It’s Day 2 here at Winged Wonders Camp and our first day at the Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, MI! The campers arrived at the KBS Bird Sanctuary just in time for lunch (and for the rain to stop), but before they could eat they had to unload all of their camping gear from the bus. We brought so much stuff it looks like we’ll be staying a full month!
After unloading the bus, we sat down for lunch and got to explore the area surrounding the Bird Sanctuary entrance. A few of the campers were captivated by the frog pond, but they learned that they couldn’t touch the frogs! Ms. Misty explained how frogs absorb everything through their skin, so it’s best to just leave them be. Ms. Misty also gave us an introduction to the Bird Sanctuary and how it helped reintroduce two bird species in Michigan: the Canada Goose and the Trumpeter Swan.
We then entered the Sanctuary and walked through the woods to the Spruce Lodge. We played a walk-and-talk game where everyone had a partner and talked about the birds they researched on Monday and how they interact with their environment. Once we were at the Lodge, the campers were given their field bags, which came with binoculars for them to use this week and laminated cutouts of their birds. Ms. Misty demonstrated how to use the binoculars, which are the most important tool for a bird watcher! First you bend both sides to create one image, and then you use the middle dial to focus on the object you’re looking at. The campers practiced this using the Lake Loop sign and large cutouts of birds that Ms. Misty held up for us to see.
The first binocular skill to master is focusing on something that’s still, but the next skill is to follow something that’s moving. The campers practiced this by following cutout birds that Intern Blake strung from the balcony of the Lodge and sent “flying” down, and they had to identify three colors on the birds through their binoculars. Sometimes you only get a couple of seconds to see a bird, and the campers learned that they have to make the most of it!
Once we felt comfortable with our binoculars, we got into our bird groups and learned how to identify birds using the Merlin ID app, which asks questions about the size, color, and location of the bird. We then went off with our groups and walked around the Lake Loop to spot and identify 28 birds that are typically found at the Sanctuary during the summer. The birds (more cutouts!) were hidden around the Loop. Some were harder to spot than others, like the hummingbird which was very small and blended in with the surrounding plants, but the campers worked together in their teams and used the ID app to accurately identify them. By the end, the campers didn’t even need the app! The Bald Eagle group found the most at 27 out of the 28 birds, but everyone had fun and saw lots of other animals along the way, like dragonflies, monarch butterflies, and swans.
We took a short break after our walk and got to see some of the swans and ducks who come and go from the Sanctuary. The campers wanted to spend more time with them, but when we returned to Spruce Lodge they were surprised with a visit by Toby the Red-Tailed Hawk! Sanctuary caretakers Angela and Adam told us how Toby only weighs 3.5 pounds (though he looks much heavier!) because his body mass consists mostly of feathers. They also talked to us about the characteristics that make a bird a bird, which are wings, beak, feet with talons, hollow bones, and that they lay eggs.
We’re having lots of fun here at Winged Wonders Camp, and there’s more updates to come!