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KINGSTON TWP. — Veerys, ovenbirds and flickers. Oh my!
So it doesn’t offer the same excitement as the familiar refrain from “The Wizard of Oz,” but those three birds and the myriads of others that call Frances Slocum State Park home entertained about a dozen children and adults Sunday.
The group was taking part in the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bird Walk for Kids at the park. Young bird watchers trekked around the park’s Big Pines picnic area, eyeing feathered creatures and learning about their unique behaviors, colors, feathers and calls.
Kathy Kelchner, an environmental education specialist for the DCNR, said the park is home to a wide variety of nesting and migratory birds. The migratory birds — such as the veerys, ovenbirds and swallows — can travel great distances to return to Northeastern Pennsylvania each year. Other species — such as the blue jays and flickers — inhabit the park all year long, she said.
The birds are easily observable in the park every day. On Sunday, the bird watchers didn’t have to climb large hills or plow through thick forest and brush to make their observations.
They took a “short and easy walk” on the paved loop around the picnic area, staying in the shade, Kelchner said.
They were able to watch a pair of bluebirds, tree swallows, warblers and brown-headed cowbirds. They examined woodpecker holes, feather and feet samples. They played children’s games and took in the whole bird-watching experience.
Discussing the “natural history of birds” combined with hands-on activities were what the walk was all about, Kelchner said.
Two bird species were using the park’s nesting boxes. A pair of bluebirds had an empty nest but the tree swallows’ nest had some eggs. Kelchner took one of the eggs out for the visitors to view.
The park sponsored the bird walk “to introduce young people to some of the common birds that live around us,” Kelchner said. The bird walk is an opportunity to share the natural history of the park and its bird populations, she added.
“Hopefully (we can) inspire someone to become lifelong bird watchers,” she said.
