As we reflect on the past summer, we share several reflections from members of our summer staff team. These reflections were written mid-summer and shared as part of our Builders Weekend. In this reflection, first-year summer staff Isaac Reichenbach shares about his experience leading a birding project group during High School Camp.
For me, bird watching, much like my summers at camp, has been a significant part of my life. When I was much younger, my father, also an avid birdwatcher, introduced me to the hobby, and from then on, I was hooked on finding and seeing birds wherever I went. Across the United States, my love for birds has sent me on missions to observe some of the rarest birds known to the country, including the California condor, and the whooping crane. Although I have been across the country to seek out these majestic and awe-inspiring birds, one of the most significant and memorable birding locations for me has always been here in the peaceful woods. The diversity of ecosystems allows for a broad range of bird species to survive, bird species that remind me endlessly of both my home and of a place that sits as a treasure in my heart.
Due to my love of birds, when I read that I was selected to help lead a bird-focused activity group during High School Camp, I was more than thrilled. During the first two days of these activities, while the weather was warm and sunny, Alena Miller, three campers, and I began construction on a set of birdhouses that we would be able to take with us at the end of the week. On the last day of our activity groups, the weather turned for the worse. It had been raining for most of the day, and both Alena and I had little idea of what to do with our group if the weather did not clear. We had finished our birdhouses the day before, and the idea of playing a bird-related board game did not seem to interest the campers. With a stroke of luck, the rainstorm that had plagued the earlier hours of the day began to clear and our small group strolled into the misty early evening. Even though the weather cleared enough to allow us to go out and explore, there was still a slight drizzle about, and thunder rumbled in the distance. I feared that we would have very poor birding luck.
Having been birding around camp the previous week, I knew a few spots that could offer potential sightings. In my mind, with the dreary weather, the most likely birds to be seen were either water birds, who may not mind the wet weather, or birds that had taken shelter in their nests. Fortunately for me, a few days earlier I had seen a Northern
Flicker enter a hole in a tree only a few steps from the Dining Hall. With any luck, the bird might reveal itself. Standing around the tree that housed the birds, I peered through my binoculars and watched for any sign of movement. After a few moments of noticing nothing, I gave a slight whistle hoping to grab the bird’s attention, and to the joy of the entire group, the long head of a Northern Flicker peaked out of the hollow.
Following the great encounter with the flicker, the group decided to head to the fen viewing platform, a spot where I had spent significant time and had seen many great birds. Still, the weather was poor, and as we made our way toward the fen, I still had my doubts at how successful our birding outing would be. As we neared the fen, another nest that I had found previously came to mind and I began searching the bushes off the path for it. After a few moments of searching, I found my target. Nestled in the thick branches of a bush, a robin-sized black, white, and red bird sat motionless in its nest. After a few moments, its beautiful song echoed into the misty evening. An airy, robin-like call, yet softer and more melodious, the song of the Rose-breasted grosbeak lifted our hearts and sparked a new sense of wonder and passion as we continued towards the fen.
The rain still drizzled and thunder rumbled far off in the distance as we walked onto the viewing platform. My hopes were higher at this point. Having seen both the flicker and the grosbeak, I knew that overall, the trip had already been somewhat of a success. We had seen two beautiful birds, and most of all the campers in the group were thrilled to be there. Little did I know however, that the birding experience was only beginning to shine. As we walked quietly down the platform there was suddenly a rattling call and two long gray necks stretched themselves above the fen grasses. Two sandhill cranes stood, glaring at us with their deep yellow eyes, judging us at our intrusion. Below the feet of these two tall, majestic birds, crouched a smaller, duller bird. A light brown baby crane sat below its parents, crouched in the tall vegetation of the fen. As we gawked at the three majestic animals, the birds, seemingly done with our intrusion, began to meander away into the weeds, leaving our presence, but not before making an impressionable mark on our outing.
As if the world had seen our delight at the sighting of the cranes, our birding luck began to flourish. As the cranes fully disappeared into the foliage, the drizzling that had been our companion for the entirety of the outing diminished, and the blanket of clouds that hid the sun melted away, revealing a light that warmed our hearts and spirits. As the sunlight beamed down onto the fen, birds began appearing left and right. Wherever we looked there seemed to be a new sense of life. Red-winged black birds called out atop of cattails, warblers flew from branch to branch delivering their sweet songs, and an eastern kingbird sat proudly atop a tree, gazing across the fen looking for insects to eat. As if this was not enough, a pileated woodpecker soared across the fen and landed on a tree, its red crest singling it out against the darkened wood as it drummed away.
As our time ended and we had to start heading back to main camp, each member of the group felt a new appreciation for the nature that camp encompasses, and for the gift that birds are to the world. As we walked, we chatted about our favorite sightings of the outing, and I was very pleased to hear one of the campers say that they were so thrilled by the experience that they wanted to create a bird watching club at their school. We were blessed with a wonderful experience at camp, one that showed the wonders of nature, and one that showed that even the dreariest of days can turn into some of the best.
The following bird photos were taken at Camp Friedenswald in recent years.
