A ruby-crowned kinglet perches in a bush at Nescopeck State Park on Tuesday morning.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
A pair of eastern bluebirds stakes out some prime real estate at Nescopeck State Park on Tuesday morning.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
A northern flicker clings to a tree trunk where it’s been hard at work carving a hole on Tuesday morning at Nescopeck State Park.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
Tree swallows perch on nest boxes at Nescopeck State Park on Tuesday morning.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
A pair of hooded mergansers swims on a pond at Nescopeck State Park on Tuesday morning.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
A killdeer forages on the drained lake bed at Nescopeck State Park on Tuesday morning.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
DENNISON TWP. — This week’s birding adventure brought me to one of my favorite spots in Luzerne County, but one I haven’t been to since the end of last summer: Nescopeck State Park.
What I love most about this 3,550-acre park is its variety of habitats — and, therefore, the variety of wildlife and bird species. There’s a wealth of forest and wetlands, with 15 trails totaling 19 miles that wind and loop through it all. Although Lake Frances is still mostly dry, and a portion of Lake Trail is closed off due to the ongoing drawdown replacement project, I didn’t run out of other areas to explore on Tuesday morning.
Everywhere I went, there were so many birds singing and flitting through the trees and bushes that I had to walk extra slowly and make frequent stops to take it all in without missing anything.
In fact, I spent my first half hour or so just in the parking lot, watching ruby-crowned kinglets, eastern bluebirds, American robins, chipping sparrows, white-throated sparrows, song sparrows, swamp sparrows, an eastern towhee, northern flickers, tree swallows, northern cardinals, and, I’m sure, a handful of other species I’m forgetting.
Throughout the over three hours I was at the park, I counted 43 bird species total — some by sight and others by sound.
Some of the other species I encountered included hooded mergansers, killdeer, blue-headed vireos, blue-gray gnatcatchers, purple finches, and American goldfinches.
The bluebirds and tree swallows have wasted no time claiming their nest boxes, and they’ll let you know if you accidentally wander too close — especially the tree swallows.
Tiny kinglets — both ruby-crowned and golden-crowned — were everywhere, but difficult to spot and track with my camera lens because of how fast they move around.
A killdeer foraged for food in the puddles of the mostly drained lake basin.
Blue jays shrieked from the treetops as I walked along the trails.
At one point, I heard tapping and looked up to see a northern flicker carving a hole in a tree trunk above me.
As I headed home from another successful birding adventure, I wondered why I’d stayed away from Nescopeck State Park for so long — and promised myself I’d return soon.
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Liz Baumeister is the news editor at the Times Leader. She loves nature, photography, and nature photography. Reach her at lbaumeister@timesleader.com.