Yup, the editor’s mantra: be brutal.
A college app essay is so different than hs writing. You make your initial point quickly, then move on. No quoting needed, no thesis statement, no extraneous details. And it generally needs to end on an arc: how you grew, got more involved, stretched, did more for others, etc. They read it with the college context in mind.
My issue with the birds topic is it’s a more solitary pursuit. It may be difficult to “show” the traits colleges look for. Some kids do write about, say, their dogs. It may be a great look at the affection and interest. But the colleges want to see how it relates to them, how active you might be on campus, how you reach out. And, how you understand the college, what it does want to know, as it builds the class.
IF the bird essay can be written with this in mind, fine. But imo, challenging.