After yesterday’s spotting of a Northern Flicker (I know they’re common around here, but we haven’t seen one in the yard in a long time) I was interested in seeking out more interesting birds. We hadn’t hiked at the new Archbald Regional Park in a few months so we headed there to check out the trail conditions for possible mountain biking later in the week. It just so happens that the park’s small ponds are also typically good spots for bird watching.

We stayed cool and dry while hiking the short wooded trails near the parking lot, but even out in the open conditions were picture-perfect, sunny and dry. The trails are mostly dry too, and will be excellent for biking after a few more dry days. As soon as we reached the twin ponds, Rich noticed a duck and some other birds along the shoreline that turned out to be killdeer and a green heron. We watched the heron for at least half an hour as he waded into the water and then popped back onto shore. We got close enough to see him snatch and then wrestle with a fish that must have been a large meal for him. It took him ten minutes of maneuvering before he could finally swallow the slippery critter! Perched atop a little wooden birdhouse on the far shore we spotted a dull-blue and white bird that resembled a small kingfisher, but we still haven’t identified it. And a great blue heron soared over the other birds before disappearing into a marsh to the north. I see them frequently and it always amazes me that such a large, graceful bird is so common here. We also found a red-winged blackbird atop a tree near the pond as we resumed our hike around the park.

Our evening hours were spent at Lackawanna State Park, where we found and hiked a short portion of the North Woods Trail. It was new to both of us. With daylight leaving quickly and having gotten a sense of how the trail would be for mountain biking, we bushwhacked straight up the hill to emerge at the old amphitheater near the campgrounds. I wanted to search for the spot where my father and I discovered entire thickets of huge, sweet blackberries, many years ago. We found the spot but sadly, very few blackberries. They must have been choked out by the surrounding weeds. Near the campground we found several more fruitful bushes, the nearby grass already trampled by berry pickers (or, as Rich suggested and I preferred to imagine it, bears). It was a beautiful, peaceful walk in the park, as they always are, followed by ice cream (again, as usual). And another great blue heron flew over us while we walked near the dam.

Recently most of our energy has been devoted to traveling, moving, and a host of other time-consuming activities, so it’s been rare for us to find much time for hiking. But this afternoon was so sunny and warm that we were quite easily inspired to head up the mountain to the Eales Preserve. We hiked the Conglomerate Loop and the Stonehenge Trail, of course along with the gravel roads required to get to and from the parking area. Mountaintop breezes made the conditions pleasant despite the high humidity—and no ticks found us! Rich and I agreed that it this particular loop was a bit rockier than we’d prefer for mountain biking, but there are many more trails in the area to investigate. Wildlife sightings today were few, but we saw at least three varieties of colorful mushrooms and several stands of Indian Pipe that were sadly past their prime, their dull black withered heads turned toward the sky. I still always like to see them. And we snacked on sweet blueberries along many of the trails.

Today’s short walk took us along Breaker Road to Winton, where Rich played some more with his new camera. Clouds moved in quickly as we walked, although the day stayed warm. We have to make the most of these dry days, especially at this time of year!

… Rich always manages to find color, even in the bleakest of scenes.

… I probably didn’t need the winter coat today.

… This moose has only one antler!

Yesterday was a frigid, blustery day with snow flurries and arctic winds. This morning, even though it was cold, the air was calm and the sun was out. Rich and I needed to get out of the house, so we decided to take a little walk around town and experiment with the new camera I gave him for his birthday.

Our walk took us down to the River Trail at Decker’s Bridge, then west to Mellow Park, where we walked the newly resurfaced trail alongside the river. We crossed the bridge over the river and hiked back along the railroad tracks and back home via Church Street. Even on these short hikes around town, we find plenty to comment on and usually discover something new.

… Finally! It’s about time there were some food stands along the River Trail. This gas station was recently remodeled and now features a Nathan’s hot dog stand and an ice cream stand.

… In Mellow Park near the bridge over the river.

… Trying out the camera on my new phone!

… This is one moose that doesn’t like the cold weather!

Two turkey dinners yesterday provided more than enough calories to fuel rigorous outdoor activities today. Unfortunately, the windy weather didn’t entice us to go for a ride or a long hike, but we did decide to revisit the Archbald Regional Park again, just like last week, and explore the network of walking paths winding through a small patch of forest.

Although the trails are paved—we prefer gravel—they would nevertheless be a lot of fun for a leisurely spin through the woods on our bikes, especially when combined with all the other riding opportunities in the adjoining Archbald Pothole State Park.

… The sun makes the scene look a lot warmer than it felt!

… There are at least four of these bus-stop like shelters along the various trails. It was unexpected and quite funny to see them in the woods!

On our way home, we stopped to pick up a pizza at La Padrinos on Kennedy Drive in Archbald. With its thin crust and sweet sauce it was more than edible, if not great. We would buy it again. Now we have to work off the calories from the pizza!

After a busy and cold weekend, we had to get out of the house. Rich and I made a quick decision to investigate the relatively new Archbald park adjoining Archbald Pothole State Park. We accessed the park from Eynon-Jermyn Road and parked in the first lot near the tennis courts and soccer fields.

We were impressed from the beginning at how much it has changed since we last visited! We found several areas with athletic fields, a small wooded area with winding paths that would be excellent for walking or cycling (I can even forgive that they’re paved), and of course the large, open area of reclaimed mining land that’s open to hiking, biking, and fishing in several small ponds.

We wandered the trails in the open area, making our way toward a mansion that sits at the eastern border of the park, then cutting back toward our starting place. The trails were wet, but we could skirt most of the puddles easily. The air turned so warm we were wishing we had brought the bikes instead. Next time!

… Near one of the ponds in the strip mine reclamation area.

After our walk, we took a slow drive to check out the rest of the park. We still have several trails to explore, and we’re still wondering just how much of the land belongs to the state park and how much is actually part of the “Archbald Regional Park.”

Today we hunted in the Turkey Hill section of the park. It’s our default area for those days when we don’t have a lot of time or don’t have the inclination for a long hike. This morning was the coldest of the season so far; yesterday was nearly as cold but didn’t feel it, since we were hiking rather than staying still for any length of time.

We first hung out along the Ranger Trail for a very cold half-hour, as the sun came up over the mountain. We then moved to our usual sections, Rich in the middle and I near the southern stretch of the Turkey Hill trail. Both of us heard squirrels squawking like crazy up in the trees! I saw two running up and down the trees as I approached the trail, but I never saw them again.

We waited as long as we could. The air warmed up and it turned into a very nice day, at least for us. The squirrels were still nowhere to be found. I took a slow walk back down the trail toward Rich, discovering along the way a dark grove of hemlocks that looked like excellent red squirrel habitat. That will be my hunting spot next time!

As I came closer to Rich, I could see that he was following a squirrel. He shot and missed. I waited, then slowly moved toward him. Suddenly he was on the trail of another squirrel. He shot again … and this time knocked a little red squirrel off the stone wall. Just as we were getting ready to leave! It’s a shame we couldn’t have stayed longer, but there are more squirrels for other days.

… This looks like a good area for red and gray squirrels!

… The sun was just starting to peek over the mountain and warm the air. Rich was watching for squirrels along this stone wall.

Time to begin unraveling our latest mystery! We decided to leave the squirrels for another day and hike in the “no hunting” Countryside Conservancy lands along the southwestern border of Lackawanna State Park. We parked in the gravel lot along Lily Lake Road and began our hike in Meadowsweet Preserve.

Basically following the blue path and then switching to the green as shown on the Conservancy map, we hiked along switchbacking singletrack, a mucky open farm road (although I think we momentarily left our intended path here), an old woods road, and back to singletrack before eventually joining up with the Abington Trail in the state park. We discovered that while the trails as displayed on the Conservancy website are relatively accurate, the boundaries are vague: signs on site seem to indicate that Meadowsweet actually extends to the southern border of Quarry Ridge, so that the two preserves are adjacent. This is unimportant, except that we thought we might have been able to hunt in the unclaimed area we expected to find between the two preserves. That was not to be.

… Nice singletrack just beyond the trailhead at Meadowsweet Preserve.

Once in the park, we hiked westward along the familiar Abington Trail toward Rich’s Riddler’s Revenge cache (my first-ever find, by the way). Somewhere along the way, we hoped to find a trace of the “Quarry Ridge trail” that the new state park maps indicate. The woods here are relatively open, and we searched as we hiked. We saw absolutely no indication of a trail adjoining the Abington Trail. I was disappointed, but not at all surprised.

To investigate the area even further, instead of hiking back the way we’d come we decided to pick a waypoint along Lily Lake Road and hike out toward it in a relatively straight line. The hope was that if any trail existed in the wooded section beyond the park boundary, we’d see some sign of it or possibly even cross it on our way out to the road. Again we found nothing. What appears on the satellite image to be open woods is actually quite thickly overgrown with branches and brambles, so we ended up hiking along the edge of the field just west of where we wanted to be. But it was enough to nearly convince us that the park map is incorrect.

We had an easy walk of just over half a mile back down Lily Lake Road to the car. It was a fun and somewhat productive hike on a beautiful morning! I am already certain we will come back to Meadowsweet with our mountain bikes … on a nice warm summer day.

We spent this calm, warm, sunny, blue-sky morning hunting squirrels at Lackawanna State Park. They weren’t too active today, but I finally did see one hopping among the treetops. I followed him for a while, thinking I would eventually get a shot, but I never did. Rich saw two squirrels from his favorite spot in the middle of the wooded area surrounded by the Turkey Hill Trail, but they eluded him too. It was fun anyway! We did see plenty of wildlife: a murder (or several!) of crows, a few chipmunks, and a crazed woodpecker; and Rich heard a turkey calling in the distance.

… The view from Rich’s "cozy squirrel lookout."

… Looking deeper into the squirrel woods.