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Two young can be seen in this nest on April 19 of this year. Their secondary down (mesoptile) has come in, and they are in the area of 3 weeks old. At this stage, they can better retain body heat and do not need to be brooded constantly, which is the case during the first week or so after hatching.

In the early 2000s, when I first started tracking bald eagle nests in the upper Delaware River corridor, there were about 10 nests between Port Jervis, NY and Hancock, NY. This was an encouraging … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 5/5/21

A lesson learned, or was it just luck?

About a week ago, I sent an email to friends I fish with, inviting them to our camp for the annual spring gettogether. This is what I wrote in the subject line: “Pick Up Sticks.” Each … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 5/5/21

For brilliant displays of yellow, there’s nothing like forsythia, with its flowers resembling fireworks.

Spring fever

I should probably be alerting readers to the return of ticks throughout the Upper Delaware River region (yes, they’re out in full force) or to the advancing invasion of the spotted lanternfly … more

By SANDY LONG | 4/28/21

Once tree’d, a bear will often remain unaggressive unless provoked.

‘Honey, what was that?’

Bump. Thump. Clatter. You’re lying in bed, trying to scare up a pleasant dream when you hear this disturbance outside. If you’re a married man in the country, the next thing … more

By HUNTER HILL | 4/28/21

This and a few other little black caddisflies ended up getting ambushed by ants. Ants would grab them from the back or side and carry them back to the rest of the colony in their burrow. I also saw a few wings on the asphalt. I had to wonder if some of the flies on the ground were somehow compromised. A couple of the flies being carried by ants appeared dead.

Fly hatch on the Upper Delaware

About a week back, I drove along the river on the Pennslyvania side to the Westfall boat access. It was a nice sunny day with the temperature just under 60 degrees. The first thing that I noticed … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 4/21/21

The author's vintage 1999/2000 Simms Bootfoot Waders.

My great fishing wader dilemma

As I begin with the words for this column, I’m not sure I am writing them for informational purposes or out of a sense of complete frustration. Perhaps both? Anyway, every so many years, fly … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 4/21/21

Beore teaching him how to use a hammer, I was sure to clear the immediate area of any potentially appealing-looking targets.

Teach ‘em young

A part of most young boys’ upbringing out here is to acquaint them with various tools as they become capable, training them how to be responsible with those tools and, of course, what they can … more

By HUNTER HILL | 4/14/21

The Delaware River is the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi and a waterway of great majesty that calls to countless hearts, soothes many a ravaged spirit and sustains innumerable life forms. As a unit of the National Park System, its many features can be enjoyed by the public. Learn more at www.nps.gov/upde/index.htm).

Pick your park and celebrate!

As a child, I was taken to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia on a family camping trip. The impactful experience helped to launch my lifelong love of the natural world as I plied a small camera to … more

By SANDY LONG | 4/14/21

This young-of-year spring peeper, photographed in July 2019, has already gotten a chance to grow somewhat. Spring peepers are close to full size at the end of their first summer and become mature in one year. The “crucifer” in the last part of their scientific name is named for the “X” or the cross that appears on their back. It can be seen faintly on this individual.

Springtime serenade

We’ve had some mild days, enough so that several species of reptiles and amphibians have been making appearances. Some of their favorite areas this time of year are small ponds and wetlands. … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 4/7/21

A Hendrickson mayfly—our best early season hatch.

Trout-stream fishing, 2021

As a columnist who writes about fly fishing for River Reporter, it has been my tradition to include a piece about the opening day of trout season each spring. Unfortunately, here in the Eastern … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 4/7/21

Have you heard the singing in the trees?

The night peepers

If you’ve lived here in the woods of the Upper Delaware River region for long, you’ve likely heard the night peepers. Every spring, they emerge as voices, rarely to be seen, in the … more

By HUNTER HILL | 3/31/21

$Who would want to protect the Delaware River and the natural resources of its watershed? With the reversal of the Delaware River Basin Commission’s recent fracking ban, the pressure to leave a healthy legacy for future generations has been lifted. What a relief!$

Free to frack, what a relief

Rumor has it that fracking can now proceed at full force following the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBC) remarkable reversal of its decision to ban hydraulic fracturing for natural gas … more

By SANDY LOAM | 3/31/21

This wood duck pair was one of a few on a spall pond in Shohola, PA. As with many bird species, the male is more colorful. Wood ducks nest in abandoned woodpecker nest cavities or in the tops of broken off trees. They sometimes find their way down chimneys due to this behavior.

Winter wildlife viewing opportunities

March 12 was promising to be a somewhat mild day—at least milder than we have had during the last week or so. Temperatures were forecast to rise into the 50s. It was about 7:30 a.m. when I went … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 3/24/21

The turbid waters of the upper basin of the Ashokan Reservoir. Will the upper basin remain turbid indefinitely if the proposed pump storage facility is approved?

Prattsville rides again?

I don’t remember the exact date that the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) became aware of the Prattsville pumped storage project proposed for the Schoharie Reservoir. The project … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 3/24/21

Seize your power when it comes to social media. The Pike County Conservation District (PCCD) has launched a new series using the hashtag #ResourceSaturday to raise awareness of Pennsylvania’s rich natural resources. The initiative supports the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP), which collects information regarding the Commonwealth’s biological diversity and develops County Natural Heritage Inventories (CNHIs). Every other Saturday, PCCD will feature inventory sites such as Egypt Meadow Lake (shown here) on its social media, using the posts to link to the inventory. The public is invited to explore the state’s natural heritage and to participate in the conservation of Pike County’s ecological resources. Post your photos of these sites with the hashtag #ResourceSaturday, and PCCD may share your pictures on its page. Visit www.facebook.com/pikeconservation, www.instagram.com/pike_conservation or www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/Resource.aspx to learn more. Then go global by celebrating #InternationalDayofForests on Sunday, March 21 and #WorldWaterDay on Monday, March 22.

Feeling frustrated? Act on it!

Unusually high temperatures during the second week of March have ignited spring fever in many of us. Although it’s a welcome relief from the cabin fever fostered by the taxing weather … more

By SANDY LONG | 3/16/21

Nothing quite as motivating as watching the snow melt.

These first warm days

It’s officially T-shirt season in Pennsylvania. With the pallid sun-starved skin of winter, we northern-dwellers emerged this past week with excitement to make the most out of the first … more

By HUNTER HILL | 3/16/21

Red-bellied woodpeckers are medium-sized woodpeckers, about the size of a northern flicker. This is a pair of them in a nest cavity they built in a dead black birch. There were young in the nest at this time, but too small to see in the entrance. Look for adults carrying food items and listen for begging calls from the young.

The percussionists of the forest

We think of percussionists when we listen to our favorite music; chances are there is a drummer or some other musician beating a cadence of some sort with the rest of the band. Like us, nature has … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 3/10/21

The shore of Flathead Lake where Kokanee Salmon, Spawned ..

Smokin’ salmon

I cannot, in the truest sense of the English language, call this a fishing story. It can, I guess, be called a “catching” story. It does not even involve conventional fishing equipment, … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 3/10/21

Adult male tree swallows are small songbirds with tiny black bills, deep charcoal flight feathers and black masks around the eyes. They are characterized by brilliant blue feathers above and white feathers below.

Noise impacts songbirds

The almost-unimaginable yet historic decision by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to permanently ban fracking in the Delaware River Watershed was announced on February 25. Eleven years of … more

By SANDY LONG | 3/3/21

Coffee in the Hill household is a must, no matter how we have to get it.

Coffee at all costs

In honor of this being my 50th column of The Way Out Here, it is only suitable that I should write about something that I am extremely passionate about. It’s something that even those who do … more

By HUNTER HILL | 3/3/21

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Currently viewing stories posted within the past 2 years.
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