Top

: View From The Top

: The Susquehanna River

Well, we finally had our Berry Mountain hike after canceling once, having no place to park and another winter storm threatening another cancellation. A few days prior to the hike I checked out the trailhead parking which was under 3 feet of snow. There were two men there plowing the road, so I batted my big brown eyes explaining my dilemma. They were wonderful and plowed the parking lot for us. That just left the threatening weather forecast to deal with. I said a little prayer and the storm never came. So the hike was a go!

We had a total of 10 hikers to start, but one missed us at the trailhead, ran, and caught up with us at the top in time to see the beautiful view and take in the surprise that was mentioned on Meet Up.

Once on the mountaintop we took a few moments to discuss hypothermia, a body temperature below 95 degrees F. The most important thing to know about hypothermia is how to prevent it in the first place. Continue reading →

Wagner Park

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Take advantage of the snow this winter as it provides a unique experience in your backyard. On a recent hike through Wagner Park in Wheatfield Township, along the Little Juniata Creek, young beech and hemlock tree tops had reached to the forest floor from the weight of the recent snow. The park offers a rail trail along the creek and a loop trail both of which have mile markers along the way. See trail map at block building before heading into the woods.

Duncannon in the Snow

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Here are a few pictures from my latest trip up to Cove Mountain in Duncannon, PA.

DOC January Hike – The Great Horned Owl

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For the January DOC hike we went out onto the Takach property in search of a Great Horned Owl’s nest. (In February the owls are in the nest and will protect their nesting sites aggressively.) The hike leader had found an area where there were promising signs of an owl’s nest. Owl droppings on an old snag used for a lookout were evident as were droppings on a large hemlock with a nest at the top. Feathers were also found at the bottom of the trees. Unfortunately, it snowed the day after finding the site so the group was unable to reach the site due to hazardous footing on a very steep hill. We went looking elsewhere without success. We did create a nesting site by using white paint for the droppings; on the ground, on a snag (dead tree – the lookout) and another tree close by with a nest in it. Scattered pellets and various feathers around the trees put on the final touch.

All was not lost, we learned about the great owl and had the opportunity to dissect owl pellets at the Takach’s. Moles and voles seemed to be the prevalent prey ingested by the owls. Surprisingly, we found a bird skull and a snake skull, and yes, in answer to everyone’s question and observation of the skull, snakes do have tiny little teeth to help ingest prey. Continue reading →

Duncannon Outdoor Club December Hike

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: The Trackers!

: The Tracks

: The Trackers Making Tracks.

The DOC had great weather for a great day. It was warm but not so warm that the snow melted. Consequently, we got to learn about and identify a number of different animal tracks.

Prior to our start a hunter warned us to keep an eye out for a mother bear with two cubs. Apparently, momma bear was not happy with him and approached him earlier in the week. We found no bear tracks, but then we did make a lot of noise as we sang Jingle Bells while climbing the mountain.

We did see a lot of tracks: turkey, fox, deer, squirrel, raccoon, and voles ( We scooped the snow off the top of the vole tunnels to see their tracks.). We also saw a number of tracking clues such as scats , digs, debarking, trails, and hair. The debarking was more likely caused by a porcupine since it was high up in the tree, higher than if a rabbit had done it. The deer hair and snow markings were indicative of a hunter who was dragging out his or her kill.

Three out of the four basic animal tracking gaits were observed: Straight Walker, Hopper, and Waddler. We did not see any Bounders. Straight Walker is the most common gait for Continue reading →