Bird Bonanza by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2023-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

LUNCH HUNCH

“Look up there,” Lauren instructed, pointing to a branch. “There’s a young hawk high up in that hemlock tree.”

“I see it,” said Bess. “It’s got tan and white feathers.”

“You’ll get a better view with these,” Lauren replied, handing Bess her binoculars.

Bess took a look and passed them to George. “Are these as good as the PowerTron 5000s?” George asked.

Lauren laughed. “They’re not even close. The PowerTron 5000s are much stronger, but mine are fine for seeing birds that aren’t too far away.”

Peter, Jason, and Tessa each took a turn with the binoculars, then Tessa handed them to Nancy.

When Nancy peered through the lenses, she saw the hawk spread its wings and take off. It flew across the marsh before settling in a pine tree. Beneath the tree a woman was crouching on the ground, surrounded by the flock of turkeys. She looked exactly like Dr. Giblet, but this woman was wearing regular outdoor clothes instead of a nature park uniform. Next to her on the ground, Nancy saw a wide-brimmed hat. Nancy realized this was the woman she had bumped into at the Welcome Center! She watched as the woman stood up, brushed off her shorts, and put on her hat before she headed deeper into the woods and out of sight.

“Oops! I lost track of time,” Lauren said, interrupting Nancy’s thoughts. “We’d better head back for lunch.”

“Good! I’m starving!” said Jason.

“Me too,” said Bess.

Lauren checked her watch. “We’d better hustle. We’re running late.”

As they walked back toward the Welcome Center, Lauren and Peter pointed out different types of birds and taught the campers their names. Soon enough, the Bluebirds arrived at the picnic area next to the Welcome Center. The other teams were already at their tables gobbling up lunch.

“Here’s a good spot,” Lauren said, motioning to an empty table under a tall birch.

“I’ll be right back,” said Tessa. “Dr. Giblet is keeping my lunch in the refrigerator inside.”

“Does anyone remember the names of any of the birds we saw today?” Lauren asked as the campers dug into their sandwiches.

“Um, we saw a goldfinch,” George said through a mouthful of egg salad.

Nancy snapped her fingers as she tried to remember the name of the dark little bird with the speckled feathers. “And a starling!”

“And my favorite—a dark-eyed junco,” added Bess.

Tessa slid onto the bench next to George with her lunch bag. She giggled. “Dark-eyed junco. That’s a funny name.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Peter replied with a chuckle. “Lots of birds have really strange names. Ever heard of a smew?”

“A smew? What kind of bird is that?” asked Bess.

Peter grinned. “It’s a black-and-white duck. They don’t live around here, though, so we probably won’t see one, right, Lauren?”

“That’s right. Smews live mostly in Europe and Asia.”

The table was quiet as the campers munched on their sandwiches. “Peter, will you tell us more silly bird names?” Tessa asked after a moment.

Peter wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Well, there’s the tropical boubou.”

George almost spit out her lemonade.

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