It’s their nature: Right place, right time — some of nature’s dramas

My birding pal Dave and I are sometimes lucky and will get to observe a rare bird or two on some of our outings. Dave likes to use R.P., R.T. and also T.O.T. (Right place, right time and time on task). The more you get out in nature, the more likely you will find what you may hope to see, or even better, see things you didn’t expect. I’d like to focus on a few of my R.P., R.Ts.

About two years after Beltzville Dam was completed I was “checking out” the lake for some ducks. Scanning the lake with the spotting scope something different caught my eye. It was a deer swimming across the lake. I was standing close to the north shore near the Pine Run Boat Launch, one of the lake’s widest areas. I watched for at least 10 minutes as it slowly got closer to where I was standing. It was a day Barry forgot his camera. Eventually the deer got to the shallow water near me, stood up, shook off and then apparently noticed me standing there.

It re-entered and began swimming back to where it came from. Fifteen minutes later, it was at the south shore, got onto the bank, shook off, and proceeded up the mountainside.

This was spring, no deer hunters to chase it, I didn’t see any predators, did it underestimate the width of the lake, I’ll never know, but it was an excellent swimmer. R.P., R.T.

When I was in the classroom, some of my students told me some real “whoppers.” Events that, well I’d find hard to believe. If I had told my biology teacher what we observed in early December 1992, he wouldn’t either. My father and I were sitting on stools on the edge of a ridge, decked in our blaze orange hunting clothes and a loud commotion was heard 80 yards from us.

Suddenly, eight turkeys are running toward us as fast as their legs would carry them. Soon behind them a gray flash appeared (a northern goshawk). It darted after the last turkey, hit it with its closed talons and knocked it off its feet. Momentarily it was on its back, kicking its feet, as the hawk gathered itself as well.

In an instant the turkey was running again, trying to join its fleeing flock. The hawk took flight again, picked out another turkey with the same result. At that instant all nine characters were within 20 yards of us, immediately saw us and scattered in nine different directions.

Most of these turkeys were 10 to 14 pounds in size. The goshawk might reach close to 3 pounds. Was it trying to catch and eat something four times its size, or was it just being a bully and having fun? My dad and I don’t know but we had a “neat show.” R.P., R.T.

A few years later, I walked through my yard when close by I heard a bird shriek, and in that split second, a Cooper’s hawk had caught a flicker. Almost immediately, the hawk saw me, got flustered and took off without its meal. The stunned flicker righted itself and probably already mortally injured, weakly took off on a slow, loping flight. A few seconds later a red-tailed hawk (not normally a bird eater) saw this injured flicker and snatched it out of the air. In that span of probably one minute, I felt bad for the Cooper’s hawk because I chased him from his meal, I felt relief for the flicker who survived (possibly) the Cooper’s attack, and then again felt some dismay when it was caught again. R.P., R.T.

I am sure these types of events happen all the time (it’s nature’s way) but few are there to see them. I have more to share, possibly another article. However, remember, get out there and you too may be at the R.P., R.T.

Test your outdoor knowledge: True or False: Norway rats and house mice are not native to North America.

Last trivia question: Yes, some warblers have been observed flying at nearly 25,000 feet

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.