The River Reporter

Keyword: River Talk

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“Impermanence: The Transitory Nature of Experience,” featuring images, poetry and music, will be presented from October 30 through November 30, in the Union Digital Gallery in Narrowsburg. See a representative sample of images at SandyLongPhotos.com. ..

For more than a decade, I’ve been writing “River Talk” and sharing images of the bountiful natural wonders throughout the Upper Delaware River region. Most of the photos have been … more

By SANDY LONG | 10/27/21

Box turtles are usually about eight inches long when grown. In addition to the orange markings, males have orange eyes while females have yellowish-brown eyes. They can be found in woodlands or fields and are omnivorous; they eat a wide variety of insects, amphibians and plants.

The turtle with a security door

In these parts, observing a turtle in the wild is not too uncommon. We can usually spot species such as painted turtles or snapping turtles in lakes and ponds; we also find them trying to cross the … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 7/27/21

Identifying animals by the excrement (scat) they leave is a tool used by people for various reasons. However, the scat itself can sometimes attract other critters. In this image, some coyote scat has attracted three different species of insects. They are the American carrion beetle (Necrophila americana), the larger beetles with yellow thorax markings; the margined carrion beetle (Oiceoptoma noveboracense), the smaller beetles with red thorax markings; and a single mourning cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa) at the top left side of the image.

Some oddities found in a forest

When walking through a forest during this time of year, there are usually quite a few things to see and hear. From the hermit thrush calling near the higher trails to the wood frog trying to … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 7/14/21

'A word from former Sen. Jen Metzger' and more

Letters to the editor January 7 to 13 more

1/6/21

This spotted salamander was under a log not too far from a vernal pond. It is probably waiting for a warm, damp evening to make its way to the pond to breed. I did not disturb this individual, but I estimated it to be close to five inches long.

The unseen salamanders of spring

If you have walked past a small pond within the last few days, chances are you have heard the first wood frogs quacking away as they strive to attract a mate and breed. Soon after, spring peepers … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 3/25/20

Restore your sense of hope by watching for expressions of the natural cycle of life, as evidenced by these egg masses deposited by wood frogs recently in the Upper Delaware River region.

Combatting coronavirus—naturally

Are you overwhelmed with anxiety over the insidious creep of the new strain of coronavirus, COVID-19? Does it seem like everywhere you turn you are being told to wash your hands, practice social … more

By SANDY LONG | 3/18/20

Most bears seen are around 200 pounds, with females topping out at 300-400 pounds and males being much larger. The PA state record for largest bear is 879 pounds. The bear here was seen in the wild in Blooming Grove Township. The weight was estimated between 350 and 400 pounds.

The return of the bears

There are not too many people thinking about bears at the moment as they have been largely absent over the course of the winter. The gestating females in their dens gave birth to cubs during the … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 3/11/20

Delaware Highlands Conservancy’s Amanda Subjin and Hawley, PA business owner Grant Genzlinger discuss the history of the recently completed Hawley Trail in preparation for a guided walk on Saturday, April 18. Visit www.bit.ly/hawleyearthweek to learn more.

Trail talk

Have you heard about the new trail initiatives transpiring in Wayne County, PA? Would you enjoy the opportunity to trek from Honesdale to Hawley by land or by water? Considerable progress has been … more

By SANDY LONG | 3/4/20

Hooded mergansers are named for the feather ridge at the crown of the head that can be raised, making its head look bigger than it actually is. Like the common merganser, this species is also a diving duck that feeds on small fish. This male shows black and white plumage that is very distinctive. Its yellow eyes put it up in the top five in the “Duck Beauty Contest.”

Winter has been just ducky

This probably happens to most of us in the outdoors at some time or another: We rig our lines for largemouth bass and end up hooking into a musky. Maybe we go looking for a peregrine falcon that has … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 2/26/20

An example of the Japanese principle of wabi-sabi, which reminds us that we are all transient beings—that our bodies, as well as the material world around us, are in the process of returning to dust, as illustrated by nature’s cycles of birth, growth and decline. “Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace both the glory and the melancholy found in these marks of passing time,” writes Robyn Griggs Lawrence in the UTNE Reader.

Ways of seeing

Readers of this column know me to be a longtime advocate for attentive awareness of the endless wonders of nature. Engagement with the illuminating insights that can be experienced in the natural … more

By SANDY LONG | 2/19/20

Opt outside and cure cabin fever while exploring the winter landscape of the Sawkill Creek.

Curing cabin fever

Are you starting to feel the constraints of cabin fever as we enter the inward days that define February in the Upper Delaware River region? If so, there’s action you can take to alleviate what … more

By SANDY LONG | 2/5/20

This is another male deer in summer displaying its summer coat. The reddish coat is thinner, allowing deer to better cope with summer heat. This image was captured in August; the antlers are well developed, though still velvet.

Winter Coats

This winter has been on the mild side. The rivers and lakes in the area have seen less ice than normal. So far, there has not been one night where the temperature has dropped below zero degrees. Most … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 1/29/20

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