Millbrook Marsh in the Spring

Jesse and I spent an afternoon at Millbrook Marsh last Sunday; It’s silly that we’ve lived in State College for almost 4 years and this was our first visit, but better late than never, eh? I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this: a winding stretch of a well-maintained wooden boardwalk meandering over creeks and streams and enclosed by marsh plants, shrubs and trees. There was a special spot set up just for birdwatching with a swallow nest in the rafters. For now, the birds were being shy (the cattails are still brown stalks but soon I’m sure they will green up and be filled with red winged blackbirds soon) although we did spot a yellow warbler which was a thrill–neither one of us had seen one in person before. And of course there were small schools of fish to be found in the creeks. While we there we saw a tour being given to a group of 3-4 year olds parading down the boardwalk in a neat row happily waving their frog nets and saying hello to us as they passed. I’ll admit that was the highlight of the trip for me…so cute! Millbrook Marsh reminded us of the salt marshes we visited in Maine and makes me long for another trip there but I think we’re pretty lucky to have this one practically in our own backyard!