Sightings From Trail Users
Sightings From Trail Users
In July 2007, morning bikers Mary Emeigh and Shirley Stone spotted a pregnant doe feeding on the watercress in the river. Another adult deer was nearby. They watched the deer quietly for about fifteen minutes and took many photos, including the one at left. Sighting was between Flowing Springs and Ganister trailheads.
Aug.14, 2007 - saw a BLACK BEAR, approx. 350 lbs., 300 yds south of Water Street (1 mile south of Alfarata trailhead), while biking with my wife. We stood and watched the bear for awhile, and the bear watched us. Finally, I yelled and the bear went off into the woods. Bob G.
Aug. 7, 2007 - saw a BLACK BEAR, approx. 125 lb., 100 yds south of Mt Etna while biking on the trail. Bob G.
In September 2007, again during a morning bike ride Mary Emeigh and Shirley Stone saw a Five-Lined Skink, a member of the lizard family, sunning on the bridge decking. Five-lined Skinks are ground-dwelling animals. They prefer moist, partially wooded habitat that provides ample cover or inside walls of buildings as well as sites to bask in the sun. They can be found throughout much of Eastern U.S. and as far north as Ontario, Canada.
In October 2007, Shirley Stone saw a flock of wild turkeys (8) along the trail between Flowing Springs and the Boy Scouts Pond.
On December 26th, 2007 at noon, naturalist and Blair County International Migratory Bird Day Coordinator Dr. Stan Kotala saw an adult BALD EAGLE soaring over Flowing Springs.
During the month of July 2006, trail users had the honor of watching a BALD EAGLE along the trail. Tom Snyder, one of our dedicated maintenance volunteers, was kayaking down the river on July 3rd. He wrote: “While kayaking on Monday July 3rd, around 12:30 we saw a large Bald Eagle between the 2 and 3 mile markers close to Goodman Quarry. For about 10 minutes he performed for us before flying away down stream.
The following week, July 17th, we received this email; “I just wanted to let you
know that we had a beautiful day Sunday biking on the trail. We actually got on at Etna Station and rode to Williamsburg, and then had a leisurely ride back to Etna.
We were thrilled to see a huge BALD EAGLE sitting on a tree branch over the creek, along with all the many other critters that make their homes along the trail. The trail is one of the nicest we’ve been on….so well kept and neat. The folks in your area should be really proud of the wonderful job you have all done there! We will be back again!!!”
Our national bird has been making a comeback in recent years. There are several nesting pairs at Raystown and several have been spotted in the Spruce Creek area. Bald Eagles live along the coast and on major lakes and rivers where they feed mainly on fish. Spotting the eagle along the trial is a good sign that the fish are coming back to the Juniata River. Of the trail users who have observed the eagle, all have described it as very large. This is quite possibly a mature female. The juvenile bald eagle is a mixture of brown and white; with a black bill in young birds. The adult plumage develops when they’re sexually mature, at about 4 to 5 years of age. The female bald eagle is 35 to 37 inches, slightly larger than the male. With a wingspan which varies from 79 to 90 inches. The male bald eagle has a body length from 30 to 34 inches and the wingspan ranges from 72 to 85 inches.
The bald eagles weigh from ten to fourteen pounds. You might think they should weigh more than that for their size but you have to remember they were built to fly; their bones are hollow. They can fly to an altitude of 10,000 feet and can achieve speeds of about 30 to 35 mph during level flight. They eat mainly fish but will take advantage of carrion (dead and decaying flesh). They can lift and carry about 4 pounds in flight. The eagle is known to hunt areas from 1,700 to 10,000 acres. The home ranges are smaller where food is present in great quantity.
Eagles are known to mate for life; if one has died the survivor will not hesitate to accept a new mate. When they do mate, the female will lay one to three eggs. The eggs must be incubated for 35 days and this duty is shared by both the male and female. The “wild” bald eagle lives as long as thirty years, but the average lifespan is about fifteen to twenty years. (One eagle in captivity in the state of New York lived to be at least 48 years of age). Many eagles lose their life to fatal gun shot wounds, electrocution, poisoning, collisions with vehicles and starvation. The bald eagle is a protected bird; for many years its numbers were declining and it was listed as a “threatened species” but in recent years, the numbers have been increasing and the bald eagle may soon be delisted.
The bald eagle was chosen on June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States of America. It was chosen because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks. The eagle represents freedom. Living as it does on the tops of lofty mountains, amid the solitary grandeur of nature. It is said the eagle was used as a national emblem because, at one of the first battles of the Revolution (which occurred early in the morning) the noise of a the struggle awoke the sleeping eagles on the heights and they flew from their nests and circled about over the heads of the fighting men, all the while giving vent to their raucous cries. “They are shrieking for freedom,” said the patriots. Maude M. Grant said, “Thus the eagle, full of the boundless spirit of freedom, living above the valleys, strong and powerful in his might, has become the national emblem of a country that offers freedom in word and thought and an opportunity for a full and free expansion into the boundless space of the future.” Even before the eagle was adopted as the National Emblem many of the existing states already used the eagle in their coat of arms. The eagle appears in the Seals of many of our States, on most of our gold and silver coinage, paper money, U.S. stamps and is used a great deal for decorative patriotic purposes.
It is our hope that the bald eagle that’s been visiting along the trail will soon consider it home.
OTHER WILDLIFE:
The Lower Trail is a great place to experience nature. There have been spottings of many varieties of wildlife. It is very common to see rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, white tailed deer, snakes, mice and moles along the trail. Even black bears have been sighted. On July 4th Tom Snyder, maintenance volunteer, was removing a downed tree from the trail when a person told him that while picking berries along the trail, he saw a large black bear east of the Grannas Station (Gannister Trailhead), just before the highway. He said the bear was also “picking berries”.
While it is wonderful to see and experience nature at its finest, we must always use caution. For the first time since the Lower Trail opened, we have experienced a rabies incident. On July 13th, a trail user was attacked by a Bobcat along the trail. The animal was found, destroyed and found to have had rabies after being sent by the PA Game Commission to be tested. As a precaution, the cyclist took series of rabies post-exposure vaccinations the night he was attacked. He has made a full recovery.
If you are on the trail and see an animal acting in an uncharacteristic manner (like a nocturnal animal out in the daytime, or one seemingly very sick), please avoid the animal. Note the area where you spotted the animal and then call the Pennsylvania Game Commission to report it. Do not approach the animal; it is best to let experts deal with them.
The following are notes that trail users have submitted. While it is impossible to verify the sightings, we will publish all that are likely. If you have a sighting of an interesting or unusual animal, bird, insect or reptile, please submit it by clicking the "Report A Sighting" button at the top of this page. Other trail users and potential visitors will enjoy reading your report.
05/29/07 and 05/30/07 - While biking today I saw rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, lots of different birds, and two different kinds of snakes. I also saw two snakes and a turkey yesterday morning while riding the trail from Flowing Springs to Covedale and back to Flowing Springs. - Shawn, Altoona, PA
10/28/06 - "Biking the trail today - the whole thing! On the return trip to Flowing Springs, stopped for a break. Nice pavilion. Saw a Cooper Hawk near mile marker 5/12. Nice way to spend a vacation day from work." - Steve
10/4/05 - "At the next mile marker from Etna there is a field (on the right hand side) just before the mile marker, my buddy and I saw a flock of turkeys, just young ones - roughly about 30 of them. It was early evening probably about 5:30 pm." - C & P from Alexandria
9/18/05 - About 6 p.m., saw a flock of four hen turkeys near the lock keeper's cottage.
9/13/05 - Jack reports seeing a fox 4 miles south of Mt Etna.
9/9/05 - Spotted a Bald Eagle over the river 1/4 mile south of Mt Etna. "I heard a whistling sound and then saw it flying up from the river."
8/31/05 - Chuck G. reports a wet bear near Ganister.
8/31/05 - A jogger reports a bear about 2 miles south of Ganister. "It ran off like a dog."
(no date) - "It is my first time here and I loved it. Saw two horses and lots of people, leaves and walnuts." - Theo, New Blookfield Jr. Firefighter
The
LOWER TRAIL Your pathway
to outdoor fun!
NOW OPEN!!
May 3rd, 2008 - M stands for MAY and MIGRATION!! Huge numbers of birds can be seen this month migrating along the Lower Trail. Here's a sampling from a 1 hour walk:
Bald eagle, osprey, great blue heron, common raven, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, solitary sandpiper, red-eyed vireo, warbling vireo, yellow-throated vireo, cerulean warbler, northern parula, chimney swifts, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, yellow-throated warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, wood thrush, brown thrasher, Baltimore oriole.
This sighting was submitted by Dr. Stan Kotala. All of the above sightings were between Mt Etna and Alfarata trailheads.
MAY 2008 - Dr. Kotala also provided this photo of a Wood Turtle taken along the trail.
For the protection of the species, we will not reveal the location of the turtle.
