Early morning walk around Woodland Hills preserve. Lots of wildflowers blooming here and I worked with my iNaturalist app to ID them. Weather was cloudy and a couple of times the wind kicked up and dark clouds rolled through. I thought it might storm, but there was no thunder and it never did. Half way through my walk on the inner loop, I saw a tree full of over a dozen black vultures. They were perched high over head and soaring back and forth between the tall trees. I walked right under them and took a few photos. They just watched me as though they were just as curious about me as I was with them. It was a really nice surprise seeing these beauties up close.
Sunday morning I went back to Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary. It was a good day for moody photography with the forest layered in fog. The paths were quiet in the early morning and I enjoyed the serenity walking among the flora and fauna undisturbed. There were a few butterflies nectaring in the meadow, but without the shining sun there weren’t nearly as many as last time. It was another very humid weekend and not a good time to be doing any type of strenuous hiking. I’m saving that for the cooler months. For now I am still working on learning to enjoy the slower pace.
Today was a good day to walk the meadows at Jacobsburg State Park. The sun was shining and it was still early enough that it wasn’t too hot. Jacobsburg is such a great place to observe wildlife. I saw and heard so many different birds as I meandered around the blue blazed Homestead Trail. I spent time watching two Common yellowthroats (male and female) in the meadow, and I heard the songs of the Eastern towhee and Indigo bunting. There were Tufted titmice high up in the tree canopy, Blue jays and so many others. One thing I’m learning as I do more exploring of Pennsylvania’s natural areas is that the trails here are less about reaching the summit of a big mountain and more about taking your time, observing, and enjoying the journey. It reminds me of a quote by John Muir, “I don't like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not 'hike!”. Mountains or meadows, I am learning to spend more time “sauntering”.
Today I headed back up to Jacobsburg State Park. It’s nearby and such a wonderful place to take in some nature. I parked in the main parking lot and took the Hazard Trail. I remember hiking this with my dog when I was a kid in the snow and ice. In the summer months, it’s really not much of a hazard. The trail is a single dirt track and it’s well maintained. There’s even a set of steps to take you up one of the steeper sections. The trail climbs easily above Bushkill Creek and there are nice views looking down to the water. At about a half mile I came upon a beautiful meadow filled with Yarrow and Common Milkweed. There were many birds here enjoying the first rays of sunshine. I could hear Eastern Towhee, Brown Thrasher and Gray Catbirds. I turned south and followed the path through the meadow which is part of the Homestead Trail. This trail skirts around the edge of the park on the southeast side. It was partly cloudy today making the walk around the open grassy areas very pleasant. The dewy grass and cool breeze felt so refreshing. In my journey I noted some wildflowers; Coneflower, Common Milkweed, Yarrow, Common St. John’s Wort, Red Clover, Crown Vetch, Wild Bergamont and a few others that I wasn’t able to identify. I closed the loop around the park by heading towards the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center and exiting the trail there. I took a quick side trip across Belfast Road to visit the Henry’s Forge historic buildings before heading home. I’m really enjoying these relaxing morning hikes and taking the time to explore and learn the flora and fauna of the east coast.
