Mauch Chunk Lake Park: Switchback Trail (26-Jan-2017)

I started off the day at Owl Creek Reservoir to try to get some photos of Red Crossbills that were overwintering there. Although distant, I was able to get a couple shots, one of which I have at the end of this post. I didn't want to go too far from Owl Creek for my clean-up so I decided to check out the condition of the Switchback Trail below Mauch Chunk Lake. You can access this trail by the dam or further towards Jim Thorpe where the trail ends. I tend to start at the access closest to Jim Thorpe. 

For the most part it was the usual kind of trail clean-up. A bottle here, a bottle there just off of the side of the trail.

I did find a couple places where there was a pile. Here someone bagged up bottles and other items and threw them in some Rhododendron. Near by there was another larger Rhododendron that had a lot of loose items underneath it. Through my experience of doing these clean-ups I have learned that a lot of people like throwing garbage into Rhododendrons and these plants do hide it well. In some cases it also makes retrieving the items much harder than it needs to be.

I went strait down the trail to the lake and back. On the return I found some items I didn't see on the way out. I wasn't sure if I would be able to get these bottles or if the debris caught on the log would support my weight. Luckily it did and I was able to retrieve them. I did have to leave some items I saw on the opposite side of the stream. It was too cold and I had no place to cross to retrieve them. 

This was a lot of trash for this section of trail. It really isn't that far from the lake to the end. This area gets a lot of traffic during the summer, both tourists and locals. I wish I could think of some way to reduce litter in areas like this. Many would say it's the tourists that leave the place a mess and I know that isn't always true, locals are just as bad. How do you just get everyone to pick up after themselves? It should be easy and more people should care. 

These next three photos are all from Owl Creek Reservoir earlier in the day. Above is a Brown Creeper. It blends in nicely with the tree and if you are having trouble spotting it you can click on the photo to enlarge it.

There were many Red-breasted Nuthatches within the pines at Owl Creek. Most tend to only briefly check me out then go about their business. This individual stuck around for awhile and allowed me to photograph it. Red-breasted Nuthatches spend most of the year further north. During winters where there is a lack of food in there northern range they will head south to areas with a greater abundance. This year I have seen more Red-breasted Nuthatches than any other year and even have a regular one at my feeders. As the temperatures rise in spring they will migrate back north to their nesting areas. 

Another visitor from the north. This is the Red Crossbill. I have tried on multiple occasions to photograph this species at Owl Creek. I do not see them on every visit and when I do they do not stick around in one place for too long. They seem to like to feed towards the top of the pines and have many different trees that they like to frequent. I found that the best way of finding them is not to look for them at all. Just go on a hike and hope that they show up in a nearby tree. Like the Red-breasted Nuthatch this species will migrate back north to nest. 
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