Over the years I have learned that if I couldn’t find some bird or nature activity in the woodlands that I frequent, I would then try to find another area that included a stream, spring seep or even a small wetland area.

My favorite is any wooded mountainside that propagates some gurgling mountain streams (the Bethlehem watershed is a favorite) Wet areas help sustain some lush plant growth, even in hot summer temperatures. The wet areas are good breeding areas for aquatic insects and also great feeding areas for terrestrial insects. Birds certainly know this better than me, and they seek out these areas to feed and nest.

Most know that the base of the food chain is plants, and the more mass and variety of plant life, the more animal life that is present in that area as well. I’m sure the local fishermen/women casting their dry flies for an hour or two have seen a nice variety of birds feeding nearby as well.

Hopping around the rocky shore of Stony Creek, Drakes Creek, Saw Mill Creek, or Pohopoco Creek are Louisiana waterthrushes. They prefer the damp, cool shady haunts around the hemlock and rhododendron lined streams. Phoebes and cedar waxwings can be seen snatching mayflies and caddis flies just off the stream’s surface.

If you fish or hike on or near streams like Mahoning or Lizard Creeks the willow lined stream banks probably host yellow warblers. About 90% of my yellow warbler sightings are among the willows. Wading/stalking these more sluggish streams may be green herons. They are seeking the frogs and minnows that flourish in these aquatic areas. If you are fortunate and RP, RT (right place, right time) in early May, the soggy areas along these two streams may harbor the less common northern waterthrush. They are mostly migrants, many nesting north of Pennsylvania.

I don’t fish as much as I once did, but when I do get to cast a fly or two I sometimes see our only breeding sandpiper, the spotted sandpiper. One of my favorite fishing locales is Pohopoco Creek and I have found spotted sandpipers in June and July indicating that they have or are breeding there. Look for their almost constant bobbing as they hop from rock to rock or inch along the stream bank.

Kingbirds and American redstarts also favor the stream edges. Kingbirds are more easily seen (almost twice the size or redstarts) because they perch in the open and dart out to snatch up the larger bugs. Meanwhile, often in the alders or birches near these streams, redstarts work their way through thicker vegetation often grabbing small gnats or dangling caterpillars. Like yellow warblers, the redstarts favor areas near water sources.

If your birding treks or nature strolls seem to leave you with fewer bird sightings, I recommend finding a trail or path that parallels a valley stream or mountain spring and keep your eyes open for those streamside birds.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: True or False: Our local hummingbird, the ruby-throated hummingbird, eats only nectar.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Amazingly, hummingbirds’ heart rates can exceed 1,200 beats a minute.

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.