The River Reporter

Outdoors

Featured Most recent Most commented

Currently viewing stories posted within the past year.
For all older stories, please use our advanced search.

1049 results total, viewing 1 - 20

The Eastern Newt, shown here in its terrestrial stage as a red eft, is harmless and should not be harvested for adding to bubbling cauldrons.

Halloween will soon be here, with witches, werewolves, monsters, ghosts, ghouls and goblins beginning to appear around our homes and neighborhoods. As the colorful foliage begins to fall, our … more

By SANDY LONG | 10/16/19

Unconcerned as I stopped to take his photo, this young buck clearly doesn’t know what season it happens to be.

The way out here

Saturday, October 5 marked the start of archery season in Pennsylvania. With it came the inevitable itch to get out in the woods on the weekend and even try to grab a day off from work in pursuit of … more

By HUNTER HILL | 10/16/19

This southward-bound monarch can only fly 12 to 15 mph, but in two months, it can be down to its wintering grounds in Mexico. A butterfly has been tracked flying over 285 miles in a single day, though it may have been helped by a tailwind. Migrating monarchs are frequently seen 100 feet or more above the ground, likely helped by thermals and ridge lift.

Monarch fly-in

A fly-in might be considered a gathering for pilots that takes place at a given airfield. The focus of the meeting might be a small gathering for breakfast at the airport diner, or perhaps a … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 10/9/19

What’s wrong with my fly?

It seems that the debate about the relevance of different fly patterns, how they are tied and how well they function, continues as an age-old controversy. Every spring, with the opening of another … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 10/9/19

What's happening outdoors

October 3 to October 9 more

10/2/19

It isn’t much to look at, but a well-insulated addition makes for a warm and happy family as the nights get colder.

Pennsylvania preparations

With daylight fading, fiberglass floating in the air, a foot holding up insulation and a stapler in my hand, I crawled around in the dirt beneath my home’s addition, trying to get ready for … more

By HUNTER HILL | 10/2/19

“Pennsylvania has a longer and more varied fall foliage season than any other state in the nation—or anywhere in the world,” according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Combined with the state’s outstanding waterways, travelers are in for a real treat while touring the region.

The forest AND the trees

Following my last column about fall webworms and eastern tent caterpillars, I decided to share something more pleasing to the eye, and to the spirit, therefore this paean to the restorative nature of … more

By SANDY LONG | 10/2/19

Neonate timber rattlers measure about one-foot long at birth. This female measured 29.8 cm and weighed 30 grams (as compared to one kilogram for the average female adult). The single rattle on its tail, resembling a button, is incapable of making any noise. This individual was one in a litter found in early September.

Some late season newborns

When we think of young animals making their first appearance in the wild, the season of spring comes into mind. Animals born during spring’s improving weather have several months of warm … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 9/25/19

What's happening outdoors

Thursday, September 26 to Wednesday, October 2. more

9/25/19

A perfect match

It is natural, I believe, to search for better and more balanced equipment as we evolve as fly fishers. This is especially true for those hooked on cane fly rods. Most of us are continuously seeking … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 9/25/19

What's happening outdoors

Thursday, September 19 to Wednesday, September 25 more

9/18/19

The larval stage of the fall webworm can be observed throughout the Upper Delaware River region at this time of year. Fall webworms build their filmy nests at the tips of tree branches. The large messy nests typically contain an assortment of bristly caterpillars, their droppings and partially eaten leaves.

Wondering about those webs?

If you’ve been traveling around the Upper Delaware River region lately, you may have begun to wonder whether these early autumn days have taken a decided turn toward the time when ghouls and … more

By SANDY LONG | 9/18/19 | 1 comment

Two bushels of apples are plenty of work for the apple-cooking hobbyist.

An apple affair

I hate to break it to you all, but the leaves are turning colors. And falling. Yes, it’s beginning to look like autumn, and if that wasn’t proof enough, the apples are starting to ripen. … more

By HUNTER HILL | 9/18/19

Even as caterpillars, the Luna moth is very prominent. This caterpillar is large—about three inches for this individual—and the orange-brown body contrasts with its green head. The caterpillar of this species appears in August and overwinters, undergoing metamorphosis and emerging as a moth in late spring of the following year.

Late summer bug walk

Late August and early September elicit a variety of insect life, aside from the usual pesky biting types. During this time of year, seasonal insects are likely to be mature, as it is late in their … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 9/12/19

What's going on outdoors?

Seed saving workshop and more more

9/12/19

Jaws: a bout with Hannibal the Cannibal

Fly fishing is mostly a quiet and contemplative sport, but sometimes an event occurs that far exceeds a normal day of casting flies to rising trout. This is a story about one of those events: an … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 9/11/19

Mark your calendars for the interesting discussion and meditative experience, “Seeing the Forest Through the Trees,” featuring local authors, John Harvey and Doug Bill, on September 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, PA.

Attentive appreciation

Devoted readers of “River Talk”—please consider this your cordial invitation to join me and two wonderful local authors, Doug Bill and John Harvey, for an event that is sure to … more

By SANDY LONG | 9/4/19

These docile deer have grown used to humans feeding them fruits, veggies and, sometimes, Doritos.

Doritos and deer

If you live out here, you are one of two kinds of people: You either feed the deer or you don’t. Motivations for either may be based on a number of things, but it is a duality that exists in … more

By HUNTER HILL | 9/4/19

Three female timber rattlesnakes nestle at a gestation basking site. There are two black-phase snakes and, on the right, a yellow phase. The milky appearance of the eyes on two of the snakes indicate they are ready to shed. Basking is a thermoregulatory strategy snakes use to control their body temperature. If they get too warm during a hot day, they will retreat under a ledge or other shady spot.

The ‘buzz’ about rattlesnakes

A few weeks ago, there was news of a couple rattlesnake sightings at various locations in Pike County, PA. It spurred one of the local news channels to present a short informational segment on … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 8/28/19

Little black ant, left, Trico and Olive mayfly spinners.

The late summer doldrums

Looking back, one has to wonder where the 2109 trout season went? April and May were cool and wet, rendering stream flows too high and cold for fishing, with fly hatches repressed or lost. The … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 8/28/19

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 … 53 | Next »

Currently viewing stories posted within the past year.
For all older stories, please use our advanced search.