Trailblazers Adventure Summer Camp, June 2017
Jul 13, 2017
2 min read
The first session of Trailblazers Adventure Summer Camp for 2017 was a great success! Twenty-one students joined Mr. BQ & Mr. McLaughlin for an action-packed week of environmental education and adventure.
We spent the first day on-site sharpening our skills in birding, plant identification, and hiking before venturing out on a week of field trips to local hotspots in search of great species and even better times!
Schedule of the Week:
Monday - BSES Nature Trail & Concord Nature Trail
Tuesday - Okehocking Preserve
Wednesday - Valley Creek Park
Thursday - Nolde State Forest
Friday - BSES Nature Trail
For the week, we tallied a grand total of 53 species of birds! We had countless highlights throughout the week including stellar looks of very active Cedar Waxwings feeding at Okehocking Preserve! There, we also learned how to tell the difference between Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows since all three were quite abundant. Also, we observed an American Kestrel on territory at the preserve as it was hunting and returning to its nest with food. We also had a flyover Common Raven, a rarity to our area, on our way to Valley Creek Park.
We also had two bird "lifers" for Trailblazers: Hooded Warbler at Nolde State Forest and Veery at Okehocking Preserve! A "lifer" is when you see something for the very first time in your life. These two species have never been found by Trailblazers before which was exciting for all (especially for Mr. BQ!) Check out our profile on eBird to see specific lists from the week and from past trips:
We had one reptile lifer this week: Eastern Milk Snake at Nolde State Forest! We were also treated to excellent views of Painted Turtle, Red-eared Slider, and American Toad throughout the week.
Check out a ton of photos from the week of camp with contributions from Mr. BQ, Mr. McLaughlin, and from veteran Trailblazer Jonathan Bowman:
The Gang! Cedar Waxwing In Webb Creek From the New Hawk Watch Platform Juvenile Tree Swallow Brothers Taking a Break Ebony Jewelwing On the Trail Hooded Warbler In Webb Creek Turkey Vulture Tree Swallows What a View! Eastern Kingbird Outdoor Classroom American Kestrel on the Nest Box American Kestrel in Flight In Webb Creek Tree Swallow Lots of Laughs American Robin with Food On the Trail Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed In the Forest House Wren in the Nest Box On the Trail Painted Turtle Pond Gray Catbird Painted Turtle Pond Spider Web Painted Turtle Pond Downy Woodpecker The Watershed Trail Eastern Milk Snake Listening for Wood Thrush In the Nolde Mansion Red-eared Slider Painted Turtle Turtles on the Pond Painted Turtle Pond Baby American Toad Lamb's Ear Birding on Concord Trail DSC_0399-imp
Exploring Ridley Creek Ridley Creek Ridley Creek Ridley Creek Ridley Creek Lunch Among the Ruins Ridley Creek Log Bridge Ridley Creek Ridley Creek Ridley Creek Ridley Creek The Meadow Lamb's Ear Taking 5 on the Trail In Webb Creek The Outdoor Classroom The Meadow Arrival at Nolde Painted Turtle Pond IMG_5980_edited In the Forest The Gang Taking a Pause Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
Here is our checklist of all the species seen during the week of camp:
Bird Species List for the Week (53 Species):
Wood Duck
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
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