In my last column I wrote how I just can’t miss getting out for the birds of May.

Well, I visited two different locations in Carbon County recently. One was in the northeastern Corner in Penn Forest Township. The other was the southwestern corner in East Penn Township.

Both of these locations have different habitats, and I was hoping to find some different birds in each.

If I ventured into either of these areas in January, I might, in an hour of walking, locate eight or 10 species. In May, it’s a different story. One year I logged 95 different bird species in one morning. This year I didn’t reach a historic level, but I still felt each couple of hours spent both mornings were A-OK.

On May 16, the pickup truck thermometer registered 42 degrees when I started my 2½ mile round trip walk. The woods weren’t quiet, but I think the birds “waited till they warmed up” to really get singing. A few hours later, I sat down on a big rock, pulled out my checklist and tallied 67 species.

When I left home in the morning I was also hoping to find a rattlesnake or two, but no luck. Even though I checked some inviting rock ledges soaking up some of the morning sun, no dice. Probably the cool morning kept them in their lairs a little longer that morning. In fact, I didn’t even find any reptiles. Lifting a few stones, I found a few red-back salamanders.

One notable observation came with a good look at a doe that walked out of the brush close to me. She obviously didn’t give birth to her fawns yet, but her distended abdomen indicated that it wasn’t too many days away.

On May 19, on a much warmer morning, I thought I’d try a few favorite spots along the base of the Blue Mountain and also along Lizard Creek. The temperature, nearly 70 degrees at 6 a.m., was quite different from a few days earlier. The birds didn’t disappoint: I saw 71 different species in about 2½ hours of birding time. They ranged in size from the diminutive blue-gray gnatcatchers, to an adult bald eagle that flew overhead along the creek.

I even added two new birds to my annual list. With the temperature much warmer the reptiles here were much more active. I found two wood turtles laying eggs in the old railroad cinder bank, and a box turtle stopped its slow pace across the trail in front of me trying to decide if this big object was a threat.

Lifting a few stones, I found a ring-necked snake and also saw a garter and northern water snake. The wet areas yielded green frogs, a few pickerel frogs, a bullfrog, and surprisingly, a spring peeper still offering a few weak peeps.

I saw three deer, two of which were sporting small velvet “stumps,” while the third didn’t waste any time getting as far away from me as possible.

Lizard Creek is a good breeding area for wood ducks, and I saw a female that morning, but I didn’t see any young ones with her. A found a Canada goose sitting on her nest, and I’m sure those eggs will hatch soon if a prowling raccoon doesn’t find the nest first.

I was at the RPRT (right place, right time) because from about 200 yards away I was looking at four turkey vultures still sitting on their evening roost tree, a large dead chestnut oak. Almost scripted, the birds took flight, one at a time. I’m guessing they realized the hot morning sun created some thermals, because in about two minutes they were already circling about 200 feet above the tree tops. Neat …

My big disappointment, though, was the lack of wood thrushes again. Over both outings, I only saw/heard three. That doesn’t bode well for them.

So, even though birding may be my pastime, and maybe yours, keep in tune with all the other things around you. So, just get out there.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: The _____ warbler is our long-distance migrant, making a 6,000-mile trip each way in its north and south migrations. A. parula; B. yellow; C. pine; D. blackpoll.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Several warbler species remain in the U.S. over winter, including the yellow-rumped warbler that can occasionally be sighted in some of our southern counties in December or January.

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com