From the Field - Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary

Territorial Turkeys

This morning while working in the office, I heard some noises upstairs in the Nature Center.  It was gray, windy and still wet from last night's rain.  I thought it odd that someone would be walking the trails.  (Then again, I had already been walking the trails).  I glanced out the window and didn't see any cars in the parking lot, so I continued tapping at the keyboard.

When I heard it again, it finally dawned on me.  I grabbed the camera and snuck upstairs as quietly as possible.  There were three hen turkeys pecking at their reflections in the glass doors.  Though it is more common in spring, hens can get territorial.  Often they will chase unfamiliar hens from their breeding territory, or a strutting tom.  Today, it was probably more about feeding territories.  It could have even been something as petty as, "why didn't you say Hi?"

Turkeys have unbelievable eyesight.  Even as they looked at the reflections of themselves and the woods behind them, they were able to detect my movement inside the Nature Center.  I snapped some photos (through the glass) quickly before they deicided something was amiss and exited.

Raptors Migrating

This morning, a Broad-winged Hawk flapped over the parking lot just as the fog was lifting.  I made a mental note to keep checking the sky.  I figured the appearance of this hawk signaled that there were several in the immediate area that were waiting for thermals to form so they could migrate.  While we don't see the number and species that one sees at Hawk Mountain, a watcher at Mariton can see a good number of raptors when the conditions are right.  There is often a thermal that forms to the northwest of the Nature Center, and over the years I have watched hundreds of hawks fly directly overhead while working in the yard.  Walking the trails to the top Bougher Hill can be even more productive.

Around 10:15, I looked up to see a kettle of Broad-winged Hawks forming.  There were a dozen hawks gathered already, and more were flying in from different directions.  I ran and grabbed my camera and attempted to take a couple photos.  Too far away to do them justice, but perhaps you will get the idea. 

I put away the camera and was resuming work when a large raptor approached, flying very low.  It had come from the Delaware River and was headed directly for the thermal the hawks were using.  As it flew directly overhead, only about 50 feet above me, I realized it was a mature Bald Eagle.  I ran to retrieve the camera and managed to take a photo before it got too far out of sight. 

As the day progressed and the temperature reached the mid-eighties, I saw many more Broad-winged Hawks, and lots of Turkey Vultures.  But my day was made by the sighting of the Eagle directly above Mariton.

Annual Picnic

We had a great gathering at the Annual Picnic on Saturday.  About two dozen people attended and shared dishes like baked corn, pasta salads, home-baked bread and angel food cake.  Yummy.  We grilled hot dogs and shared good conversations on the lawn.

The evening's speakers were Kathy and Eric Uhler from the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and they had a special treat for us.  They released a young Red-tailed Hawk back into the wild, while eveyone watched.  It perched at the edge of the yard and everyone was able to watch it through the binoculars.  It could be seen hanging around the yard into Sunday, but evenutally flew off to find its own territory.

Then we moved into the Nature Center for the program.  Kathy and Eric use animals that cannot be released back into the wild.  While talking about each animal, they educate the audience about what and (what not to do) when you encounter an injured or abandoned animal.  One of my favorites was a raven that was imprinted on humans.  It cannot be released into the wild because it has no fear of humans.  Its plummage was stunning under the lights, I can only imagine how magnificent it would look in the sunlight.  They brought several animals including a (descented) skunk, barred owl and this peregrine falcon.  It was a very informative program, and people really enjoyed watching the wildlife up close.