Chipping sparrow
| Several weeks ago, I swear I heard a Baltimore oriole calling. I readied the oriole feeder and the hummingbird feeder. Neither were seen. There appeared to be activity at the oriole feeder, but I remembered that sometimes other birds utilized it too. Then I spotted a house finch using the feeder. Just last week I again thought I heard an oriole, but no visual confirmation. Then on April 23, I saw a male oriole on the feeder. I had my husband verify the sighting, because I thought I may have been overly optimistic. There was no return visit by the colorful bird. |  Mourning cloak butterfly  Hermit or wood thrush |
According to local author Gary Edwards in his book “Venango County Birds” the earliest recorded sighting of an oriole in the county was April 24.
The orioles arrive in late April and depart in mid-September, according to Edwards.
According to the website The Journey North there were sightings of orioles reported on April 6 in New York City and on April 5 in Oregon, Ohio.
On April 22, an oriole was sighted in Franklin according to the website’s map.
“The peak of oriole migration occurs from mid-April through mid-May. The first Baltimore orioles are reaching Texas, and by the month's end, a few are reaching the central states,” the site said.
The orioles arrive in late April and depart in mid-September, according to Edwards.
According to the website The Journey North there were sightings of orioles reported on April 6 in New York City and on April 5 in Oregon, Ohio.
On April 22, an oriole was sighted in Franklin according to the website’s map.
“The peak of oriole migration occurs from mid-April through mid-May. The first Baltimore orioles are reaching Texas, and by the month's end, a few are reaching the central states,” the site said.
| May is the peak month for nest-building for orioles, the post continued. I was still searching for one of my favorite photo subjects, hummingbirds. Four years ago, my first hummer of the season arrived on April 25. Last year, it was April 29 for my sightings of both hummingbirds and orioles. In 2024, the first sighting of an oriole was on April 30, and the first sighting of a hummer was on April 27. The earliest sighting of a hummingbird in Venango County was April 9, according to local birder Edwards in his book. On Facebook pages for Pennsylvania birding groups, a user reported a hummingbird sighting in northern Mercer County on April 22. A sighting of a hummingbird in Townville was recorded on April 16, according to the Journey North map. I surmised from this data, that the fast and furious flyers were on the way. Facebook memories showed me that a year ago on April 25, I had a rose-breasted grosbeak visit the feeders. Like clockwork, I looked out the window this Saturday to see a male rose-breasted grosbeak on the feeder. |  Magnolia bloom  Apple tree with some maples in bud in the background. |
Earlier in April, several purple finches popped up on the bird camera. Reports on the finchnetwork.org indicated that it may be an irruption year for them. Several Facebook posts on some birding pages reported an uptick in the brightly colored birds.
Canada geese
| At the neighbor’s pond, a pair of Canada geese and a mallard couple made sporadic visits. On one occasion I spotted a lone egg. I didn’t approach because I was afraid of disrupting a nesting site. However, the egg was still there unattended for a few days. When I looked around there was no sign of a nesting site. I thought that perhaps the egg was abandoned due to its viability or predators in the area. |  |
Trail cameras in the area had captured photos of foxes and raccoons in the vicinity. Neither the geese nor the ducks have been seen during our daily walks lately.
| One critter whose return I was not anticipating was the black bear. I was warned by area Facebook posts and a report that the neighbor’s garbage up the road was raided. Still, I was unprepared for its visit. During the week of April 13, the unwanted visitor made its presence known. Not one, but five crushed bird feeders including the one with the camera. The camera was disconnected from its Wi-Fi antenna but would work if the feeder was placed by the house. |  Bear damaged bird feeders |
The camera equipped feeder was greatly missed. A rather large and perhaps chunky gray squirrel kept visiting the feeder’s prior location. It would look at the house with confusion as to why the food source had been removed.
On April 22 the bear returned, caught on camera by ailing bird feeder camera. The replacement bird feeders were inside, and the camera feeder was empty. The bear’s visit was a little too close for comfort as it was only feet from our side steps. Unlike the bear’s previous visit, the dogs were on duty with warning barks. I resumed my duty of taking in the bird feeders at night.
On April 22 the bear returned, caught on camera by ailing bird feeder camera. The replacement bird feeders were inside, and the camera feeder was empty. The bear’s visit was a little too close for comfort as it was only feet from our side steps. Unlike the bear’s previous visit, the dogs were on duty with warning barks. I resumed my duty of taking in the bird feeders at night.
Red admiral butterfly
| On warmer days, other winged visitors beside the birds were out and about. Butterflies including the mourning cloaks and easter commas were out looking for mates and designating their territories. I was able to find a red admiral during one of the sunnier days. I also saw several eastern tiger swallowtails. They were all on a mission and too busy to even land somewhere. I thought I had a good chance when one fluttered into the dog kennel. I was desperate to get a photo even if the butterfly landed on some dog poop. However, the opportunity never presented itself. I searched out spring blooms just like the swallowtails did. In the yard, only a few of my tulips bloomed. Two years ago, I had a nice crop of tulips, but this year and last year only a few flowered. I was hopefully earlier this spring when many leaves broke the surface of the dirt. The daffodils had the same results. There were more blooms than the tulips, but not as many as years passed. Three years ago, my bleeding-heart plants were blooming. This year the plant was up but not in flower. |  Tulip  Flowering crab apple  |
I may have missed the grand display of my flowering crab apple tree this year. However, April showers, or rather downpours and a hailstorm may have degraded its usual spring show.
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In the woods and yard, violets, violets and more violets colored the landscape.
They displayed various colors from purple to white and yellow. A beautiful patch created a lovely exhibit in the yard. The tiny flowers flourished because mowing was delayed because of precipitation and saturated ground. One of the violets that was easy for me to identify was the halberd-leaved violet because of its distinctive leaves and yellow color.
A couple of sites I found helpful in identifying violets were midatlanticnature.blogspot.com and extension.psu.edu.
They displayed various colors from purple to white and yellow. A beautiful patch created a lovely exhibit in the yard. The tiny flowers flourished because mowing was delayed because of precipitation and saturated ground. One of the violets that was easy for me to identify was the halberd-leaved violet because of its distinctive leaves and yellow color.
A couple of sites I found helpful in identifying violets were midatlanticnature.blogspot.com and extension.psu.edu.
Jeb in the violets
 May apple |  Lady slippers  Possible round pad or bog orchid leaves |
Apple blossoms
Some trailing arbutus blooms placed in a stream.
There were some apple trees in bloom earlier this month. Some of them may have succumbed to a frost on April 8 when a low of 20 degrees was reported in Franklin by National Weather Service data. According to my Facebook memories, the apple tree in my yard was just sprouting leaves 12 years ago on April 25.
 Hawthorn |  Service berry blooms |
In the woods, the lady slippers were out of the ground with leaves. There were possible bog or round pad orchids up. I waited last year for a bloom that didn’t happen. I hoped that this year would be the year for them to flower and help me identify them.
The trailing arbutus was out in early April and was done blooming by mid-month.
May apples made an early appearance in April. They were soon carpeting the forest floor with their umbrella-like leaves.
Service berry blooms and hawthorn flowers brightened up the landscape with their white blossoms.
The trailing arbutus was out in early April and was done blooming by mid-month.
May apples made an early appearance in April. They were soon carpeting the forest floor with their umbrella-like leaves.
Service berry blooms and hawthorn flowers brightened up the landscape with their white blossoms.
Back at the neighbor’s pond, the frogs were out in the warm weather. When I went to get water sample from a vernal pool by the pond, I came up with a cup of tadpoles. They were returned. However, the vernal pool at reclaimed strip mine was not doing so well. It had salamander eggs and despite the rain it was dry by April 25.
Data indicated that March was warmer and wetter than normal. However, the data recorded by the National Weather Service’s station at the Venango Regional Airport appeared to be a little off.
The data said the average temperature for the month was 57 degrees, which was above the normal of 45.6 degrees. However, there were three days of highs at 77 degrees that were reported.
In comparison, March data for Pittsburgh revealed an average temperature of 53.8 degrees which was above normal of 49 degrees.
The data said the average temperature for the month was 57 degrees, which was above the normal of 45.6 degrees. However, there were three days of highs at 77 degrees that were reported.
In comparison, March data for Pittsburgh revealed an average temperature of 53.8 degrees which was above normal of 49 degrees.
Jeb
The precipitation for March was recorded as 4.38 inches, which was above the normal of 3.36 inches, according to the National Weather Service data.
The accumulation to date for April 18 was reported as 13.38 which was above the normal of 11.78 inches for that date. The U.S. Drought Monitor report released April 23 showed that no drought designation was listed for the region. Only the southeastern part of Pennsylvania showed any drought issues.
The accumulation to date for April 18 was reported as 13.38 which was above the normal of 11.78 inches for that date. The U.S. Drought Monitor report released April 23 showed that no drought designation was listed for the region. Only the southeastern part of Pennsylvania showed any drought issues.
 Courtesy of usgs.gov |  Courtesy of usgs.gov |
So far April showers have added up to 6.83 inches of rain which was above the normal of 4.15 inches, according to weather service data.
Graphs from the United States Geological Survey showed that area waterways got several boosts from all the rainfalls.
Weather service data reported 1.58 inches of rain in Franklin on April 16 alone.
Graphs from the United States Geological Survey showed that area waterways got several boosts from all the rainfalls.
Weather service data reported 1.58 inches of rain in Franklin on April 16 alone.
Milo and Earl
Despite the warmer and wetter weather, there were a few cold days. A look back at some trail camera photos over the past week saw me in a winter jacket one day and shorts on in another. Goats, Milo and Earl, were happy to find new greenery to eat. The dogs swam in the pond and hunted frogs.
While I waited for the hummingbirds to return, there were plenty of spring blooms for photo subjects. In fact, I was able to enter a couple of pieces in a recent art show celebrating the blossoms. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here.
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