Trout stocking for fall and winter 2026 by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) to begin on October 1, 2026; the PFBC will stock approximately 114,700 adult trout into Pennsylvania streams and lakes through mid-December
By Steven Brodsky
From a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) news release:
HARRISBURG, Pa. (September 29) – Some of the best stocked trout fishing opportunities of the year are approaching on dozens of waterways across the Commonwealth!
Beginning October 1, 2026, and continuing through mid-December, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) will stock approximately 114,700 hatchery-raised adult Rainbow, Brown, and Brook Trout in 117 stream sections and lakes. These stockings will immediately replenish many popular fishing spots just as the fall season begins and provide ice fishing opportunities as conditions allow throughout the winter. Trout that are stocked during fall and winter can be fished for immediately.
“Beautiful scenery and some of the most comfortable temperatures of the year are in store for anglers who take advantage of stocked trout opportunities this fall,” said Brian Niewinski, Director of the PFBC Bureau of Hatcheries. “Waters are getting cooler by the week and many different species of fish are very active this time of year, including bass, panfish, catfish, and walleye. The addition of stocked trout from our hatcheries just adds something different to get excited about. The easiest way to know exactly when and where we’ll be stocking trout this fall and winter is to check the stocking schedule frequently and, as always, keep an eye out for any changes to due to weather or other factors.”
In October alone, the PFBC will stock approximately 86,100 adult trout into 92 waters, including 52 lakes and 40 stream sections, including 16 Keystone Select Trout Waters, which are managed under Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only regulations. An additional 25 lakes will be stocked with approximately 28,600 trout during November and December. Anglers and stocking volunteers should note that stocking schedules are subject to change due to a variety of factors, including water temperature fluctuations and hatchery logistics. Check the schedule often for postponements and rescheduled stockings.
Extended Trout Season Regulations
Trout anglers can take advantage of the Extended Trout Season which began on September 8, 2026, and lasts through February 14, 2027. During the extended season, the daily creel limit is three trout of combined species with a minimum size of seven inches through December 31, then nine inches the remainder of the extended season, unless a water is managed under special regulations. Extended Trout Season regulations apply only to designated Stocked Trout Waters, and harvest of trout in other waters during the extended trout season is prohibited.
Boating this Fall? Wear It, PA!
Anglers who plan to fish from a boat this fall and winter are reminded that water temperatures can drop rapidly, presenting added dangers. All boaters are reminded to wear a life jacket and make note of the upcoming annual Cold Weather Life Jacket Requirement.
From November 1 through April 30, anyone on a boat less than 16 feet in length, including all canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards, is required to wear a life jacket. Children ages 12 and under must always wear a life jacket while paddling.
For more information on year-round fishing and boating opportunities in Pennsylvania, visit Fishandboat.com.
Posted 9-29-26
Enjoy seeing model trains operating in outdoor and garden settings by taking the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s 19th annual Garden Railways Tour
By Steven Brodsky
… This self-guided tour is scheduled for Sunday, October 4, 2026, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
You’ll find information about the 19th annual Garden Railways Tour in this excerpt from a news release that was issued today, September 1, 2026, by the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania:
Strasburg, Lancaster County, PA —Tickets are now on sale for the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s Garden Railways Tour on Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Enjoy an exclusive, self-guided tour of operating model trains in various outdoor and garden settings. It’s a fun family outing for all ages!
Plan your afternoon and choose from among the six stops on this year’s 19th annual tour. Garden Railways Tour sites are located in Wrightsville, Lancaster, Lititz and Manheim. The Garden Railways Tour is sponsored by Simon Lever Business Advisors and CPAs.
Tickets are just $10.00 per person for ages 6 and over. Children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge. Tickets may be purchased online on the Museum’s website and will not be sold at the individual tour sites. A roster of Garden Railways Tour sites will be emailed to you following your ticket purchase. It is recommended that you plan the sites you want to visit in advance.
Garden railways are among the fastest growing interest area in model railroading, and many people find that trains add excitement to their gardens. This creative, family-friendly hobby may be set up in very small spaces or large expanses, as well as in differing climates and in widely varying degrees of complexity. Garden railways have attracted the formation of enthusiast associations, special equipment from model train companies, websites and even its own magazine.
Posted 9-1-26
On a garter snake day afternoon
By Steven Brodsky
… this garter snake appeared to be using a shrub as an ectotherm’s equivalent of a hammock:
Photo by Steven Brodsky
The garter snake wasn’t being sluggish (not-so-good pun alert: slugs are part of its diet) on what was a hot afternoon. It was thermoregulating on top and among the branches and leaves of a shrub.
Nearby, humans were drinking cold beverages while resting on hammocks, chaise lounges, and lawn chairs when they weren’t taking refuge in airconditioned rooms.
Posted 8-27-26
Lovely
By Steven Brodsky
… you might agree, is this exquisite butterfly chrysalis:
Photo by Steven Brodsky
Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Posted 7-30-26
On a dog day afternoon
By Steven Brodsky
… these world-class foxhounds enjoyed the thrill of the chase:
Photo by Steven Brodsky
The foxhounds were doing what they were bred and trained to do; lucky dogs they were (and are).
Enjoy the photo on a dog day afternoon (or at any other time) from the comfort of your home.
Posted 7-13-26
Reminding us of the pleasure of spreading one’s ‘wings’ in the great outdoors
By Steven Brodsky
Photo by Steven Brodsky
… is the cormorant pictured above.
In the coming weeks, many people will be spreading their wings while engaging in outdoor recreation (re-creation)!
Posted 7-6-26
It’s a season to enjoy the great outdoors
By Steven Brodsky
Photo by Steven Brodsky
… God’s creation, the natural world.
May this also be a season for many people to come to know God as their Lord and Savior.
Ecclesiastes 3 (KJV) – To every [thing there is]
Posted 6-18-26
A Conversation With Katie Fallon, Author of ‘Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird’
By Steven Brodsky
Katie Fallon is a co-founder of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia. She’s worked with many species of raptors and other kinds of birds. Katie’s books include Cerulean Blues (2011) and the recently released Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird. Her essays have appeared in a number of literary journals. She has a lifelong love of nature. I’ve heard that the first word she ever spoke was “bird.”
Your new book gives vultures, particularly turkey vultures, the positive attention these non-predator raptors deserve. What brought about your interest in these maligned birds?
I’ve been fascinated by vultures for at least fifteen years. There was a roost near where I lived in West Virginia; every day I’d drive by this big, old dead tree with ten or so turkey vultures hunched in it. They became a familiar sight, and I looked forward to seeing them. Vultures are big and kind of dramatic, and in flight, there’s nothing more beautiful. In addition, they’re the ultimate recyclers—they turn death into life.
Many people in the U.S. have an aversion to vultures. Speak about this.
I think vultures remind people of their own mortality. It can be a little creepy to think about a large, dark bird waiting to consume your body when you die. In general, I don’t think people in the US are comfortable with thinking of our bodies as food. Vultures remind us that life will continue after we die, and that some life will continue because we die. They remind us of our animal bodies. Which can be unnerving!
In the absence of vultures, we’d have major health issues to contend with. Tell us why.
Vultures clean up our ecosystems by removing animal carcasses that could potentially contaminate soil and water. They can eat animals that have died of anthrax and botulism. In the absence of vultures, mammalian scavengers could increase in number, and many mammalian scavengers such as raccoons, skunks, feral dogs and cats can spread rabies; vultures do not. Several vulture species in India have suffered catastrophic population crashes in the last twenty years, and public health has suffered. India leads the world in human rabies cases, and the number of cases has increased as the number of feral dogs increased in the absence of vultures.
People get close to vultures by attending your presentations that feature non-releasable birds. How are these birds acquired? How are they trained?
The nonprofit I co-founded, the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, keeps eight non-releasable raptors for educational purposes (you need permits from the US Fish & Wildlife Service to do this, of course – the birds aren’t pets or personal property). All of our birds were injured wild birds that cannot return to the wild. We have three vultures. Lew the turkey vulture was hit by a car and suffered an injury to his shoulder that prevents flight. His “girlfriend,” Boris, was shot in the wing, and by the time she reached us the bone had already healed incorrectly. Our black vulture is Maverick, and he was hit by a car, which resulted in a shoulder injury that prevents adequate flight.
Our birds are all trained using positive reinforcement. We avoid negative reinforcement and punishment, and we try to empower the birds to have some control over their environments. We condition behaviors by offering food rewards when the birds perform the behaviors. Vultures (especially our black vulture!) learn quickly, and they are a lot of fun to work with.
What myths and misunderstandings about vultures do these presentations help to dispel?
People are surprised at how clean and charismatic the vultures are – and how beautiful they are up close, despite their featherless heads.
What vulture behaviors do people find to be most interesting?
People often ask if vultures throw up on us; our education vultures usually don’t (unless they get scared). Vultures also expel liquid waste on their legs and feet, probably to clean them as well as to keep cool. This often fascinates people as well.
Which species of vulture are found in Pennsylvania and neighboring states?
We have turkey vultures and black vultures. During the last Ice Age we may have had California condors, too, and possibly some other now-extinct vultures.
What has been learned about migration of these species?
Hawk Mountain has taken the lead on turkey vulture migration research. Dr. Keith Bildstein and his team have placed transmitters and wing tags on turkey vultures all over the Americas. They’ve learned that our eastern turkey vultures are partial migrants—some spend the winters in Florida, some on the New Jersey shore, some in Virginia, and in many places in between. Many western turkey vultures are complete migrants, leaving their breeding ranges in Canada and heading all the way to South America. And still others in the American southwest migrate into Central America and return. It’s fascinating how the different subspecies have different migratory strategies. Dr. Bildstein and his colleagues have ongoing research projects about turkey vulture migration, and are discovering more all the time.
Vultures have spectacular flying ability. What makes this possible?
Turkey vultures are very light – they have almost the same wingspan as a bald eagle but weigh less than half what an eagle weighs. Their wings are long and broad, and are made for soaring.
How high can they fly?
The Ruppell’s vulture holds the record for the highest-flying bird. Unfortunately for that individual, it was hit and killed by a jet flying over Africa at 37,000 feet.
Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird informs readers about lead toxicity in vultures. What is the extent of the problem? How do vultures ingest lead?
Vultures (and eagles, hawks, crows, ravens, and owls) can ingest small pieces of spent lead ammunition in animal carcasses or “gut piles” left by hunters. When someone shoots a white-tailed deer, for example, the deer is usually field-dressed, and many of the organs are left. This can be a delight for vultures and other scavengers! In ecosystems, scavengers often follow the big predators to clean up the leftovers; here, the same thing is happening—a human is the big predator, a gut pile is the leftover, and a vulture or eagle is the scavenger. However, if small lead fragments are still in the gut piles, avian scavengers can inadvertently ingest the lead and become sick. Lead toxicity from spent ammunition is the biggest obstacle in the way of California condor recovery.
The Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia provides rehabilitation for injured birds. What kind of care do vultures receive?
We’ve treated vultures with a wide variety of injuries and ailments—broken bones, head trauma, lead toxicity, soft tissue injuries. Every bird we admit receives an immediate comprehensive examination by an avian veterinarian, and is then treated as necessary with antibiotics, antifungals, anti-inflammatories, fluid therapy, or chelation therapy. They also receive orthopedic surgery if necessary. We do our best to get the birds back out in the wild if possible.
It must be very joyful to enable an injured bird to regain flight ability. Please tell us about a memorable release.
Two and a half years ago we released a female turkey vulture that had been shot with a shotgun—she had three pellets embedded in soft tissue. We had to leave the pellets in her body because removing them would cause damage. Once she was nursed back to health, we released her wearing a transmitter to track her movements. We learned that she travels to northern Georgia in the winters and comes back to West Virginia in the breeding season. We are thrilled that this vulture was able to return to the wild—and thrive!
Vulture watching is growing in popularity. Turkey vultures are very widespread. Where are some of the best places and times to observe them?
In many parts of the southeastern United States, you can see turkey vultures any day of the year in a variety of habitats. In the winter, vultures can be observed roosting together in and near many cities: in Virginia, check out Leesburg, Staunton, Radford, Pulaski, and Charlottesville; in West Virginia, many vultures can be observed migrating in the fall over Hanging Rock Tower in Monroe County and over Harper’s Ferry in the eastern panhandle. During the summer and fall, the overlook at Cooper’s Rock State Forest near Morgantown, WV, is a sure place to see turkey vultures. Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, of course, is an excellent place to watch turkey vultures and birds of prey during migration, especially in September and October.
What stimulated your interest in nature?
I’ve always been an outdoors person. I grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, and I had horses as a kid. I spent a great deal of time with my horses, trail riding and competing, and when I got a bit older I often went hiking and camping with friends and family. One of my favorite childhood hiking spots was Ricketts Glen State Park—it’s filled with hemlock trees and many gorgeous waterfalls. It’s definitely worth checking out if you visit northeastern PA.
Was “bird” your first word?
Yes! My parents had bird feeders in their yard when I was a baby (well, they still do) and my mother says she used to hold me in front of the window to show me the birds at the feeder. One day, she said, “Look at the birds! Look at the birds outside.” And I nodded and said, “Bird.” I haven’t stopped talking about them since.
Katie Fallon’s website address is: www.katiefallon.com.
Posted 4-6-17, Reposted 10-29-19