Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2021 - 21

NOTES Streams
from the
my radio was receiving calls, but
DWCO Eichler's was silent. He
looked at his radio and noticed the
antenna was missing. We pulled into
a parking lot and checked under his
seat with no luck. I asked if he sat
on the driver's side, and he replied
that he did not. After dropping him
off at his residence, I returned to
my district office and did a more
thorough search under the front
passenger side of the vehicle. Still
no antenna. Since some of the
equipment DWCO's carry is cost
out of their own pocket, I drove to
Blue Marsh Lake the next day to
look for the antenna. I checked the
patrol boat he was in and checked
the field area where we met for the
detail. Finally, I checked the ranger
station room. No luck. DWCO
Eichler called later to let me know
he purchased a new antenna, so his
radio was fixed.
Fast forward one year later as
I was driving on a bumpy road,
the vibration caused my Bluetooth
device to fall out of my ear. I pulled
into a parking lot and checked
under the driver's seat and spotted
the device. Reaching under the seat,
I felt a roundish long thing. My
first thought was that I must have
dropped a pen and forgot about it.
I pulled the object out-it was an
antenna. I immediately looked at
my radio to see the antenna was still
attached. I thought for a while and
started to laugh a bit.
I called DWCO Eichler a little
later and asked, " Are you sure
you did not sit in the driver's seat
that day at the detail? " He replied,
" No. " I asked again, " Are you sure? "
I received the same response. I
informed DWCO Eichler that I
found his antenna under the driver's
seat. There was a moment of silence
on the phone. Then, DWCO Eichler
remembered he may have eaten
lunch in the vehicle. We met up
later, I handed him his lost antenna,
and we both shared a laugh.-WCO
Joseph S. Underdonk Sr., Northern
Lancaster County.
www.fishandboat.com
Attack swan
One of the cool things about being
a WCO is getting the opportunity to
work outside in a variety of habitats
and being able to see a variety of
wildlife. Recently, while on a wetland
disturbance site along a pond, I
noticed two swans feeding in the
water. A few weeks later, I returned
and noticed only one swan was in the
water. After looking for a few seconds,
I spotted the other one perched on a
nest in the weeds on the far side of the
pond. The male swan was swimming
the perimeter of the pond, constantly
keeping guard over his mate and the
nest. If anyone got too close to the
edge of the water, the male swan would
charge with his wings puffed out,
but usually stopped a few feet shy of
coming out of the water.
We began to do some testing
of the soil and I soon forgot about
the overprotective male swan
swimming only a few feet behind
us. While kneeling and speaking
with a Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection biologist, I
heard some close footsteps in the mud
behind me. I stood up and instantly
felt a solid thump across the back of
my calf. I turned in time to see the
male hit me with a hard part of his
wing. He seemed proud of himself
as he strutted back to the water,
constantly maintaining eye
contact with what appeared to
be a superior look on his face. I
told the swan that he could go to
jail for assault, but he swam away
and joined his mate at the nest.
Everyone who was present had
a good laugh, and we appointed
one of the nearby kids as the
official swan watch. We did
not have any more encounters
with the pair.-Alec S. DeLong,
Lackawanna, Wayne, and
Susquehanna counties.
No vacancy
Periodically, we get calls to
relocate venomous snakes that
people discover are residing
or passing through yards and
Eastern Copperhead
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * September/October 2021
21
landscapes. I received one of these
calls in August 2020. The individual
called the region office and provided
photo documentation that it was
in fact one of the three venomous
snakes in Pennsylvania. I arrived at
the residence. Based on the wooded
and rocky setting, I was not surprised
to see an Eastern Copperhead. The
residents showed me a small stone
wall that was laid up without mortar,
and there in front was the snake.
I used the snake hook to place the
snake in the bag for relocation. I
offered a few suggestions as I was
leaving, mentioning that it may not
be a bad idea to remove the stone wall
and to keep the landscaping trimmed
since there were likely more snakes in
the area. I released the snake nearby
and snapped a photo.
In May 2021, I received another
call from the region office. It was the
same resident with another snake. I
arrived back at the address and found
the stone wall half dismantled. The
resident said they decided to eliminate
the wall, and in the process of taking
it apart, they found another Eastern
Copperhead. I bagged the snake up
and relocated and snapped another
photo. Evidently, that stone wall was
a popular destination for the Eastern
Copperheads.-WCO Zachary M.
Rudd, Northampton County.
photo-WCO Zachary M. Rudd
http://www.fishandboat.com
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2021
