Spring and autumn compete as my favorite seasons. Summer, with the occasional oppressive heat, pesty bugs, high humidity and summer pollen, ranks as my least. As I age, winter isn’t winning the popularity contest either. But here in Pennsylvania and the Times News region the seasons change rather rapidly, and each brings with them nature snooping.

Spring brings a plethora of new arriving birds to add to my yearly list. It is my favorite. Not knowing what I might find on my spring treks/birding outings make each one unique. I’ll take you along and recount one of those April walks from last year.

This April morning finds me walking on an old railroad bed in the Ashfield area. It began about a half-hour after sunrise and the birds were already tuning up. Male cardinals, tufted titmice, red-bellied woodpeckers and red-winged blackbirds were all part of the chorus.

An osprey, unseen by me before, screeches and flies from a dead maple overhanging the Lizard Creek. It flew about 200 yards downstream and found another perch. To my left in one of the ponds formed between the railroad beds, a pair of wood ducks explode and scold me until they were out of earshot. About 10 minutes later they flew by again probably anxious to find a hollow tree in which to nest.

I ventured off the railroad bed onto the creek floodplain. Every couple of feet I found the delicate blossoms of trout lilies. They had “popped up” through the layer of last autumn’s leaves. The now invasive Japanese barberry bushes were just pushing their leaves and could be seen almost everywhere. Above them, with their delicate white flowers, service berry (also called June berry) trees were in bloom. They bloom a few weeks earlier than the larger blossomed dogwoods.

I now noticed a few other birds. Two song sparrow males were chasing each other. (I guess this patch of real estate wasn’t big enough for the two of them.) I sat down on a stump and “took in” the show. In the next 15 minutes a pair of purple grackles made at least five round trips from a field edge to a spruce in someone’s backyard. I guess he was staying close to his mate to not lose her to another male.

A small flock of yellow-rumped warblers fed through the now budding red maples. They too had a whole grove to feed in but still chased each other through the tree tops. (I guess you can never have too many caterpillars; or toilet paper) The osprey (probably the same one) flew back upstream as I resumed my walk. In the marshy backwater a painted turtle slid back into the water at my approach close to a bunch of skunk cabbage hoods and new leaves. At a small concrete bridge over a feeder stream, a phoebe flew from its nest and then caught a moth as I watched. There has been a pair of phoebes nesting here for at least 10 years.

As I returned to my pick up about a dozen white throated sparrows spooked from the brush with a few singing their MR. PEABODY, PEABODY songs. I hope this April finds you exploring an area near you and nature social distancing. Enjoy, be observant, and be safe.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Belted kingfishers nest _____. A. in stream banks, B. in hollow trees, C. in old hawk nests.

Last Week’s Trivia: From largest to smallest: Gray squirrel, red squirrel, flying squirrel and chipmunk

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.