by Merlin Benner

Well, I’m weary from a tough day at work - I spent the day floating Pine Creek in a raft guiding a Nature Quest trip. Anyone want to feel sorry for me?

We had a wonderful time with good weather, good wildlife, and good people. The dry spring has shortened the typical rafting season, with water levels not real high, but it was high enough to have an enjoyable trip. Many of the waterfalls along the way were still running just fine, providing us with some gorgeous scenery.

Starting out at Pine Creek Outfitters, we saw Cliff and Bank Swallows, Kingfishers, Canada Geese right away. Coming around the first bend, right where Marsh Creek enters Pine, there were two mature Bald Eagles. They were on a low branch over the stream and allowed us to float quietly past for some fantastic views (and pretty decent photo ops, too). That was to set the stage for the rest of the trip. We saw a total of the two mature Eagles, two immature, and one molting into its adult plumage. We also saw several ospreys, including one diving at the one eagle.

We also enjoyed the numerous Common Mergansers, with their showy colors and their need to run along the surface of the water to take off. Other birds seen included Turkey Vultures, Crows, Spotted Sandpipers, Red-tailed Hawks, Mallards, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Grackles, Song Sparrows, Northern Waterthrush, and Baltimore Orioles. We even saw an unusual pair of Blue-winged Teal.

Our most unusual sighting, in fact once in a lifetime for all of us, was a groundhog swimming across Pine Creek. (This verified my saying, “once in a lifetime happens every day in the woods.”) Our other mammal sighting was a porcupine in the top of a sycamore tree.

A few days ago, I enjoyed a special sighting of a couple of male bears feeding in a patch of skunk cabbage (early spring tasty meal for a bear). I watched them for about 20 minutes, and as I watched, the one bear chased the other every time he turned his back. The chased one would turn around and make a stand, then they’d fight for a few seconds. This went on for several minutes. Finally they ended up fighting through a crotch in a big oak tree, with one bear on either side of the tree. The one bear eventually chased the other off, then I had to go, too.

There’s a lot going on, and these are just a few highlights from the past 3 days. Come join us and see what cool thing you’ll get to be part of.

Water is a great shaping force in our world, and a thing of beauty, also.  The gorges of this area were cut through the solid rock by flowing water which looks so soft and comforting, but has such power.  As the weather warms, cool water is refreshing, and the air around waterfalls like these is always pleasant, even on the hottest days. 

While hiking to the falls, we were thrilled with the abundance and beauty of early wildflowers, the trout lily, the Dutchman’s breeches, the purple trillium, and we even found some fern fiddleheads.

Everyone had fun just getting out, seeing beautiful places and plants, and climbing around exploring.

Meet Kaylee’s foal! In this photo she’s bonding with Rachel, our lead trail guide. The baby’s name is Page and as you can see she’s very friendly!

          by Merlin Benner       

The rush of excitement that hits each year as new life shoots out is upon us.  The skunk cabbage has been opening, grasses are greening, and aquatic plants are emerging a brilliant green from the wetlands as Wood Duck pairs swim among them as they search for the perfect nesting site.  Magnificent Wild Turkey toms strut their stuff on wooded knolls and along field edges.  Many of the songbirds are back from their winter migratory treks, singing their stuff.  Bears are up and about, and the fawns inside the doe white-tailed deer are pushing out against the bulging sides of their moms, getting ready for their May birthing.  I saw my first blooming wild hepatica over the weekend, and the bloodroot is in full bloom.  Red trillium are up with their flower buds ready to burst open in the next two weeks.

Anytime from now on we have lots of interesting trip options for you to join us on.  Remember, once in a lifetime happens everyday out in the woods.

We at Nature Quest are busy developing packages, scheduling trips, setting up base camps, and training guides.  We’re ready to take you out, so give us a call.  See you soon.

Meet Showrain’s new colt! This is the first foal of the year. His name is Deeogee, because this baby is so friendly and follows the staff around just like a dog.  If you spell out D-O-G - that’s how to pronounce his name.

By Merlin Benner

The snow has finally melted and windswept sunny days signal the arrival of spring in the northern tier of Pennsylvania. Coltsfoot, the first wildflower, pokes through the earth along roadsides. Huge flocks of geese and tundra swans pass overhead, calling incessantly as they plod northward through the skies. The smaller waterfowl, ducks, grebes, and loons stop over on the lakes of the area. Large rafts of the perky Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, Ring-necked Ducks, Common and Hooded Mergansers, and even a vagrant Surf Scooter bob and dive on Hills Creek, Nessmuck, and Hammond. The stunning Wood Ducks and gaudy Mallards are found along Crooked and Marsh Creeks, scattered about in small groups among the riparian cover.

Other birds are back, too. Bald Eagles and Ospreys are back on their traditional nests in the Pine Creek Gorge and near the big lakes. A new Eagle nest was even started this past year at Cowanesque Lake. These large birds are often observed in their aerial acrobatics over the lakes and larger streams of Tioga County, or just soaring past, high overhead. The Great Blue Herons can be seen flying to and from their rookery at the foot of the mountain on the hogback, adjacent to The Muck. If you’re not from around here this may sound a little on the iffy side, but these places really do exist, in fact, The Muck has been designated a statewide Important Bird Area by Pennsylvania Audubon for its rare wetland breeding birds. The other IBA in Tioga County is the Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area (the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon).

Groundhogs and white-tailed deer feed feverishly on the greening grass at all times of the day, trying to recover from the long winter’s fast. Turkeys are also seen out in the open fields, usually with a large tom or two strutting around and gobbling occasionally to impress the ladies, looking for all the world like little bears from a distance. Speaking of bears, the black bears seek out the tender shoots of skunk cabbage, their first plant food of the spring. Bears also find and work over the remains of winter killed deer that haven’t already been consumed by coyotes, bobcats, foxes, opossums, raccoons, crows, and other scavengers.

Along brushy woodlands, I listen to the throbbing pulse of Ruffed Grouse drumming on their logs. Grouse can be heard well before daylight and throughout the day. I am building a log home, and last Saturday as I was moving some logs with my tractor, two lovesick grouse chased each other underneath the tractor while it was running and moving! We also had one spend several nights roosting on one of our rafters, as evidenced by the pile of droppings found below. They sure are interesting birds.

As I was feeding my outdoor wood furnace several evenings and early mornings, the familiar “peenting” of woodcock could be heard above the chorus of spring peepers from our small alder wetland out back. My son, Jonas, made a neat discovery a week or two ago out there on one of his daily pond excursions with his brother and sisters. He found a large blueish salamander dead in the mud alongside the pond. Upon further investigation, I identified it as a Jefferson’s Salamander. This species is widespread but uncommon across Pennsylvania, so I surfed the Internet to Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s website on the Pennsylvania Herpetological Atlas Project (Herps are reptiles and amphibians, in case you were wondering). There I discovered that the Jefferson’s had not been documented previously in Tioga County, so I sent a quick email with photos attached to Dr. Art Hulse, the Herp Atlas Director. Dr. Hulse confirmed that Jonas had indeed found a “county record” for the Jefferson’s Salamander, making his wildlife biologist father very proud of him. We were sad that the salamander was found dead, but were consoled by the fact that some tapioca-like egg masses were found floating in the pond in the configuration typical of this species. Another interesting note about the salamander was that protruding from it’s left front leg were two extra toes (I guess in case it lost some of its other ones perchance).

All this activity reminds me that winter really, truly is over. In a few weeks the forests will be vibrant with trilliums, violets, spring beauties, gaywings, and other wildflowers. The trees will seem to teem with migrating warblers, tanagers, and rose-breasted grosbeaks; their songs filling the big woods with the joy of the season. My favorite season? That’s a little too close to call, but you can be sure that I will enjoy every minute of it.

By Merlin Benner

I’ve never been a big fan of horses, ever since my childhood. I thought they looked beautiful, but their utility as a mode of transportation was questionable at best, in my mind. Sure, the cowboy movies and tales of the early mountain men added some thrill to the idea, but one experience seared into my mind a strong opinion of the usefulness of horses. All I can remember is the blur of hooves threatening to whip my brains into jello mush as I clung to the belly of a pony that fateful day. In case you didn’t catch it, the belly of a horse is not the preferred riding position; the back is the universally-agreed-upon location of choice. It seems that my trusty friends didn’t tighten the belly-strap enough, I didn’t know how to balance on an equid, and this pony was wild! That combination led to my continued suspicion of equestrians as being touched in the head.

With this background, why I ever agreed to accompany Pat from Nature Quest on a horseback ride to view elk that first year still escapes reason. Anyway, I did, and I’ll never be the same (my sore rear end did recover, though, fortunately). I sit here today stiff and sore well into my second day of recovery from this year’s (my 5^th now) annual horseback trip to guide others to view wildlife.

Pennsylvania’s elk range was the setting of our first two trips, combining spectacular scenery with abundant wildlife, and the thrill of the elk mating season. Bugling from powerful bull elk filled the blackness as we returned from each day’s ride, and we rose early each morning to watch herds of elk perform their ritual in the cool foggy woods. During our hikes and rides, we saw wildflowers, birds, rattlesnakes, coyotes, bears, deer and other wildlife, plus amazing sunsets and night skies. This was truly a wonderful time in a beautiful place, accompanied by people who were truly enjoying soaking in all that was going on around them in the natural world.

Logistical considerations brought us closer to home in Tioga County for the past three years, and away from the wild elk (for now), but the scenery and wildlife is just as spectacular around here. Some of this year’s highlights included red-spotted newts, a quiet hike to observe spiders and tree swallows around a beaver pond in a Natural Area, close-up views of spring peepers in the wet ferns, some ruffed grouse, woodpeckers, owls, and numerous plants.

Evenings and breakfast around the campfire present a great time to relax and get to know other people, all of whom are very interesting and beautiful in their own way. Most folks who venture out on these excursions come from much more populated areas and a busy lifestyle, and are in a very good mood when they are able to relax and observe nature.

Together we learned from our observations as a group. We saw the signs of the forests recovering from the impacts of decades of deer overbrowsing following the recent reductions in deer numbers. We discussed the geology and the landforms and fossils of the area, surmising how what we saw today could have come about. We even considered such questions as the current fuel crisis and conservation measures that we could each implement in our own lives as consumers. Probably one of the greatest values of a trip like this is the time to reflect on your life, surroundings, and relationships, perhaps even building some new ones. I am led to think of my Creator and how I relate to Him. To see all the many, intricate parts of the world; each unfathomable in its complexity, yet working together, always builds my faith in the ability of my God to care for me.

The highlight of the trip was on our way back to the trailhead the last afternoon, when all involved were pretty wiped out from a strenuous but enjoyable trip. About halfway up the mountain, our expert cowboy, Tim, noticed something up ahead through the forest that caught his eye. He wasn’t sure he saw anything, but I knew he was a great outdoorsman, so I motioned for everyone to be quiet and watch. We slowed the horses to a stop and watched, when, in the brush above us a bear took form. Then another smaller one appeared - a cub. Soon we identified two cubs with the mother bear, and watched silently as they moved up the slope into the dense mountain laurel to watch us. Suddenly, a third cub appeared, much lower on the slope and closer to us. He (it must have been a young male because of his exploratory nature) was wandering around feeding on acorns some distance from his family when they saw us and headed to cover, unknown to him. When he realized he had lost track of his mother, he started bawling and came running downslope towards us, looking. His bawling sounded like a child yelling mournfully, “Mom, Mommy!” After about 30 seconds of this, she must have quietly called to him, and he turned and headed up the slope to join the rest of the family.

What a dramatic end to the trip! We all just silently headed out, thinking about the wonderful thing we had just witnessed. Each of our trips has had such moments of pure beauty and awe; the natural consequence of coming face-to-face with our fellow inhabitants.

Oh, and I almost forgot - the horses. These gentle, mild, well-trained, strong, and beautiful creatures hauled us up and down steep mountains, through dense forests, and never complained. They became like companions to us as we enjoyed the experience. Now this was more like what a horseback experience should be, compared to my childhood memory. Horses are, indeed, a preferred mode of transportation for a wildlife watching experience (although it’s hard to top a good mountain bike trip, or series of day-hikes from a base camp, or a multi-day canoe sojourn, or . . . well, you get the picture). Yes, if you’re not an avid horseback rider, there is some pain and stiffness, but that adds to the overall memories. And, after a few days, the swelling goes down, the soreness works out of the muscles and joints, and the memories that remain are the pleasant thoughts of great times.

If you would ever want to experience one of these special times immersed in the natural beauty and wonder of our wild areas, the the folks at Nature Quest love nothing more than taking others out to give them such an experience just waiting for you to call them. And where else to go other than here - close to home yet wild enough to provide continuous thrills and learning opportunities?

Thanks for visiting the Nature Quest blog! Please check back soon to enjoy articles written by the Nature Quest team and learn more about our latest adventures!