Thursday, April 17, 2008

Exciting birding in new places

Yesterday I took the scenic route home with the intent of checking out a new birding place that my work pal Hillel told me about: an old rail tunnel near a little burg called Coburn, through which Penns Creek flows. There's a trail where the train tracks used to be, and Hillel thinks it might be a good place to see woodcocks. As I've never seen a woodcock, I wanted to swing through there and maybe catch some early evening peenting and displaying.

No such luck on the woodcocks, but while on the scenic route over Brush Mountain, I saw a lifebird: a ruffed grouse, the PA state bird! He was right up on the edge of the little road, looking around. If I'd had my camera out and ready, I would've gotten a great shot, as I was maybe ten feet away from him. But he moved into the brushy cover too quickly for me; I waited to see if I could spot him again, but it was impossible. He mixed in too well. Still--a lifer!

So I drove on to the old rail tunnel, parked, and started looking around. Here are some shots of the old tunnel, hewn directly into the rocks many moons ago:

The moss had grown onto the rock around the entrance to the tunnel:
Here, you can see that while they prettied up the entrance with cut stone, the actual tunnel walls themselves were left natural:



I love seeing moss growing like this; it's so soft and green and alive, with water flowing out of the rocks:

Sigh. So beautiful. While I was looking at the tunnel, I heard a bird sound--a single "chock" that resonated through the woods. I thought it might be a some sort of grouse or a turkey, but I've listened to a lot of those sounds (owls, gamebirds, etc.) and just can't find it. It was a warbly but sharp "chock" sound. Does anyone have any other guesses?

I also saw a first-of-year Eastern wood-pewee; here are my best shots of him:


I thought it might be a phoebe, but the beak and the size were wrong; I'm pretty sure it's a wood-pewee, but if you disagree, please let me know!

I also saw a northern harrier, several brown thrashers, and the usual flurry of American robins, grackles, red-winged blackbirds, European starlings, and American crows.

I can't wait to go there super-early one morning, to see what migrants might pass through. I'm hoping for some good birding there as the migration gets into gear.

14 comments:

Splotchy said...

Those are some great pics! That's a really neat-looking tunnel.

If you have some spare cash laying about, you might want to consider picking up a cheap portable digital voice recorder, to record the odd birdsong on your adventures.

dguzman said...

I should've just used my phone's recording device! I didn't think of it!

I'm sitting here listening to the Stokes Eastern Birds CDs (a gift from Hillel), and I'm hoping I hear something familiar.

Joe said...

I love places like that tunnel. Those were great photos. When we were in Vicksburg we found a tunnel that had been dug to allow Union troops to move closer to Confederate lines. It was amazing to see this little brick-lined tunnel in the middle of this green field.

By the way, what kind of camera do you use for your bird photos?

RG said...

That was no doubt the feeble call of the ghost of old # 421 ...


Love that tunnel! Nothing out here is older than about 100 years, and most of that has rotted from wet!

Fran said...

This is extraordinary- the tunnel, the moss and your great love of nature.

And your great love of possibility.

You give me hope today Delia. Thank you.

And the birdsong... Splotchy, what an idea.

dguzman said...

Bubs-that does sound cool, especially given the history surrounding it. Those kinds of places are so cool, and I'm so glad they've survived instead of being covered or paved over.

Rabbits' Guy--a-ha--I didn't think of that! It was the coughing of the conductor! When I lived in Texas, I bemoaned the fact that they always knocked down old stuff and built glass/steel skyscrapers. I mean, even the grassy knoll looks different now! You'd think they would've left it alone.

Fran--someday, you and I will go on a nature walk together!

Dr. Zaius said...

I used to love to play with my toys on moss covered rocks when I was little kid. It was like a lawn made to scale for my toys! And ferns were perfect for dinosaur toys, of course.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic photos! And you get some cool birds that we don't!

Those tunnel pics are great. I can feel the cool dampness of the scene.

Larry said...

Visiting old rail lines are one of my favorite places to go. I remember last year when I walked through a tunnel to find a Northern Waterthrush drinking from a puddle at the very end. Even if they don't turn out to be the top spots in terms of number of species seen, rail trails can be exciting and adventurous places to explore.-I enjoyed your post!

Mel said...

Great pictures!!! Love the look of that tunnel!

Mary said...

Ooooo, Delia. You been in birdy heaven :o) The state bird of PA is a ruffed grouse?

I've never seen a woodcock and I think I'm probably the only person on earth who hasn't. Sigh...

I'm glad you enjoy the moss. Like you, I stop and look every time.

Enjoy your spring. And the migrants! I'd love to see a few pass through my back yard but I think I'll need to go look for them. Darn.

pissed off patricia said...

Moss, tunnels, stuff like that you will not see in Florida. At least not much moss like that.

Wish I could help you with the bird call but the only thing harder than id-ing a call you've heard is id-ing one someone else has heard. Sorry.

dguzman said...

Dr. Z--I am imagining the young little ape you were, playing with your toys. So cute!

DCup--yes, it was cool and damp and lovely.

Larry--glad you liked it.

Mel--thanks!

Mary--PA is a good place for migrants, so I'm hopeful about this new place. I'm planning an early (ugh) Sunday morning trip with a friend who's just getting into birding. Should be fun!

Pop--I never saw moss like that in TX either--way too dry there. But here, the water flows right out of the rocks!

Crayons said...

Hi dguzman
This is my first visit to your blog palace. It's an interesting mix of topics. The common denominator seems to be passion.

Your dedication to birding is admirable. I'm very much a beginner. I enjoyed the story of the tunnel and the moss.