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Here is a male American toad trying to attract a female by calling. The call is a trilling sound that could last up to 30 seconds or so. A good description of the call might be a cricket sound that doesn’t pause. If there are many calling toads in a lake or pond, they can be heard a few hundred yards away. To hear the call of one male toad, visit riverreporter.com/stories/toad-timing..
Toad timing
In my travels during the spring, I usually notice the distinct trilling of American toads from early May until early June. I hear the calls from lakes and ponds, but also along rivers; it seems … more
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The bridge pool on the upper Clark Fork River, where we used to fish.
Fishing the Clark Fork River
When I arrived in Missoula, MT, with my friend Joe after a long cross-country bus ride, the first river I saw was the Clark Fork. At the time, we were enrolled as students at the University of … more
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American robins are the largest North American thrushes, typically ranging from 8 to 10 inches long, with wingspans of approximately 12 to 16 inches. They are characterized by bright orange-red breasts topped with grayish-brown backs, gray wings, and dark gray heads. White eye rings and a white patch under the tail are other notable features of this beloved songbird...
Appreciating American robins
“When the red, red robin comes bob, bob bobbin’ along, along—there’ll be no more sobbing when he starts throbbing his own sweet song,” declared Harry Woods when he wrote … more
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Bovines, baby birds and other beautiful things
I’ve been joking with family and friends that this column has become more of a ‘this week on the farm’ update, as opposed to the well rounded, all-inclusive country-living column … more
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This is a female ruby-throated hummingbird in a neighbor’s garden. A variety of flowers in most gardens will attract hummingbirds, as well as a variety of butterfly species. ..Females lack the red patch on the throat. ..Hummingbirds have a thin tongue that extends outward from the bill, and aids with collecting nectar from flowers. The hummingbirds' act of feeding aids in the pollination of many species of flowering plants.
Hummingbird migration 2023
With the arrival of the first spring flowers come the first sightings of nature’s pollinators. Bees, butterflies, moths and many other animals can be seen gathering nectar from spring flowers, … more
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Jamie’s parachute Hendrickson nymph, affixed to a vintage Garrison cane fly rod.
Jamie’s parachute Hendrickson nymph
When Jamie called and invited me to meet him on the river, at first I declined—there were several projects that needed attention. But during our conversation, especially when he explained … more
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What do you envision for the future of Pike County, PA? Complete the Pike County 2035 Comprehensive Plan Community Survey to share your top priorities by May 31...
Questions worth considering—now
Approximately 20 years ago, I penned a River Talk column titled “The Planning Palette.” It opened this way: “An artist approaches a canvas and is faced with many choices. The colors … more
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Some seedlings will be ready for transplanting soon enough.
Full steam to the frost date
Tomatoes: check. Peppers: check. Onions: forgot to order—moving on. Basil, radishes, lettuce: check, check, check. Cole crops: started. Greenhouse: steamy. Garlic: growing strong. Now when can … more
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This is a yellow-phase timber rattlesnake basking downslope from the den, just after a trail cam was set up on April 16. For the first few days after emerging from the hibernacula, most of the snakes will find a sunny spot and bask near the den. Many of the snakes are seen returning at night when it starts to get cool. They may stay in the general vicinity of the den for several days before leaving for good. There is still the possibility of freezing temperatures in late April, and inside the hibernacula it will stay above freezing, as it did all winter.
Timber rattlesnakes make their spring appearence
We have been getting some mild and even warm days this spring, and we are seeing more animals and more green leaves on the ground and the trees. We’ve heard spring peepers earlier in the vernal … more
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My friend with a huge, Hudson River female striped bass.
Striped-bass fishing in the Hudson River
Without going into a lot of detail, suffice it to say that striped bass, like other species of coastal, pelagic fishes,* suffered periodic, yet significant population declines. The first decline … more
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Forget-me-nots
Spring bling
Spring has suddenly swept its transformative blush of blossom and birdsong through the Upper Delaware River region. Amphibians call from wetlands, vernal pools, ponds and lakes, waking our ears to … more
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I can’t help but drool at a finely prepped field.
No farm, no foul
What day is it? If it weren’t for the sprinkling-in of a 9-to-5 job and Sunday morning church to punctuate the sentence, I might not know where the time stood. Standing out by my … more
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This mourning cloak was seen early in April near my home, about the same time the wood frogs started to call. This species has blue spots, as do some other species of butterflies; what sets the mourning cloak apart from the other species is the yellow fringe on the trailing edge of the wings. Many mourning cloaks, like this one, have slightly tattered wings. ..In the spring, look for the butterflies along sunny edges of forest or along trails. They also might be sipping sap from holes in trees.
The first of the spring butterflies
You might have gone out into the woods on a spring birding trip, or maybe to listen for spring peepers or wood frogs. As far as insects you could have observed, you might have run across a hatch … more
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The falls on the Amawalk Outlet, where I saw my first brown trout caught.
Opening day when we were young
When we were young men, still in high school, I recall that opening day for us actually began in February. By that time, catalogs from Herters, Sears and Read Tackle had arrived, whetting our … more
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Do you see the “hidden” nest?
The grounded eye
On a scale of one to 10, from “largely oblivious” to “always attentive,” where would you place your level of awareness? Are you stumbling half-asleep through your days, or are … more
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I don’t know too many guys who wouldn’t call digging with an excavator fun.
Scratching ahead
Not all jobs come after a lot of planning; sometimes they all but happen to you. Some jobs seem nearly impossible, until you blink and find yourself halfway done—and then you fight to get to … more
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Bluebirds are abundant, and are found in most areas. They favor open places with some trees or bushes. The birds move around in small flocks as they forage for berries and insects. ..On a late mild winter day a few years back, I saw several bluebirds feeding on stoneflies on the ground near the bank of Calkins Creek. The light snow made the individuals from this hatch easy to spot.
Upcoming bird activities
Spring is here, and so are the signs of spring. If you go out in the mornings, it might be a bit noisier with increased bird calls and drumming from woodpeckers. More robins are apparent on lawns and … more
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Old friends selecting flies for the evening rise on the Burnt House Pool.
Old friends
I met Frank Mele one late April day along the East Branch of the Delaware. He was standing at the guardrail along Route 30, looking at the river as I approached. It was Hendrickson time in the … more
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Fox sparrows find their prey with a foraging behavior described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a “double-scratch.” It involves “a hop forward and an immediate hop back, during which they simultaneously scratch both feet backwards through the leaf litter.”
A pied perplexity
You never know when a natural wonder might wander into your awareness. While I was washing dishes at the kitchen sink, movement outside the window caught my attention. There on the ground was a … more
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My newly resurrected chainsaw, now aptly dubbed the Angry Beaver.
An angry beaver and another wood eater
I might or might not have mentioned in past articles that the house we currently reside in is subject to occasional basement flooding. In the first few months we were here, there was a … more
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