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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.

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

Outcrops that have small springs or seeps during the warm weather are good areas to find frozen stalactites of water over the winter. Even a very low flow of water seeping from between rock layers is enough to make huge frozen columns if it stays cold long enough.

Frozen waterscapes

We are past the middle of February, and the mild start of winter has now given way to more seasonable conditions. More temperatures in the single digits, as well as snow and ice, have resulted in a … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 2/24/21

Note the difference in the nylon leader, left, and the braided leader?

Some thoughts about tapered leaders

As a long-time angler, I hear little discussion about tapered leaders, even though they are an integral part of a fly fisher’s gear. Perhaps leaders are viewed as innocuous, just a necessary … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 2/24/21

Watch for artful expressions of ice while taking a winter walk.

Winter woes and wonders

Here we are in the heart of winter, surrounded and confounded by massive amounts of snow. That such wondrous stuff can also wreak havoc upon our lives is a given at this time of year. As we forge our … more

By SANDY LONG | 2/17/21

You can set up your seedlings anytime you like, but I would wait a bit longer before planting.

Delayed by a rodent

Every farmer has an internal clock. As the weather shifts, it pressures toward the next season, creating that sense of motivation that reminds us, “Hey, it’s time to get ready.” … more

By HUNTER HILL | 2/17/21

What looks like a small choir practicing is a small flock of brown-headed cowbirds. They like open fields and yards; if your yard is large enough to raise livestock, you may see this species around. Cowbirds are “Brood Parasites.” They do not build a nest of their own. Instead, they take over the nests of other species and proceed to raise their own young. Cowbirds will come to feeders.

The 2021 Great Backyard Bird Count

We have been having some somewhat significant snowstorms after a quiet start to winter. Even though you may have been stuck in the house in the midst of the storm, you likely had some birds at your … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 2/10/21

Grayling

As readers of this column by an author who is resident of the Hudson Valley and fishes the Catskill region almost exclusively, you might reasonably ask, why a piece about grayling? A good question, … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 2/10/21

You won’t find a living warthog anywhere in Pike County, but you can see it as a taxidermy mount in the Columns Museum, along with other animals (bear, deer, wolf) donated by local world traveler and avid hunter John Gallaso.

Pike County’s historic nature

Looking for something to combat the impacts of quarantines and restrictions imposed by the ongoing pandemic, in addition to the creep of cabin fever? The Pike County Historical Society (PCHS) is … more

By SANDY LONG | 2/3/21

Who has time for that?

As the snow continues to fall and freeze and swirl around outside, I can’t help but feel as though I’m inside a snow globe or, rather, a wintery hourglass. This deep into winter, … more

By HUNTER HILL | 2/3/21

The ringed bill can be seen in this photograph as well as some other identifying features. Many species of gull appear similar from afar, so binoculars will help in areas where there may be multiple species of gull.

Gulls of the Delaware

When I check out areas of the Delaware or Mongaup rivers for eagles, it’s not just the eagles I am looking for. Eagles are foraging for fish, including fish that were stunned or killed by … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 1/27/21

DEC’s Trout Stream Management Plan

In early November of 2019, I wrote about the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) proposed plan to make significant changes in how it managed New York’s trout rivers. … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 1/27/21

Opportunities abound to participate in citizen science projects pertaining to birds like this white-breasted nuthatch. Project Feeder Watch (www.feederwatch.org) is ongoing through Friday, April 9. (Also see www.celebrateurbanbirds.org.) Take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count from Friday to Monday, February 12 to 15. Learn more at www.birdcount.org. All are projects of the outstanding Cornell Lab of Ornithology (www.birds.cornell.edu/home).

Bird balm: an antidote to anxiety

It’s safe to say that the first weeks of 2021 have not provided the hopeful optimism we’ve all been craving as we attempt to move forward and put the madness of the past year behind … more

By SANDY LONG | 1/20/21

A beautiful and rare find, this fisher represents a shift in the local ecosystem.

Eyes on the prize

It was to my utter surprise that on my way to work I found a prize. This prize came to an untimely demise that was most certainly due to the singular focus of its eyes. Why am I rhyming? Well, it … more

By HUNTER HILL | 1/20/21

Eagles migrate here for the ability to forage for fish, so they tend to be where there is open water. If the river is covered in ice, seek out swift water areas of the river as well as confluences, such as the Lackawaxen River confluence at the Delaware River. If it is a mild winter with little or no ice, the eagles have more of a choice and will be more spread out.

Winter eagle viewing in 2021

Bald eagles in Canada have been making their migration trip south to areas with open water in order to dine on their favorite food, fish. The Delaware and Mongaup river systems, along with … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 1/13/21

Clem and Barb looking over the "Home Pool," 2014.

Clem Fullerton, the ‘Complete Tangler’

This week’s column was supposed to be about the new trout stream management plan released by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) last November, but it is not. Instead, … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 1/13/21

Out with the old: Ending the year with a bit of cleanup.

Year-end purge

Most of us have looked forward to the end of this calendar year. While we’re still unsure about what is to come in 2021, it never hurts to put the fog of the past behind when seeking an … more

By HUNTER HILL | 1/6/21

“To put your hands in a river is to feel the cords that bind the earth together,” wrote Barry Lopez, recipient of the National Book Award in 1986 for his nonfiction work, “Arctic Dreams.” Many who live in or visit the Delaware River region have been inspired by a similar sense of kinship with this iconic river.

‘Simply walking’ into 2021

“I have spent much of my time simply walking,” wrote Barry Lopez in “River Notes: The Dance of Herons,” a pocket-sized but powerful delve into Oregon’s McKenzie River … more

By SANDY LONG | 1/6/21

This is Walker Lake in Shohola, PA a day after the most recent storm of December 21. There are 15 inches of snow on the ground here, but very little of it is sticking to the trees; only the thick boughs of the white pines at the right lower part of the frame are holding some snow...

A white Christmas

Winter started this year with a snowstorm that averaged from one to two feet of snow that fell mostly through the night. Some areas of the northern tier of Pennsylvania and across the border to New … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 12/30/20

Molly snoozes by the woodstove during Catskill winter.

Fly fisher’s winter

Right about the time this piece appears in the River Reporter, the winter solstice will be more than a week in the past. For those of us that fly fish, the day after the solstice begins the countdown … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 12/30/20

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Currently viewing stories posted within the past 2 years.
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