Fry’s Landing hangs off the southeast end of the peninsula, forming the northern shore of the Horseshoe Pond channel. It’s nearly as far as a migrating bird can fly without hitting the waters of the open lake on a nonstop crossing to Canada. That, combined with the marvelously rich and varied habitat, is why so many birds, and warblers in particular, drop in on Fry’s Landing during spring migration.

Bird banding takes place there, and so does some usually serene but sometimes zealous birdwatching. And there’s always plenty to see.

If you’ve never stopped to take a closer look at a bird in a tree, you might have missed these fellows (all snapped this week by my wife), among others:

Scarlet Tanager. Linda Martin photo

Blackpoll Warbler. Linda Martin photo

Blackburnian Warbler. Linda Martin photo.

Bay-Breasted Warbler. Linda Martin photo.

Boats can be 23 feet long and 8 feet at the beam maximum. The fee is $725 for the season.

For information, call (814) 833-2464.

The road will remain milled until the fall when it will be resurfaced. The road is being widened as part of the site development contract so that equipment can be moved in to begin repairs on the East Branch Dam, where a cutoff wall be constructed.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the work should not affect traffic during Memorial Day weekend but that there will be some traffic restrictions in the future.

Venture Outdoors is offering a three-day overnight hike in the Hickory Creek Wilderness May 26-28. You’ll cover 6 miles to 9 miles per day with a guide. Backpacking experience is necessary for the advanced difficulty hike and participants must provide their own gear and food.

The cost is $40 for Venture Outdoors members and $53 for nonmembers.

Mikes Longbeard

The organizations will host a hike from the Cook Forest Fire Tower in Cook Forest State Park to the trail head on Highland Drive. Meet at the Cook Forest Fire Tower/Seneca Point parking lot in Cook Forest State Park at 9 a.m.for the 6 1/2-mile hike over varied terrain.

Want to attend? Call Devin Callihan at (814) 319-5058 or call him at cla@northcountrytrail.org.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Gander Mountain are teaming up to offer gear and a reservation for two nights at a participating state park for just $20. The program runs from Memorial Day weekend through the summer.

“You can’t beat this offer as far as the cost; the opportunity to enjoy many other activities at our state parks such as hiking and fishing; and a park staffer will even help you set up camp,” DCNR secretary Richard Allan said.

Other participating parks are Black Moshannon, Centre County; Caledonia, Franklin County; Colonel Denning, Cumberland County; Gifford Pinchot, York County; Hills Creek, Tioga County; Keystone, Westmoreland County; Lackawanna, Lackawanna County; Laurel Hill, Somerset County; Little Pine, Lycoming County; Locust Lake, Schuylkill County; Ole Bull, Potter County; Parker Dam, Clearfield County; Promised Land, Pike County; R.B. Winter, Union County; Ryerson Station, Greene County; and Sinnemahoning, Cameron and Potter counties.

Make reservations by calling a park office directly.

The gear provided for use by Gander Mountain and DCNR is a four-person tent; rain tarp; four sleeping pads; four camp chairs; flashlight; lantern; camp stove; and four hot dog/marshmallow sticks. The gear must be returned upon departure.

Participants will need to bring their own food, cooking utensils and bedding. Suggested packing lists will be provided.

In 2011, the program’s first year, the DCNR said there were 180 reservations made, and more than half of those who took a survey saying they had never before visited a Pennsylvania state park.

That’s probably not a question most people ponder, unless they really need some.

The answer has a lot to do with what you need it for, but generally you want rope that doesn’t stretch with age, that resists the effects of moisture and abrasion, that stores easily, is affordable and — most importantly — more than strong enough for the job you have it doing.

Rope — like bungee straps, outdoor extension cords and those plastic cinch-ties — is one of those classic items you should always have nearby.

And, if you’re into farming or the outdoors, you should have a lot of it.

That’s where new lines of rope from SecureLine comes in.

The company is offering two new collections at opposite ends of the visibility spectrum — Visiflect Reflective Rope and Digital Camo Poly Rope — for those who spend their time in the great wide open.

The Visiflect line features yellow- and orange-colored rope with a reflective pattern built into it. The pattern make the rope highly visible at a distance. The company is pitching it to those who might need to mark off construction areas and hazards, generally any place you’d use caution tape. The rope could also find use as a tie down on your car or truck. It might work well on your boat, too.

The camo line is more compelling, in part because there are more potential uses for it. There are three different color schemes — Woodland Hills, Snowy Mountain and Mossy Fields. The color schemes allow for the rope to blend in with a variety of environments — from hunting camps to duck blinds. One of the nice things about it, the rope floats.

A few weeks of testing in the field revealed these ropes to be strong, useful, and mostly durable. The only gripe is that the ends tended to fray if they weren’t tied in a knot or burned.

It was hard to tell in so little time how the ropes would retain their shape over time, if they would stretch after having been weathered.

But they didn’t stretch or break even when tested with more than each rope’s recommended weight.

The ropes come in several sizes — from 5/32nds of an inch in diameter to 5/16ths inch in diameter and indifferent lengths, from 25 feet to 75 feet.

The price ranges based on size and length. The camo rope sells for $5.99 to $14.99. The Visiflect sells for $8.99 to $14.99.

– Doug Oathout