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. 
See my most updated posts on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

Middle Creek Reservoir (14-Nov-2016)

I picked up around a pack full of trash on this trip, but I am not including it in this post. I went to Middle Creek Reservoir in Lancaster County with, father and son, Joe and Jeff Greco. The Reservoir and surrounding lands are owned and managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Although it is State Gamelands a large portion of the area is not open to hunting. Migratory birds use this large waterbody as a stop on their long journeys and at times hundreds of thousands of geese and other waterfowl can be seen congregating on the water. By not allowing hunting here, the Game Commission has given these migratory birds a large safe haven for them to rest and feed. We were too early for the large migrations of Snow Geese, but on sections there were many Canada Geese. Our main goal for this trip was to see a variety of duck species and we managed to do just that.

Here Joe is scanning a smaller pond disconnected from the main lake by the road. All of the waterfowl here stuck to the far shore and nothing really came in close. Joe and Jeff did spot Canada Geese, Black Ducks, Mallards, Mergansers, Ring-Necked Ducks, Gadwall and an American Coot the first time we stoped at this location. 

The visitors center was closed on Mondays, but we did park at it and did some birding around it. If you are interested in going to the visitors center it is always closed on Mondays and during the winter from Thanksgiving to January 31st. Above is a Red-Bellied Woodpecker that was in one of the trees around the center. 

I walked down one of the access roads while Joe and Jeff were birding around a small empty impoundment. Somehow I spotted this Brown Creeper and by the time they caught up with me it was gone. They said this was hardest bird to find out of all that we saw on the trip. I wish they could have seen it too. 

This is a mammal that shouldn't be found in wildlife management areas. Feral house cats are very good at stalking and killing wild birds and other small wildlife. If you have a house cat please keep them indoors and never release them into wild areas. They really can do a lot of damage to our native wildlife. This was one of several we noticed around the management area. 

These deer looked like they knew they were in a protected area and didn't pay too much attention to us. We passed this small group a couple times and they didn't move far from where we spotted them in the morning. 

Canada Goose on the left and Ring-Necked Ducks in the middle and to the right. You can click on the photos to enlarge them for a better look. 

In this photo there are Common Mergansers to the left, a Gadwall with wings up in the center and in the back and to the left Canada Geese.

The only bird in focus and in flight in this shot is the one bird I wanted to see on this trip. It is a Northern Shoveler and this was only the second time I have ever seen one. They get there name from their wide, long bill which kind of resembles a shovel. 

I didn't take many photos of the main portion of the reservoir. There was very limited access at this time of year and most of the birds that were close on the water were Canada Geese. 

A Pileated Woodpecker flying over the reservoir. I have been trying for a long time to get closer photos of a Pileated. For me that seems to be impossible. 

A special thanks to Joe and Jeff Greco for letting me tag along. Before I left for home I got to see this Opossum in their yard. I hope that you, the reader, have enjoyed the photos. I would have done more trash collecting on this trip, had I been able to access some of the areas. I could see a lot of trash on the waters edge at least in the areas along the road. During the summer when there are not large numbers of waterfowl the reservoir is open to boating and I do plan on going back for an on the water clean-up. 

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Like this project? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA