May 15, 2012 at 4:18 pm (Activities, bird count, birds, conservation, Montour Preserve, nature, observations, outdoors, Pennsylvania)
Killdeer on a nest in the gravel. Camouflaged eggs are difficult to see.
Many eyes help in finding and counting birds. That was especially important on Saturday, May 12. That day was the annual Pennsylvania Migration Count, a part of the annual North American Migration Count. On count day every year, volunteers across the country spend time counting numbers and species of birds. Some birds are newly returned from their wintering grounds. Other birds returned earlier in the spring and are courting and choosing nesting sites. Still other birds that are year round residents are already nesting. The count in and around Montour Preserve included a bird walk for the public. After all, many sets of eyes are better than a single pair. After the walk was over, two of us continued the count. The grand total for the day was 371 birds of 62 different species. These included common birds like American robins, eastern bluebirds, blue jays and chickadees as well as more rare species like bald eagles and peregrine falcons. This survey provides scientists with a snapshot in time of bird populations and where they are found that can be compared with similar snapshots from previous years. This information will give scientists an idea of what is happening with the birds.
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May 12, 2012 at 1:37 pm (birds, birds of prey, eagles, Holtwood, Lake Wallenpaupack, Martins Creek, Montour Preserve, Pennsylvania)
Peregrine falcon at Montour
On Friday, May 18th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will observe the 7th annual Endangered Species Day. Endangered Species Day is an opportunity for people young and old to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and the everyday actions that people can take to help protect our nation’s disappearing wildlife.
Ospreys, peregrine falcons, eagles and barn owls can be seen soaring throughoutPennsylvania’s skies, thanks to PPL’s efforts to help restore the once-dwindling populations of raptors.
We dedicate resources to enhance habitat for threatened or endangered wildlife and work with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and other conservationists to monitor their progress.
Montour, Wallenpaupack, Martin’s Creek, Holtwood and Allentownall have nesting locations for birds of prey. As part of our license to operate at LakeWallenpaupackand Holtwood, PPL is required to have a Bald Eagle Protection Plan in place. This plan, which is prepared in consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the PA Game Commission, ensures that the development of new recreation facilities do not have a negative effect on the bald eagles. Go to the Birds of Prey webpage to learn more about the birds of prey that have taken up residence at the company’s various locations throughoutPennsylvania
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March 30, 2012 at 11:55 am (flowers, Montour Preserve, native plants, nature, observations, outdoors, Pennsylvania, plants, programs, seasons, wildflowers)
After a short and mild winter and an unusually warm beginning of spring it is no surprise that some of Montour Preserves woodland wildflowers are showing up early this year. One great example of this early bloom is bloodroot which is in full bloom at the preserve. Bloodroot can be recognized by its large white flowers and leaf which wraps itself around the stem in early spring. This showy spring blossom is aptly named for the orangish red sap that flows from the root and stem of the plant which has been used in a variety of ways in the past. Native Americans used bloodroot sap both medicinally and practically for a dye for face painting and clothing, and as a cough medicine. In the early 1980’s bloodroot extract called Sanguinaria, became somewhat famous as a first line of defense against gum disease and some prominent members of the dental community believed this extract to be as influential in plague fighting as fluoride had been to tooth decay. Don’t miss out on the wonders of early spring; remember our woodland wildflower walk is scheduled for Saturday April 28th from 1:30-3:00p.m.
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March 2, 2012 at 3:17 pm (Activities, education, history, Montour Preserve, nature, outdoors, Pennsylvania, plants, seasons, sugaring, trees, Uncategorized)
Those buckets hanging on trees can mean only one thing:
Sap buckets adorn maple trees at Montour Preserve
it’s maple sugaring time. Join us at PPL’s Montour Preserve on Sunday, March 4 as we take you from sunshine to syrup at our second and final maple sugaring open house of the season. Programs begin indoors at noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
Outdoor demonstrations continue until 4 p.m. This is a fun program for the entire family, so join us for some sappy days.
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February 9, 2012 at 1:01 pm (birds, migration, Montour Preserve, nature, observations, outdoors, Pennsylvania, seasons, Uncategorized, wildlife)
Yesterday brought a rare snow for this winter. But even before those flakes began to fall there was snow in the air. This snow was the feathered kind: snow geese. About 300-400 snow geese landed on the ice at Lake Chillisquaque at Montour Preserve. They arrived late in the morning and stayed into the early afternoon. They returned this morning but seeing them on the lake can be a hit or miss proposition as they often leave to feed in local farm fields. Their arrival, like many natural events this winter, is about a month earlier than usual.
Snow geese on ice at Montour Preserve's Lake Chillisquaque
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December 27, 2011 at 5:19 pm (bird count, birds, birds of prey, conservation, eagles, Montour Preserve, nature, observations, outdoors, Pennsylvania)
The annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Bloomsburg area was held on December 18. PPL’s Montour Preserve is part of that count. This year eight volunteers spent time identifying and counting birds in and around the preserve. The total count for the day was 51 species. Several highlights included two bald eagles, three double-crested cormorants, a goldeneye, a great horned owl, several screech owls and a barred owl. What a difference a year makes! This year’s mild weather allowed for open water on the lake compared to last year’s frigid temperatures and snow.
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November 21, 2011 at 5:30 pm (Activities, Brunner Island, conservation, drawing, Holtwood, Lake Wallenpaupack, Martins Creek, Montour Preserve, Pennsylvania, Susquehanna Riverlands, sweepstakes)
Tags: citizen science investigation, CSI, iConservePA
The next drawing for the CSI Super Sleuth Sweepstakes will be held on November 28th. There’s still time to enter!!
Finding codes and registering online is easy at http://iconservepa.org/csi/index.htm.
You can also visit any of the PPL Preserves for secret codes. Each new code you find is entered as a chance to win fabulous monthly prizes.
The grand prize is a Z Electric Scooter!! Use your investigative skills to win big!
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November 13, 2011 at 12:29 pm (Activities, Hiking, Montour Preserve, outdoors, Pennsylvania, recreation)
Chilisuagi Trail across dam at Montour Preserve
Work on the dam at Montour Preserve’s Lake Chillisquaque is now complete and the Chilisuagi Trail across the dam is open to foot traffic once again during the week as well as on weekends. Many thanks to all of the hikers who have had to change their walks as a result of this work. Enjoy!
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November 3, 2011 at 2:46 pm (Activities, Montour Preserve, outdoors, Pennsylvania, recreation)
For non-hunters, just a reminder that hunting season is here. MontourPreserve is closed to hunting, so no need to worry about hiking here. However, there are about 3,
Updated Hunting Map
000 acres of PPL-owned land around the preserve that are open to hunters during the legal seasons.
For the hunters, remember that you are on private land open to the public. Be sure to stop at the preserve to pick up a new hunting map for the Montour Project that shows the areas open to hunting. Boundaries have changed since last year and the new map reflects those changes for hunting and non-hunting areas.
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October 29, 2011 at 8:00 am (Montour Preserve, nature, nature photography, observations, outdoors, Pennsylvania, seasons)
Atmospheric conditions in the fall can bring about spectacular sunrises as the rays of the rising sun are refracted by layers of air and clouds. Colors change quickly as the sun moves above the horizon. This oak tree provided a wonderful silhouette against the flaming early morning sky recently.
October sunrise
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