Those cold, blustery days of November can be a real downer. But there’s a silver lining to those ominous clouds, and it comes with the waves of black and mostly dark-colored migrants that stream down the ridges of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed on their way south at this time of year.
For protection from predators, blackbirds including these Common Grackles typically assemble into sizeable flocks numbering hundreds of birds following the nesting season. These noisy bands of passerines are currently being seen as they move south into the Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plain for winter.American Crows are now working their way into the area. To avoid falling prey to owls and other predators during the night, they form often enormous roosts in well-lit urban areas. They spend their days fanning out across the landscape in search of food, primarily relying upon human-generated fare including road kill and scraps found among trash and litter for sustenance.Formerly confined largely to remote mountainous terrain, the crow’s close relative the Common Raven has, during this century, become more widespread and tolerant of human activity.Ravens are frequently seen in small groups of just two to five birds. During November however, they may assemble into playful bands of ten or more birds as they roam the ridges in search of suitable places to pass the winter.Spending time at one or more of the regional hawk-counting stations during coming weeks will afford you not only the chance to see ravens, but many of our largest raptors as well. Their migration is just now reaching its peak.Peak numbers of Red-tailed Hawks are migrating through the area right now. Though their population is in decline overall, they may appear very common along rural roadways and in suburbia during coming weeks as they try to find prey before continuing south. Inexperienced juvenile “red-tails” are particularly vulnerable to fatal traffic mishaps and other hazards during this time. Give them some room if you can.Early November brings the last of the season’s Osprey down local ridges. Many, including this one seen earlier in the week, will fly right up until sunset to expedite their journey to warmer climes.Always a crowd-pleaser among the observers on the lookouts are the eagles.Flights right now consist primarily of Bald Eagles.Updrafts created as strong autumn winds strike the slopes of local ridges are providing the lift needed for these birds to cover many miles per day with minimal energy expended.Right now, migrating Bald Eagle numbers are often exceeding a dozen birds per day at local counting stations. They include those like this one in juvenile (hatch-year) plumage as well as the various molt sequences experienced by immature eagles prior to reaching maturity.But nearly everyone’s favorite is the close approach of a Bald Eagle in definitive adult plumage.At present, Golden Eagle numbers are just starting to build. Look for the peak of their fall migration to arrive in coming weeks. Gusty days following passage of a cold front are often your best bet for seeing these regal raptors from local lookouts.
For more information on regional hawkwatching sites and raptor identification, click the “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab at the top of this page. And for more on Golden Eagles specifically, click the “Golden Eagle Aging Chart” tab.
During these last mild evenings of fall, the trilling call of the Narrow-winged Tree Cricket (Oecanthus niveus) can still be heard among the withering growth of thickets, fields, and forest edges. As the temperatures plummet, the pulsating rate of this insect’s song slows proportionally. Below about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, there is silence.
Bright moonlight tonight……will bring familiar nocturnal migrants like this Dark-eyed Junco to your garden, feeding station, or other favorite birding place by morning.
Invasive populations of Red-eared Sliders (right) continue to grow and threaten numbers of native freshwater testudines including the Painted Turtles seen here to the left. Introduced primarily as unwanted pets, sliders are now freely reproducing throughout much of the lower Susquehanna watershed. Their ability to feed aggressively and grow to sizes significantly larger than those of our most-imperiled wetland species including the Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata), Wood Turtle, and endangered Bog Turtle make Red-eared Sliders a menace rivaling habitat loss and illegal collecting.
Small numbers of Rusty Blackbirds are currently moving south through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Look for individuals and small flocks feeding in damp woods and along lake and river shorelines. These uncommon birds nest far to our north in wet coniferous and mixed forests as well as willow thickets, often in muskeg or beaver pond-created habitat. Rusty Blackbirds spend the colder months in the wooded swamps of the southeastern and south-central United States. Loss of habitat has reduced their numbers dramatically, as has their misfortune to occasionally join flocks of foraging Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles on the wintering grounds where all of these species fall victim to avicide poisons placed on feedlots to eradicate European Starlings.
As we begin the second half of October, frosty nights have put an end to choruses of annual cicadas in the lower Susquehanna valley. Though they are gone for yet another year, they are not forgotten. Here’s an update on one of our special finds in 2025.
During late June of 1863, the beginning of the third summer of the American Civil War, there was great consternation among the populous of the lower Susquehanna region. Hoping to bring about Union capitulation and an end to the conflict, General Robert E. Lee and his 70,000-man Army of Northern Virginia were marching north into the passes and valleys on the west side of the river. The uncontested Confederate advances posed an immediate threat to Pennsylvania’s capital in Harrisburg and cities to the east. Marching north in pursuit of Lee was the First Corps of the Army of the Potomac, the lead element of the 100,000-man Union force under the direction of newly appointed commander General George G. Meade.
Upon belatedly learning of Meade’s pursuit, Lee hastily ordered the widely separated corps of his army to concentrate on the crossroads town of Gettysburg. As the southern army’s Third Corps under General A. P. Hill approached Gettysburg from the west, they were met by Union cavalry under the leadership of General John Buford. Dismounted and formed up south to north across the Chambersburg Pike, Buford’s men held off Confederate infantry until relieved by the arrival of the Union First Corps. As he deployed his men, the First Corps’ commander, General John F. Reynolds of Lancaster, was struck by a bullet and killed.
During the first day’s fighting at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, the northernmost position in the Union First Corps’ line was held by its Second Division commanded by General John C. Robinson. His men would defend their right flank against attacks from Confederate General Richard S. Ewell’s Second Corps as they arrived from the north to face off against the Union Eleventh Corps which had arrived to take positions north of the town. During the afternoon, upon becoming outnumbered and overwhelmed, the Union forces would retreat south through the town to take up positions on Cemetery Hill by nightfall. Deployments extending south and east of Cemetery Hill would ultimately prove victorious for Union forces during the battle’s final day on July 3.John C. Robinson’s Second Division “invaded” Pennsylvania as one of Meade’s lead elements charged with intercepting Lee’s Confederate Army. (National Park Service image)
If you visit the Gettysburg battlefield, you can find the General John C. Robinson monument at the site of his division’s first-day position along Doubleday Avenue at Robinson Avenue near the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. But that’s not the Robinson we went to Gettysburg to see.
Following up on our sight and mostly sound experiences with some Robinson’s Cicadas, an annual species of singing insect we found thriving at Gifford Pinchot State Park in York County, Pennsylvania, during late July, we spent some time searching out other locations where this native invader from the southern United States could be occurring in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.
During mid-August, we stumbled upon a population of Robinson’s Cicadas east of the Susquehanna in the Conewago Creek (east) watershed in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, and made some sound recordings.
After pondering this latest discovery, we decided to investigate places with habitat characteristics similar to those at both the new Londonderry Township and the earlier Gifford Pinchot State Park locations—successional growth with extensive stands of Eastern Red Cedar on the Piedmont’s Triassic Gettysburg Formation “redbeds”. We headed south towards known populations of Robinson’s Cicadas in Virginia and Maryland to look for suitable sites within Pennsylvania that might bridge the range gap.
Our search was a rapid success. On State Game Lands 249 in the Conewago Creek (west) watershed in Adams County, we found Robinson’s Cicadas to be widespread.
Eastern Red Cedar, a probable host tree for Robinson’s Cicada nymphs, among successional growth on State Game Lands 249. Cedar thickets often become established on shallow or depleted soils on lands originally cleared for farming. They provide excellent cover as well as much needed breeding and feeding areas for birds, mammals, insects, and other wildlife.A male Robinson’s Cicada singing at State Game Lands 249 in Adams County, Pennsylvania.
Following our hunch that these lower Susquehanna Robinson’s Cicadas extended their range north through the cedar thickets of the Gettysburg Basin as opposed to hopping the Appalachians from a population reported to inhabit southwest Pennsylvania, we made our way to the battlefield and surrounding lands. We found Robinson’s Cicadas to be quite common and widespread in these areas, even occurring in the town of Gettysburg itself.
Populations of Robinson’s Cicadas (red) in the lower Susquehanna valley and adjacent areas of the Potomac watershed near Gettysburg. The Triassic Gettysburg Basin is shown in white with intrusions of igneous Triassic-Jurassic diabase in dark green. (United States Geological Survey base image)Robinson’s Cicadas are common on much of the Gettysburg National Military Park property, particularly in the southern reaches where outlying areas are dense with Eastern Red Cedar growth to within several miles of the Mason-Dixon Line. In these tall walnuts and cedars along Confederate Avenue (that’s Little Round Top and its diabase boulders in the background) we recorded the following sound clip of a singing male.Robinson’s Cicada probably extended its range into the lower Susquehanna valley in much the same way General John C. Robinson and the rest of the Army of the Potomac marched into Pennsylvania to meet Lee’s Confederates, by following the terrain of the Triassic Gettysburg Basin. Got a big stand of cedars near you? Be sure to have a listen for Robinson’s Cicadas next summer! (United States Geological Survey base image)
Having experienced our first frost throughout much of the lower Susquehanna valley last night, we can look forward to seeing some changes in animal behavior and distribution in the days and weeks to come. Here are a few examples…
Unlike their close relatives the Tree Swallows, which include berries as well as invertebrates in their diet, Northern Rough-winged Swallows are strictly insectivores and will find it necessary to promptly move south to assure a frost-free environment where they can secure an adequate supply of food. Their one alternative: find a local sewage treatment plant where warm water attracts populations of flying insects through the remainder of autumn and maybe into winter.Warblers too are insect eaters. Look for most of our dozens of species to evacuate the area in coming days and leave behind only the Yellow-rumped Warbler, another bird with a fondness for berries during cold weather. Into the winter months, they remain in small numbers in habitats with an abundant supply of berries like Poison Ivy, holly, wild grape, bittersweet, and Eastern Red Cedar. For lingering Yellow-rumped Warblers, thickets of cedars and other evergreens provide essential protection from frigid nighttime winds.This Eastern Chipmunk will soon feel the pinch. Instead of eating the sweet, fruity portions of Mile-a-minute Weed berries, it’ll have to get serious about stocking its den with larger seeds, acorns, hickory nuts, and other foods to snack on through the winter. Better get busy, little friend!
These juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are among the last big southbound push of Neotropical migrants we’ll see moving through the lower Susquehanna valley in coming days. Be certain to get outside and have a look.
Less than ideal flying conditions can cause some of our migrating birds to make landfall in unusual places. Clouds and gloom caused a couple of travelers to pay an unexpected visit to the headquarters garden earlier today.
Here in our urban oasis, this Northern Parula was our first warbler of the season. We noticed it gleaning small insects from the leaves and stems of the taller trees.It was joined by this Red-breasted Nuthatch near a trickle of water at one of the ponds.Our resident Carolina Chickadees made good foraging companions for our temporary guests.
Be sure to keep an eye open for visiting migrants in your favorite garden or park during the overcast and rainy days ahead. You never know what might drop by.
Crisp cool nights have the Neotropical birds that visit our northern latitudes to nest during the summer once again headed south for the winter.
Flying through the night and zipping through the forest edges at sunrise to feed are the many species of migrating vireos, warblers, and other songbirds.
A Tennessee Warbler peers from the cover of a Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), a small native tree which is not, as many assume, a poisonous plant. Staghorn Sumac is in fact an excellent wildlife species with brilliant autumn colors.Though its breeding season has come to an end, this southbound Yellow-throated Vireo was found singing its heart out in the limbs of a Staghorn Sumac early this morning.Not to be outdone, this Northern Parula joined in with a cheery tune from yet another Staghorn Sumac.Black-throated Green Warblers are particularly numerous right now. To see them, visit a ridgetop forest clearing at sunrise.
As the nocturnal migrants fade into the foliage to rest for the day, the movement of diurnal migrants picks up the pace.
Southbound flights of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are reaching their peak this week with chilly temperatures hustling them along. Remember to keep your feeders clean and your nectar fresh through at least early October; they may really need the supplemental energy.Migrating Broad-winged Hawks, sometimes traveling in large flocks known as kettles, seek out thermal updrafts to gain altitude before gliding away on a southwest heading bound for Houston, Texas. Once there, they’ll make a turn to the south and follow the gulf coastline toward the tropics for winter.While passing through the lower Susquehanna valley in fall, Broad-winged Hawks can be seen ascending to greater heights above almost any sun-drenched surface including large parking lots or barren fields. But to get your best look, visit a ridgetop hawk watch where these birds circle on the rising air created by solar heating of the south-facing slopes.While on the crest, you might notice that the Neotropicals aren’t the only bird species heading through. Migrants like this Sharp-shinned Hawk are beginning to show up in increasing numbers with a peak expected in about two to three weeks.
To find a hawk-counting station near you, check out our “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” page by clicking the tab at the top of this page. And plan to spend some time on the lookout during your visit, you never know what you might see…
This very early Golden Eagle surprised observers at Second Mountain Hawk Watch in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, this morning. It appears to be an immature, more specifically a second-year bird beginning molt (replacing its innermost primaries), so it may not have traveled all the way to the eastern population’s breeding areas in northern Canada for the summer. Instead, it may have wandered the vast wilderness hundreds of miles further south. Expect to see these regal eagles more regularly when adults and hatch-year juveniles from the nesting region start passing through our area, primarily during the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving. In the meantime, you’ll have time to check out our “Aging Golden Eagles” page by clicking the tab at the top of this page.
Chilly nights and shorter days have triggered the autumn migration of Neotropical birds. You may not have to go far to see these two travelers. Each is a species you may be able to find migrating through your neighborhood.
Common Nighthawks are large insect-eating nightjars. Watch for them feeding and migrating overhead during the late hours of the afternoon and continuing through nightfall. While skies above the Susquehanna and large tracts of forest or grassland offer the best viewing opportunities, even city residents may witness their evening flights during the coming weeks. Though nighthawk numbers appear to be in decline, as many as a hundred or more are currently being seen nightly at Pine Grove Furnace State Park along South Mountain in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. For daytime roosting during their southbound movements, nighthawks seem to be attracted to deep shade in areas of vast forest. They will often seek sanctuary and become concentrated in “islands of darkness” like Michaux State Forest on South Mountain after passing over light-polluted urban areas such as Harrisburg and the adjoining metroplex of the Great Valley during the previous night.Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are now moving south. It’s time to be extra vigilant about keeping your sugar-water dispensers clean and filled with fresh nectar mixture. For tips on feeding hummingbirds safely, check out our post from August 5, 2022, “Two Feeders Are Better Than One”.
Beginning this evening at about 10:44 PM EDT, and lasting until almost 11 o’clock, the gaseous clouds from two of three TOMEX+ (Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment) sounding rockets launched from NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility near Chincoteague, Virginia, were visible in the southern skies of much of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. From susquehannawildlife.net headquarters, we were able to see and photograph the glowing clouds created by these vapor releases. Within minutes, the contrail-like wisps were swept away by the swift thin air of the mesosphere, the area lying just below the thermosphere and the Kármán Line—the border of outer space 100 kilometers (62 miles) above sea level. According to NASA, “This mission aims to provide the clearest 3D view yet of turbulence in the region at the edge of space.”
A gas cloud released in the mesosphere by the first of three rockets launched in quick succession from Wallops Island, Virginia, on the Delmarva Peninsula. Being the uppermost layer of the atmosphere, the mesosphere functions as an energy conduit into space and can thus be very turbulent.A gaseous cloud created by a vapor tracer release from the second sounding rocket as seen from susquehannawildlife.net headquarters.Faint tracer clouds at the center of the image and in the upper right disperse in mesospheric air currents after release from two sounding rockets. The mesosphere’s thin air is responsible for creating enough friction to burn up a majority of the meteors that enter the earth’s atmosphere. A byproduct of the destruction of these meteors is atomic sodium. As part of the study, the third rocket used a laser to illuminate and excite this sodium in its area of greatest concentration, about 56 miles above sea level.
It may seem hard to believe, but the autumn migration of shorebirds and many Neotropical songbirds is now well underway. To see the former in what we hope will be large numbers in good light, we timed a visit to the man-made freshwater impoundments at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna, Delaware, to coincide with a high-tide during the mid-morning hours. Come along for a closer look…
Along a large portion of its route, the tour road at Bombay Hook N.W.R. sits atop the man-made dikes that create several sizeable freshwater pools (left) along the inland border of one of the largest remaining salt marsh estuaries in the Mid-Atlantic States (right).Twice daily, the rising tide from Delaware Bay flows along the tidal creeks to flood Bombay Hook’s extensive marshes.At high tide, mudflats in Bombay Hook’s coastal estuary become inundated by salt water, forcing migratory shorebirds to relocate to bay side beaches or other higher ground to rest and feed for several hours.At Bombay Hook, migratory shorebirds, waterfowl, and waders can find refuge from high tide in the freshwater impoundments created by capturing water along the inland west side of a system of earthen dikes.Mechanical or stacked-board gate systems are used to control water depth in the impoundments. Levels can be adjusted seasonally to manage plant growth and create conditions favorable for use by specific groups of birds and other wildlife.A map at Shearness Pool, the largest impoundment on the refuge, shows the location of other freshwater pools at Bombay Hook.A mix of mudflats and shallow water on Raymond Pool provides ideal habitat for a variety of shorebirds forced from the vast tidal marshes by the rising tide. For us, a mid-morning high tide places these birds in perfect light as they feed and loaf in the pools to the west of the tour road located atop the dikes.Migrating shorebirds arrive on Raymond Pool to find refuge from the rising tide to the east. Showing a single ring around their breast, many Semipalmated Plovers can be seen here among the Semipalmated Sandpipers, the latter the most abundant shorebird presently populating Bombay Hook. Feeding in deeper water in the background are Short-billed Dowitchers. All of these birds consume a variety of invertebrates they find both in and on the mud.Semipalmated Plovers and Semipalmated Sandpipers arriving on a mudflat at Raymond Pool.A Short-billed Dowitcher glides in from the salt marsh to visit the shallows of Raymond Pool for a couple of hours.A Short-billed Dowitcher feeding among Semipalmated Plovers and Semipalmated Sandpipers.Short-billed Dowitchers in water almost too deep for the Semipalmated Sandpipers in their company.A lone Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) among the abundance of Short-billed Dowitchers.Short-billed Dowitchers probe the mud with their sewing machine-like feeding style.Seldom do they take a break long enough for an observer to their bill in its entirety.A Lesser Yellowlegs arrives at Raymond Pool as a high-tide refugee.Another Lesser Yellowlegs on a mudflat.A Greater Yellowlegs wades into shallow water to feed.It’s difficult to estimate just how many Semipalmated Plovers and Semipalmated Sandpipers were seen. There were at least 500 plovers, and they were very vocal. The latter species was present in numbers measurable in the thousands. We don’t think 10,000 Semipalmated Sandpipers is an overestimate.Searching through the Semipalmated Sandpipers, one could regularly find a very similar species among them.We identified the longer-billed and slightly larger Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) and found the species to be present possibly by the hundreds among the masses of thousands of Semipalmated Sandpipers. These seem to be unusually high numbers for this more western species, but who’s complaining?As we sifted through these groups of tiny shorebirds known as “peeps”, we found Western Sandpipers (top) regularly distributed among the multitudes of Semipalmated Sandpipers (bottom) we encountered.A Western Sandpiper (top) photographed with a Semipalmated Sandpiper (bottom) in Bear Swamp Pool.Of course, shorebirds aren’t all there is to see at Bombay Hook. More than 100 Snowy Egrets were found on the freshwater pools alongside birds like this Semipalmated Plover.Great Egrets could be seen stalking small fish in the channels of the pools.And a few Green Herons were found lurking in the vegetation.This Osprey briefly startled the shorebirds on Raymond Pool until they realized it posed no threat.By early afternoon, we noticed the tide beginning to retreat from the saltwater marsh and mudflats opposite Shearness Pool. As shorebirds began returning there to feed, we decided to make our way to Raymond Pool to watch the exodus.With the high tide receding from the coastal estuary back into Delaware Bay, shorebirds promptly departed their concentrated environs on Raymond Pool to spread out over thousands of acres of salt marsh to feed.More shorebirds exit Raymond Pool en route to the adjacent tidal areas to feed. This outbound group includes two Black-bellied Plovers (top center and four birds to the right).These migrants have just begun their autumn journey from breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska to wintering areas located as far south as southern South America. For them, Bombay Hook and other refuges are irreplaceable feeding and resting locations to help them refuel for their long journey ahead. For them, a little vacation along the coast is a matter of life and death.A goodwill ambassador bids us farewell at the end of our visit to Bombay Hook. Remember to support your National Wildlife Refuges by purchasing your annual Federal Duck Stamp. They’re available right now at your local United States Post Office, at the Bombay Hook visitor’s center, or online at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service website.
Planning a visit? Here are some upcoming dates with morning high tides to coax the birds out of the tidal estuary and into good light in the freshwater impoundments on the west side of the tour road…
Tuesday, August 19 at approximately 07:00 AM EDT
Wednesday, August 20 at approximately 08:00 AM EDT
Having emerged from the soil overnight, this pale-colored teneral (soft-bodied) Eastern Scissor Grinder has shed its exuvia (left) and is currently pumping blood throughout its extremities to expand its size and unfurl its wings. During the remainder of the morning, the wings and exoskeleton will darken in color and harden in preparation for flight. As an adult, this cicada then has just weeks to complete its courtship and breeding cycle before facing inevitable doom. To see images and listen to sound clips of this and other annual species, visit our cicada page by clicking the “Cicadas” tab at the top of this page.
Today’s NOAA/GOES satellite image serves as a little reminder of the big three. That’s right, it’s the three big “natural” disasters—wildfires, inland flooding, and coastal flooding (lucky for us, our region is at present millions of years removed from severe threats posed by the tectonic disasters—earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis—and is not particularly prone to frequent tornadoes). Each continues to cause an increasing volume of property damage and threaten a greater number of lives because of where and how we choose to make our homes and erect our structures.
Earlier today, smoke from forest fires in central Canada sweeps through the skies of the Great Lakes, New England, and the Mid-Atlantic States north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Meanwhile off North Carolina, Tropical Storm Dexter is seen developing over warm ocean waters east of the Gulf Stream. (NOAA/GOES satellite image)
For all of human existence, the dynamics of the atmosphere have been shaping the topography and the ecosystems of the planet. In recent times, we’ve had the advantage of satellite technologies to show us spectacular images of atmospheric events as they happen. And through the various branches of science, we’ve come to understand the impact these events have upon the landscape and the people who live and/or work there.
Forestry sciences have helped us to understand how natural fuels, humidity, temperature, rainfall, soil moisture, wind, and human encroachment influence the frequency and severity of wildfires. These discoveries have led to changes in forest management and implementation of practices such as prescribed burns to reduce accumulated fuel loads. Because human development typically lowers soil moisture and brings along with it additional sources of ignition, many land managers and fire departments have warned of the ever increasing dangers of wildland-urban interface fires. These warnings have gone largely unheeded for more than four decades as millions of homes and other combustible structures have been erected within areas prone to fires capable of uncontrollable growth into disastrous conflagrations. The tinderbox wildlands—they’re a nice place to visit, but we ought not to live there!
Tropical storms and other sources of heavy precipitation bring about quite the hubbub over flooding. Meteorologists spend a lot of time explaining it all, but it’s almost as if no one pays any mind. For a people who check the weather forecast several times a day, every day of our adult life, just to get a leg up on how that weather is going to change day by day and hour by hour, you would think we would better anticipate the climatic events that happen over the long term. In particular, you would think we would have an awareness of our own individual susceptibility to flooding— a grasp of how, where, and why floods occur. You would think that repeated episodes of flooding would compel society to embrace an ethic that treated water as the valuable commodity it is. Yet, we all seem to follow the same patterns of behavior. First, we drain, dump, pipe, curb, channel, ditch, grade, pave, and pump to get the rain that falls upon our property off of our property. Then, the chump downstream gets really mad that we sent our water his way and flooded him out, so he takes the same measures to send even more water to the next poor slob down the line until finally the now polluted slurry of runoff floods the street, a cellar, a house, a business, or a stream—a stream that has been channelized so it no longer has a floodplain to absorb, hold, purify, and infiltrate the stormwater. Why was the stream channelized? So we could fill in the floodplain and build upon it of course. Two things come to mind here. First, if we’re going to be selfish enough to flood out our neighbors, then why shouldn’t we be totally selfish and keep for ourselves all the water that falls upon our place. After all, we’re going to need that water some day. And second, the floodplain is a nice place to visit, but we ought not to build there. Floodplains are for flooding; thousands of years of erosion have shaped them that way—it’s a gravity thing!
Next, we look at the lessons from geology, more specifically coastal geomorphology. Through these disciplines we know that the coastal plain—the flat land that spent most of the last 35.5 million years (the time since the meteor strike at the present-day mouth of Chesapeake Bay) as a beach or a tidal marsh—today stands mostly less than three dozen feet above sea level. We know that the sands forming barrier islands along the Atlantic seaboard, which are only several feet above sea level, shift their shape and position with the tides. Over the decades and centuries, these islands migrate and compensate for changes in climate and tidal patterns as well as sea levels. Behind their shifting dunes, vast tidal marshes are protected from seasonal storms including the periodic nor’easter or hurricane. Despite the importance of barrier island dynamics to the integrity of the bays and estuaries they protect, and despite their vulnerability to coastal storm surges, winds, and flooding, we choose to build there. In fact, the greatest population densities in the United States, and in many other countries of the world, are on the beach. It’s not because these hundreds of millions of people are fishing or loading/unloading ships for a living—it’s mostly for the view. Despite their importance to fisheries and other coastal life, we continue to alter and destroy the near-tidal areas of the the barrier islands and bays. We go to great expense to “save” for our uses the lands that should be getting inundated by rising sea levels to create new shallow tidewater zones. We waste spectacular amounts of money pumping sand back onto beaches to keep naturally migrating sediments from changing their shape and position in response to the tides. We keep putting more people and more capital at risk by urbanizing these low-lying areas. Building on the beach is absolute madness. It’s an ecological catastrophe from day one and a human catastrophe soon after.
All of the lands impacted by these natural events have two things in common. Each becomes a potential disaster area if people choose to construct their homes or businesses there. And each, if left in its wild state and given a buffer space from human activity, reacts with natural time-derived mechanisms in response to the same events. These mechanisms are often essential for provision of the unique ecosystems required by many of our most threatened wildlife species. Human encroachment into floodplains, wetlands, tidal marshes, beaches, and xeric uplands is a double-edged sword. It first decimates populations of these uncommon species by destroying and fragmenting their specialized habitats. Then, it sets the stage for the fires, floods, and other disasters that endanger the lives and property of the people living there. Considering the ramifications of building in these fire and flood susceptible areas, we can and should live somewhere else, especially when the wildlife requiring these places often can’t.
This evening’s smoky sunset over the Susquehanna at Chiques Rock was courtesy of Canadian wildfires.
Just as we were very pleased last month to have the opportunity to hear the sounds of the rarest of the Periodical Cicadas—the Little Seventeen-year Cicada—in the Conewago Hills of York County to thus provide our only record of the species during the Brood XIV emergence in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, we were this week delighted to find and record a population of what may be the valley’s rarest cicada experiencing annual flights—the Robinson’s Cicada—just a few miles away at Gifford Pinchot State Park.
Like the Little Seventeen-year Cicada, Robinson’s Cicada (Neotibicen robinsonianus) is a species found more commonly in the southern United States, occurring with scattered distribution in a range that extends west into Missouri, Kansas, and Texas. They are of rare occurrence in the lands of the Chesapeake drainage basin in Virginia and Maryland.
Populations of Swamp Cicadas, also known as Morning Cicadas, are presently in the midst of their yearly courtship rituals. Their songs are easily heard in woods, edge habitat, and suburbia throughout the region during the AM hours. It was while recording the sounds of these common insects in the Conewago Day-use Area at Gifford Pinchot State Park that we noticed a very unique song from high in the oaks, hickories, and other hardwoods along the lake. Listen to this sound clip featuring a group of serenading male Swamp Cicadas. In the background, a Robinson’s Cicada’s song consisting of a pulsing series of raspy buzzes, each about one second in duration, can be heard, particularly starting at 00:40.Dozen’s of Robinson’s Cicadas were heard this week in the large trees of the lakeside picnic grove in the Conewago Day-use Area at Gifford Pinchot State Park. They remained high in the canopy and were glimpsed only when flying to a new perch, so we’ll have to settle for a photo of an individual from the more southerly portions of the species’ range (provided courtesy of AmaryllisGardener, under license: CC BY-SA 4.0). We recorded these two sound clips of males singing in the forested area west of the picnic grove. The first was nearer the park campground. The second was in the vicinity of the nature center building and includes a Wood Thrush and another Robinson’s Cicada in the background.
The Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, and Gifford Pinchot State Park in particular, may currently represent the northern limit of the geographic range of the Robinson’s Cicada. If you’re in the area during the coming weeks, drop by the park and have a listen. And don’t forget to check out our “Cicadas” page for sound clips of all the species found in our area.
It begins on a sunny morning in spring each year, just as the ground temperature reaches sixty degrees or more…
Eastern Subterranean Termites emerge in unison from a nest located in the soil beneath a log. Each of these swarming “alates” is a potential king or queen seeking to find a location with an ample supply of fallen timber to provide food for establishment of a new colony. They are escorted to the surface by a soldier (lower center) equipped with powerful jaws for protecting the existing nest. Similar-looking worker termites tend the nest, the queen, her eggs, and their siblings, but usually remain hidden from view. The workers feed upon wood, hosting cellulose-digesting protozoa and bacteria in their guts to break down the fibers. This symbiotic relationship is an important mode of decomposition in the forest, the process that turns wood into the organic matter that enriches soil and helps it to retain more moisture.Termites are among the numerous arthropods that join fungi and a variety of microbes to decompose dead wood and other plant matter into the nutrients and organic materials used by living plants to thrive and grow.Within moments of emerging, swarming “alates” ascend a tree trunk or other vertical surface from which they can take flight.Eastern Subterranean Termite “alates” gather atop a stump before launching skyward.Termites swarm in massive numbers in an attempt to overwhelm the predators that are inevitably attracted to their sudden appearance. The few “alates” that survive to find a source of rotting wood in which to begin a new colony are the only hope for continuing their king and queen’s legacy.Soon after lift off, the majority of swarming termites are consumed by swallows, swifts, and other birds, but some are discovered at ground level.A lightning-fast strike with its tongue and this Green frog has snatched up yet another termite. Those that slip by the dragnet of terrestrial and aerial predators can sometimes start a new colony in the ground beneath a dead tree or in a vulnerable house or other wooden structure. To keep a small clan from invading your home, be certain the wood elements of your building(s) are kept dry and are not in contact with dirt, soil, bark mulch, etc. Regular inspections for evidence of their presence can head off the long-term damage termites can inflict on the stuff we construct with tree skeletons.A Green Frog wearing its breakfast. Its next chance for a termite feast may come during the autumn when the Drywood Termites (Kalotermitidae) swarm.
Of course, termites aren’t the only groups of insects to swarm. As heated runoff from slow-moving thundershowers has increased stream temperatures during the past couple of weeks, there have occurred a number of seasonal mayfly “hatches” on the Susquehanna and its tributaries. These “hatches” are actually the nuptial flights of newly emerged imago and adult mayflies. The most conspicuous of these is the Great Brown Drake.
Seen here with a much smaller and more typical regional mayfly to its left, the Great Brown Drake was for several years infamous for swarming the lights and creating traffic hazards on bridges spanning the Susquehanna. During the past two weeks, nighttime flights of these giants have ventured out to gather at well lit locations in housing and business districts more than a dozen miles from the river. Earlier this century, this proclivity to wander probably led the Great Brown Drake to first invade silty segments of the Susquehanna as a colonizer from its native range in the Mississippi watershed.
Swarms of another storm-related visitor are being seen throughout the lower Susquehanna valley right now. Have you noticed the Wandering Gliders?
Throughout the month, swarms of Wandering Gliders, the most widespread dragonflies in the world, descended on areas hit by localized slow-moving thundershowers. Large numbers of these global travelers are known to get swept up within the thermal air masses that lead to these storms. In suitable terrain within the path of the downpours, they linger to search for flooded places where they can mate and deposit eggs. Wandering Gliders frequently mistake large parking lots at shopping malls, grocery stores, etc. for wetlands and will be seen in these areas depositing eggs upon the hoods and roofs of shiny motor vehicles, surfaces which appear puddle-like in their eyes.More dragonfly swarms are yet to come. Adult Common Green Darners are presently in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed mating and depositing eggs within vegetated ponds, lakes, and wetlands. Beginning in August, adult Common Green Darners and other migratory species including Black Saddlebags, Carolina Saddlebags, Wandering Gliders, and Twelve-spotted Skimmers will begin swarming as they feed on flying insects (including lots of mosquitos and gnats) and start working their way toward the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Along the barrier islands by September, concentrations of southbound dragonflies can reach the thousands, particularly at choke points like Cape May, New Jersey, and Cape Charles, Virginia. So be sure to keep an eye on the sky for swarms of dragonflies during coming weeks. And don’t forget to check out our “Damselflies and Dragonflies” page by clicking the tab at the top of this page.
Now that the nesting season is drawing to a close, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are a bit less fussy about where they spend their time. Even in urban settings, gardens with an abundance of nectar-producing flowers like this Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) have a good chance of attracting them. Hummingbirds will be wandering the landscape and starting to drift south during the coming two months, so keep your feeders clean and filled with a fresh blend of sugar water to keep them energized and happy. If you’re feeding hummingbirds, or thinking about feeding hummingbirds, be sure to review the helpful tips contained in our post from August 5, 2022, “Two Feeders Are Better Than One”. Their health and your peace of mind may depend on it.
As the choruses of Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas fall silent for another seventeen years, the sounds of the more widespread annual Neotibicen cicadas are starting to be heard throughout the lower Susquehanna valley. These latter insects have a more abbreviated life cycle, spending just two to five years in the subterranean nymphal stage before appearing during mid-summer to breed. The emergence of these annual insects is not synchronized into broods, so some adults are found taking flight, singing, and mating every year. Over the centuries, male annual cicadas that emerged and commenced courtship songs earlier than July have certainly failed to successfully reproduce during Periodical Cicada years. So to avoid competition with the overwhelming drone of the seventeen-year cicadas that may emerge along with them, natural selection has delayed the maturation of the annual species until just after the periodicals have gone quiet. To see pictures and hear the sounds of our five (now 6 as of July 24th) species of annual cicadas, click the “Cicadas” tab at the top of this page.
Earlier today, we collected some mint leaves from the garden to make a batch of iced tea. Just prior to plunging them into boiling water, we noticed this Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) hiding in the foliage.Goldenrod Crab Spiders live among the stems and leaves of flowering plants. They are particularly fond of goldenrods, milkweeds, and other species that attract an abundance of flying insects. When the plants bloom, the spiders will use their white or yellow coloration to hide among the petals and disks of the flowers. From there, they ambush the visitors that stop by for a sample of nectar or pollen. In an effort to lure prey directly into their clutches, these acrobatic arachnids will even dangle among the clusters of blossoms with their legs spread like petals surrounding their disk-like body. This behavior helps inspire their other common name: Flower Crab Spider. Needless to say, this crab was spared the pot and instead returned to the garden to help keep the plants healthy and ecosystem in balance in our wildflower patch. So we’ll just be having tea, thank you.
The gasoline and gunpowder gang’s biggest holiday of the year is once again upon us. This Independence Day weekend, don’t let the celebration turn to tragedy. Keep a garden hose or fire extinguisher at the ready to dowse any hot embers or other potential troublemakers. Fill a bucket with water for use as a trash receptacle for your hot sparkler rods and other pyrotechnic waste. Have non-combustible lids or covers handy to smother any flare ups while you’re grilling. Don’t forget, they’ll be plenty of testosterone and adrenaline circulating to keep the festivities exciting, so skip the alcohol and energy drinks if you’re driving or lighting off fireworks. Things don’t need to be any more explosive. And remember, the anthem’s lyrics say, “…the rockets red glare, bombs bursting in air…”, not burning your neighbor’s garage down, so maintain a safe distance with your grills, camp fires, and July 4th displays, won’t you please? Have an exciting weekend!
While the heat and humidity of early summer blankets the region, Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas are wrapping up their courtship and breeding cycle for 2025. We’ve spent the past week visiting additional sites in and near the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed where their emergence is evident.
We begin in York County just to the west of the river and Conewago Falls in mostly forested terrain located just southeast of Gifford Pinchot State Park. Within this area, often called the Conewago Hills, a very localized population of cicadas could be heard in the woodlands surrounding the scattered homes along Bull Road. Despite the dominant drone of an abundance of singing Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas, we were able to hear and record the courtship song of a small number of the rare Little Seventeen-year Cicadas. Their lawn sprinkler-like pulsating songs help mate-seeking males penetrate the otherwise overwhelming chorus of the Pharaoh cicadas in the area.
The Little Seventeen-year Cicada’s (Magicicada septendecula) thorax is black between the eye and the origin of the wings. It is the rarest of the three species of seventeen-year cicadas.The underside of male (left) and female (right) Little Seventeen-year Cicadas shows narrow orange edges on the abdominal segments.
From the Conewago Hills we moved northwest into the section of southern Cumberland County known as South Mountain. Here, Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas were widespread in ridgetop forests along the Appalachian Trail, particularly in the area extending from Long Mountain in the east through Mount Holly to forests south of King’s Gap Environmental Education Center in the west.
Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas along the Appalachian Trail on South Mountain, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Like the cicadas we visited last week on the east side of the Susquehanna, this population is surviving on lands with a history of timber harvest and charcoal production to fuel nearby iron furnaces during the nineteenth century.
While on South Mountain, we opted for a side trip into the neighboring Potomac watershed of Frederick County, Maryland, where these hills ascend to greater altitude and are known as the Blue Ridge Mountains, a name that sticks with them all the way through Shenandoah National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains, and to their southern terminus in northwestern Georgia. We found a fragmented emergence of Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas atop the Catoctin Mountain section of the Blue Ridge just above the remains of Catoctin Furnace, again on lands that had been timbered to make charcoal to fuel iron production prior to their protection as vast expanses of forest.
A Pharaoh Periodical Cicada on Catoctin Mountain near Catoctin Furnace south of Thurmont, Maryland. These cicadas are not part of a Brood XIV emergence, but are instead a population of Brood X (2021) stragglers.A female Brood X Pharaoh Periodical Cicada straggler on Catoctin Mountain. The website “cicadamania.com” notes, “Experts (Gaye Williams, State Entomologist of Maryland, John Cooley of UCONN) have confirmed that there will be no Brood XIV cicadas for Maryland.”
Back in Pennsylvania, we’re on our way to the watersheds of the northernmost tributaries of the lower Susquehanna’s largest tributary, the Juniata River. There, we found Brood XIV cicadas more widespread and in larger numbers than occurred at previous sites. Both Pharaoh and Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas were seen and heard along Jack’s Mountain and the Kishacoquillas Creek north of Lewistown/Burnham in Mifflin County. To the north of the Kishacoquillas Valley and Stone Mountain in northernmost Huntingdon County, the choruses of the two species were again widespread, particularly along the forest edges in Greenwood Furnace State Park, Rothrock State Forest, and adjacent areas of the Standing Stone Creek watershed.
A view of the sound-generating tymbal on a male Pharaoh Periodical Cicada at Greenwood Furnace State Park. Rapid vibration of the tymbals by a set of specialized muscles generates the distinctive calls and courtship songs of the various cicada species. When handled, these tymbals can produce a harsh “panic call”. This distress sound could startle a would-be predator and provide the cicada with an opportunity to escape.The sound organs comprised of ribbed tymbals and specialized muscles on the male Cassin’s Periodical Cicada generate a “panic call” as well as the distinctive calls and songs used to penetrate the droning choruses of the more numerous Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas with which it shares a seventeen-year flight.Using their specialized sound organs, Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas generate a courtship song that usually includes buzzy phrases and ticking notes (first sound clip). The buzzing and ticking helps the male Cassin’s cicada penetrate the songs of the more numerous Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas in the area (second sound clip). When synchronized into a chorus that surges in volume, the songs of Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas can overcome the overwhelming drone of the nearby Pharaoh cicadas (third sound clip).After mating and before the lives of these seventeen-year cicadas draw to a close, the females need to deposit their fertilized eggs into the small end twigs of suitable trees. On a small hawthorn tree (Cretaegus species) along the edge of the forest at Greenwood Furnace State Park, this Pharaoh Periodical Cicada is using her ovipositor to make a slit in a twig and place her eggs.Simultaneously on the same little hawthorn tree, this female Cassin’s Periodical Cicada is depositing her fertilized eggs.
Within the last 48 hours, we visited one last location in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed where Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas have emerged during 2025. In the anthracite coal country of Northumberland County, a flight of Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas is nearing its end. We found them to be quite abundant in forested areas of Zerbe Run between Big and Little Mountains around Trevorton and on the wooded slopes of Mahanoy Mountain south of nearby Shamokin. Line Mountain south of Gowen City had a substantial emergence as well.
A Brood XIV Pharaoh Periodical Cicada near Zerbe Run west of Trevorton, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. The following sound clip features the fading chorus of these cicadas and some of the nesting birds that may actually be preying upon them: Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-eyed Vireo, and Northern Cardinal. Brown leaves reveal the end twigs where female Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas have deposited eggs during the last several weeks. During July, the larvae will hatch and drop to the ground to start a new generation of Brood XIV cicadas. As subterranean nymphs, they’ll spend the coming seventeen years feeding on small amounts of xylem sap from tree roots. In 2042, during the next Brood XIV emergence, these nymphs will come to the surface and take flight as adults.Evidence of egg deposition among foliage on Line Mountain at State Game Lands 229.Accumulations of deceased Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas on Line Mountain.Fallen cicadas that show any sign of life are being snatched up by predators such as this Eastern Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis). Meanwhile, the remainder of the biomass is picked apart by scavengers or is left to reducers for breakdown into fertilizer and organic matter for the forest. Nothing goes to waste.
To chart our travels, we’ve put together this map plotting the occurrence of significant flights of Periodical Cicadas during the 2025 emergence. Unlike the more densely distributed Brood X cicadas of 2021, the range of Brood XIV insects is noticeably fragmented, even in areas that are forested. We found it interesting how frequently we found Brood XIV cicadas on lands used as sources of lumber to make charcoal for fueling nineteenth-century iron furnace operations.
The furnaces at Greenwood Furnace State Park required the daily cutting of one acre of timber to make enough charcoal to fuel the iron-making process. Did keeping thousands of acres in various stages of forest succession to supply the charcoal needs of these operations aid the survival of earlier generations of Periodical Cicadas on these lands? Or, after the furnaces converted to coal for fuel, did the preservation of many of these parcels as state, federal, and private forests allow the cicadas to find refuge from the widespread impacts of agriculture and expanding urbanization in adjacent lands? Maybe it’s a little of both. We always bear in mind that annual insects and other animals are more than one hundred generations removed from the negative or positive impacts of the early years of the industrial age, but only about ten generations have passed since populations of seventeen-year Periodical Cicadas were directly influenced by these factors. What do you think?
Well, that’s a wrap. Please don’t forget to check out our new Cicadas page by clicking the “Cicadas” tab at the top of this page. Soon after the Periodical Cicadas are gone, the annual cicadas will be emerging and our page can help you identify the five species found regularly in the lower Susquehanna valley. ‘Til next time, keep buzzing!
Here are some sights and sounds from the ongoing emergence of Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.
We begin in the easternmost spur of the lower basin where a sizeable emergence of cicadas can be seen and heard in the woodlands surrounding the headwaters of the Conestoga River in Berks County north of Morgantown. This flight extends east into Chester County and the French Creek drainage of the Schuylkill River watershed on State Game Lands 43 north of Elverson and consists of Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada septendecim), the most common species among 17-year broods.
A Brood XIV Pharaoh Periodical Cicada at State Game Lands 43 identified by the red bar extending from the eye to the wing root.The underside of the abdomen on a male Pharaoh Periodical Cicada showing the wide orange bars on each segment.Exuvia of a recently emerged Pharaoh Periodical Cicada.Soon after landing on a perch, a male Pharaoh Periodical Cicada will usually announce his presence by singing. It’s an attempt to quickly attract potential mates that may be in the vicinity.Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas ascending the branches of an oak.Gatherings of thousands of singing male Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas create a distinctive droning chorus.A receptive female will make a click sound with her wings to summon a suitable singing male for mating.While usually occurring in the safety of the trees, the breeding frenzy can spill over onto the ground where we happened to find this copulating pair.After mating, female cicadas make slits in the end twigs of selected trees into which they lay their eggs. The process of egg-laying and larval emergence will usually wilt and kill end growth on the affected branches, causing little harm to healthy trees. It’s similar to the trim you might give to a bonsai plant to keep it stout and sturdy.How long do Periodical Cicadas live? Well, by last week, we were already finding dead specimens by the thousands. Most of them had already completed their breeding cycle and planted the seeds for a new generation of Brood XIV cicadas.A deceased Pharaoh Periodical Cicada at the Fire Tower Parking Area at French Creek State Park. This specimen and a chorus on the hill’s forested south slope were the northeastern-most evidence of Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas we could find for the population cluster in portions of Berks, Chester, and Lancaster Counties around Morgantown.The abundance of Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas on State Game Lands 43 in Chester County has attracted numerous raptors, particularly wandering one-year-old birds that aren’t quite mature enough to nest. Among the sightings have been Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, and at least three Mississippi Kites, a rarity on the Piedmont this far inland from the coastal plain. (See the post from June 5, 2021, for details on the occurrence of Mississippi Kites in northernmost Delaware during the Brood X emergence.)
From Route 82 north of Elverson to the west through the forested areas along Route 10 north of Morgantown and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, we found an abundance of Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada cassini) calling among the Pharaohs. This mix of Pharaoh and Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas extends west along the north side of the turnpike into Lancaster County and State Game Lands 52 on Black Creek north of Churchtown.
A Brood XIV Cassin’s Periodical Cicada at State Game Lands 52 is identified by the all-black margin between the eye and the wing root and……the black underside of the abdomen with no orange stripes.To penetrate the sounds of the more common Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas, male Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas gather in large concentrations to generate a loud, oscillating chorus. Its surging volume will usually exceed that of the Pharaohs singing in the vicinity.Mated Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas copulating at State Game Lands 52.The underside of copulating Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas.A pair of Cassin’s Periodical Cicadas at state Game Lands 52 in Lancaster County.
Further west in Cornwall, Lebanon County, a Brood XIV emergence can be found on similar forested terrain: the Triassic hills of the Newark Basin—rich in iron ore and renowned for furnace operations during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas were the only species heard among this population that extends from Route 72 east through the woodlands along Route 322 into the northern edge of State Game Lands 156 in Lancaster County.
On the west side of the Susquehanna, yet another isolated population of Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas can be found in Perry County, just south of Duncannon on State Game Lands 170 on the slopes of “Cove Mountain”, the canoe-shaped convergence of the western termini of Peters and Second Mountains.
Pharaoh Periodical Cicadas dominated this Perry County chorus,…
…but we did detect at least one Cassin’s Cicada trying to find a mate.
A solitary Cassin’s Periodical Cicada issues a lonely song of short buzzes and ticking notes on State Game Lands 170. Fragmented populations, especially those that are only able to fly and increase their distribution every 17 years, often have a challenging time expanding and reuniting their disjointed ranges.
Not to say they aren’t present, but we have yet to detect the rarest species, Magicicada septendecula, the “Little Seventeen-year Cicada”, among the various populations of Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas emerging in the lower Susquehanna valley. For the coming two weeks or so until this brood is gone for another 17 years, the search continues.
For more on both annual and periodical cicada species in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, be sure to click the “Cicadas” tab at the top of this page!
Just in time for the Flag Day/Father’s Day weekend, the Jordanella floridae we raise here at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters to help control hair algae in our planted aquaria are beginning to spawn.
A male Jordanella floridae displaying for a prospective female mate. A receptive female will nip the fins of a courting male prompting him to chase her.
In the wild, Jordanella floridae inhabits a variety of vegetated tropical wetlands and backwaters on the Florida peninsula. The species was first described there on Lake Munroe in 1879 by George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean, both of whom spent time working for the Smithsonian National Museum and the United States Fish Commission, the latter a forerunner of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Goode and Bean collaborated frequently, chronicling the occurrence of freshwater species like J. floridae as well as marine ichthyofauna. In 1896, the duo published Oceanic Ichthyology, an extensive study of pelagic and deep-sea fishes. Each experienced a prestigious career and has had numerous fish species named after him.
Nineteenth-century ichthyologist Tarleton Hoffman Bean (1846-1916) was born along the shores of the Susquehanna below Conewago Falls in Bainbridge, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He became a renowned expert on methods of fish culture. (Public Domain image)To the female, the breeding colors of the dominant male Jordanella floridae are irresistible. To us, the star-spangled banner pattern of this native killifish (more specifically a pupfish) justifies the species’ oft-used common name: American Flagfish.After being chased by the male, the female American Flagfish turns pale in color, indicating to the male that she’s ready to mate. The pair then face each other and begin dancing around the nest site which has been prepared by the male. The dance often consists of the female maneuvering so as not to again face in the direction of her partner..To get into spawning position alongside his mate, the male flagfish must commence a series of rolling turns.Once the male is successful and the female is receptive, spawning quickly ensues and the pair swims sideways in a tight circle around the center of the nest site……as the eggs are deposited and fertilized.Female American Flagfish lay fewer than two dozens eggs, so the male must diligently guard the nest from potential outside threats to his progeny including snails, dragonfly nymphs, and other fishes. Periodically, he’ll use his fins to fan a current across the eggs to clear them of debris and assure an exchange of fresh water through the nest.For the male American Flagfish, obsessive patrol of the nest site and care of the eggs continues day and night. The American Flagfish, a dandy that dresses for his role as an All-American Dad.
We came across this photo from a dive we did back in 1999 and thought it timely. Here a large non-native Common Carp churns up a cloud of nutrient-charged sediment as it roots its way through a bed of American Eelgrass and Water Stargrass in the Susquehanna below Conewago Falls. (Vintage 35 mm image)
One of the earliest non-native fish species to be widely released into North American waterways was the Common Carp. Stocks brought to the United States were likely sourced from populations already naturalized throughout much of western Europe after introductions originating from the fish’s native range in Eurasia, probably including the Danube and other watersheds east through the Volga. In western Europe, the species promised to be an abundant and easily cultivated food source. Under the same premise, carp were transported to the United States during the early 1800s and widely introduced into streams, lakes, and rivers throughout the country.
Common Carp thrive in nutrient-rich waters, particularly those subjected to sewage discharge and agricultural runoff, conditions which were already prevalent during the Common Carp’s initial introduction and have remained widespread ever since. Within these polluted streams, lakes, and ponds, introduced carp feed aggressively on benthic organisms and plants, stirring up decaying organic matter (mulm) from the substrate. This process raises turbidity in the water column and releases excessive amounts of the nutrient phosphorus resulting in unusually large algal blooms. Algal blooms can block sunlight from the longer-lived oxygen-producing vascular plants that grow in submerged environs. Growing beneath a dense cloud or blanket of algae can compromise the vigor of oxygen-producing vascular plants and disable their biochemical functions within the aquatic ecosystem. As the short-lived algae die, the bacteria that decay them begin to place increased oxygen demands on the water. With less oxygen being produced by both the vascular plants and the algae, and with oxygen consumption increased by the activity of decomposers, conditions can become fatal for fish and other organisms. This process is known as eutrophication. Because Common Carp are among the species most tolerant of eutrophic conditions, they tend to thrive in the conditions they create while the native fishes perish.
Common Carp spawn in the spring, usually from late April through June, when the water temperature is as low as 58 degrees and as high as 83 degrees Fahrenheit. This activity is often triggered by a rapid increase in water temperature. In a small lake, this may be brought on by a string of sunny days in late April or May. On larger streams and rivers, the temperature spike that initiates the spawn may not occur until warm rains and runoff enter the stream during June.
Seeing the exposed backs of Common Carp as they stir up mulm and other sediments while feeding along the edges of a body of water is not at all unusual.But carp pursuing other carp into the shallows is a sign that spawning has commenced.In water that is often less than a foot in depth, male carp follow the breeding females into egg-laying areas among debris and emergent vegetation.A fountain of splashes can ensue as males try to outdo one another for a chance to fertilize the female’s eggs.The males’ aggressive pursuit can even forced a large female to temporarily ground herself on the beach.
Common Carp are one of the most widely farmed and eaten fish in all the world. Here in the United States, they were introduced beginning two hundred years ago because they were favorable to the palate, grew to large size quickly, and were a source of much needed food. Today, the Common Carp is seldom found on the American dinner plate. Yet, pound for pound, it is one of the most abundant fish in many of our waters, particularly in man-made lakes. Like some of our other most invasive species—including Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish, and Northern Snakehead—Common Carp are perhaps the most edible of our freshwater fishes. For many cultures, they are an important staple. For others, they are a delicacy or holiday treat. In America, they do horrendous damage to aquatic ecosystems following establishment as a food crop that almost never gets harvested. Did you realize that on the internet, there are literally hundreds of recipes and culinary videos available to show you how to prepare delicious dishes made with Common Carp? It’s true. And for the cost of a fishing license, you can catch all you want, usually several pounds at a time. So why not give the marine fisheries a break? Take the big leap and learn to eat invasive freshwater species instead.
With temperatures finally climbing to seasonable levels and with stormy sun filtering through the yellow-brown smoke coming our way courtesy of wildfires in Alberta and other parts of central Canada, we ventured out to see what might be basking in our local star’s refracted rays…
Dragonflies including this Black Saddlebags are now actively patrolling the edges of waterways and wetlands for prey and mates.Here we see a pair of Common Green Darners flying in tandem……and, having already mated, stopping at a suitable location for the female to oviposit the fertilized eggs onto submerged plant stems.A sunny day almost always brings out the reptiles, including these Painted Turtles…and the invasive Red-eared Slider, a native transplant from the American midwest.A really big Snapping Turtle will prey on almost anything, including other Snapping Turtles……but this one seems to be fascinated by something a lot smaller. Something like these juvenile Golden Shiners seen here schooling in the sun-drenched shallows.Turtles aren’t the only reptiles thriving in the heat. Northern Water Snakes (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) take full advantage of a sun-drenched rock to warm up after spending time in the chilly water of a stream.You know, no one loves a snake like another snake……and when it comes to these two snakes, it looks like love is in the air!Butterflies like this Spicebush Swallowtail enjoy time in the sun, even while seeking out minerals in a patch of moist soil.After its siblings darted into the familial burrow upon our approach, this juvenile Woodchuck instead sought the attention of its nurturing mother. Unlike its brothers and sisters, perhaps this little groundhog isn’t afraid of its own shadow. Or does the smoky haze have the youngster all confused about what does and doesn’t constitute as a shadow? Well, we can’t help you there, but you have a whole eight months to figure it out!
Its been four years to the day since we posted our account of the big Brood X Periodical Cicada flight of 2021 in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. With the Brood XIV clan of 17-year Periodical Cicadas getting ready fill the June air with their choruses in scattered parts of Pennsylvania’s Berks, Centre, Clinton, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Mifflin, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Union, and York Counties right now, we thought it an appropriate time to open a new “Cicada” page here on the website. Included is a list of both the annually and periodically emerging species found in the lower Susquehanna valley, as well as a copy of the article and ID photos from the 2021 occurrence of Brood X. In coming months, we’ll be adding photos and maybe some sound clips of the different annual cicadas as well, so remember to check back from time to time for more content.
Note the wings and red eyes of this periodical cicada nymph. Within weeks it will join billions of others in a brief adult emergence to fly, mate, and then die.
In the short term, we’re going to pay a visit to the Brood XIV territory and will bring you updates as we get them. Until then, be sure to click the new “Cicadas” tab at the top of this page to brush up on your ID of the three species of 17-year Periodical Cicadas.
Not to worry. Cicadas are native, harmless, docile creatures when handled and they pose no threat to the long-term health of your healthy, well-established trees and other vegetation, so enjoy them while they’re here!
Here at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters, we really enjoy looking back in time at old black-and-white pictures. We even have an old black-and-white television that still operates quite well. But on a nice late-spring day, there’s no sense sitting around looking at that stuff when we could be outside tracking down some sightings of a few wonderful animals.
American Toad tadpoles have hatched from clusters of eggs deposited in this wet roadside ditch furnished with a clean supply of runoff filtered through a wide shoulder of early successional growth. Recent rains have kept their vernal nursery flooded, giving them the time they need to quickly mature into tiny toads and hop away before scorching summer heat dries up their natal home.Weekend rains and creek flooding haven’t stopped these Water Striders from pairing up to begin their breeding cycle.Around streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, the Common Whitetail is one of our most conspicuous dragonflies.Now that’s what we call a big beautiful bill, on a Great Blue Heron stalking fish.These mating Golden-backed Snipe Flies (Chrysopilus thoracicus) are predatory insects, as are their larvae. They are most frequently found in bottomland woods.About three feet in length, this Eastern Ratsnake is unusual because it still shows conspicuous remnants of the diamond-patterned markings it sported as a juvenile.The plumage of the Black-and-white Warbler lacks any of the vibrant colors found in the rainbow, but is nevertheless strikingly beautiful.This male Black-and-white Warbler appears a little bit ruffled as he dries out his feathers following a brief afternoon downpour. But as the sunshine returns, he bursts into song from a forest perch within the nesting territory he has chosen to defend. In addition to the vocalizations, this eye-catching plumage pattern helps advertise his presence to both prospective mates and would-be trespassers alike. But against the peeling bark of massive trees where this bird can often be found quietly feeding in a manner reminiscent of a nuthatch, the feathers can also provide a surprisingly effective means of camouflage.
One of dozens of Cedar Waxwings seen descending upon ripe juneberries in a mini grove consisting of either Smooth Shadbush (Amelanchier laevis) or the allied and very similar-looking hybrid juneberry Amelanchier x lamarkii. Smooth Shadbush can be grown as a shrub or small tree and is also known as Smooth Serviceberry, Allegheny Serviceberry, or Smooth Juneberry. The hybrid Amelanchier x lamarkii is believed to be a naturally occurring cross between Smooth Shadbush (A. laevis) and either Canadian Serviceberry (A. canadensis) or Downy Serviceberry (A. arborea). Juneberries/serviceberries/shadbushes, including a number of man-made cultivars, produce white flowers in early spring and can be obtained through numerous suppliers for inclusion in conservation projects, home gardens, or for use as street trees. Believe it or not, the very productive planting seen here was located in a parking lot island at a busy Walmart store.
