Taking down the tree
For many of us at this time of year, the phrase “taking down the tree” refers to an activity we’ll find ourselves engaged in when the holiday season winds down.
For many of us at this time of year, the phrase “taking down the tree” refers to an activity we’ll find ourselves engaged in when the holiday season winds down.
TRR photo by Jane Bollinger
This is Sydney, the tame ruffed grouse that has been frequenting Jane Bollinger’s driveway and yard. When Jane took this picture, the grouse was about two feet away. One idea is that these “tame” grouse are hyper-territorial. Some of these grouse will peck your hand if you get it too close.
The memories of ruffed grouse are usually of one or two birds at a time flushing suddenly from their hide and disappearing rapidly between the trees of the forest in a flourish of noisy wing beats. Hunters and other people who frequent the ruffed grouse’s habitat will say that the grouse is one of the most secretive birds in the woods.
Uh oh. If that’s the case, then I am in big trouble. I’ve had food issues my entire life, stemming from the fact that I never really cared. Honestly, if I had my druthers, I’d take a pill three times a day to satisfy my dietary requirements. Since that’s not possible, I eat when I have to, but not necessarily because I want to.
TRR photos by Sandy Long
Our great niece, Sophia Gromalski and our new puppy, Raven enjoyed a recent hike at Shohola Recreation Area despite the chilly day. Children and canine family members can all benefit from adventures outside. Give your favorite young ones the gift of greater outdoor time together this holiday season. You will find yourself gifted with a healthier holiday season rich with priceless memories of your shared outdoor adventures.
The holiday season is in full swing, and while that’s mostly a wonderful thing, our appetites for overconsumption can lead us astray at times.
TRR photos by Scott Rando
This male turkey is very prominent in the sunlight with hints of blue in its iridescent plumage and red head and neck area. This male has a beard from its breast; a turkey’s beard grows about three to five inches per year, but starts wearing down as it gets longer due to the end dragging on the ground during feeding.
I usually take a hike through some nearby forest first thing in the morning when home, about a mile or so if the weather is not too severe. Most mornings over the last two weeks I have been hearing a flock of wild turkeys around the same spot. There is a field where they like to browse for food, and where there are many oak trees nearby.
TRR photos by Sandy Long
Look for this marker to locate the trailhead along Watts Hill Road, which can be found by following Church Street through Honesdale and turning right just after crossing the bridge where Church Street concludes. Straight ahead, you’ll spot the trailhead marker. The trail, along with several side trails, provides a good challenge to one’s cardiovascular system. There is also a paved road leading to a parking lot atop the cliff. Access that location via Gibbons Park Road.
As winter weather visits the Upper Delaware River region, the temptation to stay indoors can be overwhelming. We find ourselves becoming more sedentary, when what we really need is to gear up with layered clothing and head out into the bracing air and stark beauty of the season.
Our editor, Anne Willard, recently mentioned to me that she had seen concern expressed about the apparent lack of small birds in the a region via the online Upper Delaware network. People were worried because birds were not visiting their feeders, and they were not hearing many birds calling in the woods as they had earlier.
Most of us would recognize the fuzzy black-and-brown-banded woolly bear caterpillar or the distinctive monarch caterpillar and its striking bands of yellow, black and white. But there are many caterpillars we might encounter in the Upper Delaware River region that are more challenging to identify.
TRR photo by Scott Rando
The lower of these two sub-adult bald eagles is R27, a New York radio-tagged eagle captured two years prior. New York State is also experiencing issues concerning lead toxicity in bald eagles. A 22-year study where 300 bald eagles were screened for lead has shown that about 17% had high levels of lead, high enough to be lethal.
It’s mid-January in a conifer forest with a few clearings within. On the ground, at the edge of one of the clearings, sits an adult bald eagle. It’s not by choice the eagle is sitting on the ground; a few days back it started to experience awkwardness in flight.
TRR photos by Sandy Long
This wood frog was resting under the leaf litter in my yard, where it will eventually overwinter. Due to their light tan coloration, wood frogs are well camouflaged by fallen foliage. An easily identifiable characteristic is the dark mask that stretches from the frog’s eye to just behind its eardrum.
While raking leaves in my yard recently, one suddenly leapt away from me. Similar in color to the foliage on the ground, the leaper turned out to be a wood frog, who probably didn’t appreciate my disruption. The truth is, most animals prefer their habitats to be ungroomed, and as unaltered from their natural state as possible.
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