Kingswood Wildlife Sightings Summer 2025

You’re going to Kingswood this summer or perhaps you have already been there. What are you hoping to see or what did you see? 

I was beach attendant at Kingswood the first week we opened, and the wildlife sightings were plentiful. I was staying in the farmhouse with the managers, and each evening as we sat down to eat at the picnic table by the house we saw a different animal in the top of the field behind the house and barn. One evening it was a doe, then a hen turkey, another night a buck, and finally a bear. The hen turkey must have had a nest nearby because she proceeded to fly into the lawn near the house or barn each evening. 

During the third week of camp the managers Tim, Alicia, and Emma were on a hike along the yellow trail between Eagle field and the lean-to and were able to follow a set of bear tracks in the mud.

Thank you campers for following bear safe camping procedures and keeping your food and coolers in your car overnight and whenever you are away from your site. This allows us to enjoy the excitement of seeing their tracks and spotting them foraging in distant fields, without having the nerve-racking experience of them in the campsites. 

At the very beginning of the camping season the beaver were very active trying to block the outflow of the pond. This meant any time you passed over the dam you were likely to see a beaver swimming around nearby. Many of us were able to watch 3 full size beavers swimming about. We even saw a large branch with many green leaves move across the pond straight for the boat dock. At some point we realized it was being propelled by a beaver. About 5 days into the camping season the beaver stopped trying to plug up the outflow and became a less common sight. 

Later in the week while placing the new Gladys Hansen memorial bench at the Labyrinth I saw a smooth green snake. Something I have only seen once before.  I have known of 2 other people who have seen them at Kingswood. They are not common and really quite stunning with bright spring green coloring throughout their back. Speaking of snakes, RV campers were startled and amazed by a plethora of garter snakes under the dumpstation lid in the RV area. They lifted the lid and saw a bunch of snakes which fortunately they enjoyed seeing but on closer inspection realized it was not 3 or 4 but closer to a dozen. Garter snakes are seen in large groups for three reasons. Breeding season where one female can be surrounded by many males in a “mating ball” but this occurs as they emerge from their dens in March or April. Not likely at the end of June. Another reason is for communal denning. This occurs from late October through early April. The third and most likely reason is favorable environmental conditions. A spot with ample sunlight creating a suitably warm location especially in the morning hours could attract a good number of garter snakes. The fireplace in the Pines campsite is one such location. Thanks to camper information we now know that the RV dump station is another.  

Aside from the turkey many other beautiful birds were sighted by campers and volunteers from June 28 – July 6 including Baltimore oriole, chestnut-sided warbler, ruby-throated humming bird, blue bird, scarlet tananger, red-winged blackbirds, goldfinches, ruffed grouse, and woodcock. Thank you to the campers who took the time to write their wildlife sightings on the dry erase board in the barn. 

So what will you see and get to add to the sightings board? Perhaps a mammal like a porcupine, or weasel. Maybe you will see a bird like a great blue heron or bald eagle as we have in prior summers. Watch out for all kinds of amphibians; the common red spotted newts and their teenage selves, the eft, green frogs, or perhaps you’ll get to see the less seen wood frog or red backed salamanders. We have ample reptiles to spy. From the common water snake and painted turtle to the less seen snapping turtle or milksnake. Be sure to not only keep your eyes on the look out for animals but also put your ears to work. Listen for the barred owls and coyotes as well as the different frog, bird and insect sounds.