North Carolina county #35 Campbell Folk School
One of my favorite stops last week was Campbell Folk School. This school has classes on lots of great topics like Blacksmithing, Basketry, Calligraphy, Woodworking, Knitting and much more. If I lived nearby, I could see taking some of these classes. The campus is beautiful with lots of wooden buildings and craft areas, a shop, vegetable gardens, Purple Martin houses and a couple of miles of trails through a field and across a stream near some woods.
Pulling up I could see swarms of swallows and Purple Martins flying over the fields, and I even got a look at a Turkey running into the woods. The fields were very nice looking and I pulled into a dirt parking area next to the vegetable gardens and set out. Besides the swallows, there were individual Red-wing Blackbirds calling from various spots in the grasses and trees. As I approached the stream, I could hear the call of the Red-eyed Vireo.
I hear these guys much more often than I see them, as they sing their truthful song, “Look up! Way up! Tree top!” I was glad to finally get a reasonably good photo of one.
There were two bridges across the stream, which were very nicely made, and a small lookout over the stream. The lookout was nicer than the stream view really.
There is also a path that takes you on a tour of some sculptures presumably done by students at the school. This is a great place to spend a few hours. I would have stopped in the shop but I was a quite rugged looking from walking around in the sun all day and I also had one more stop to make before I could head back to the motel.
ebird checklist