Today I woke up fully of energy, more so then usual. I am finally back on a sleeping schedule which really helps with this factor. In other news the day started off with the another intern and I sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning so that the education side of things looked spiffy. After that we had an hour to kill so we grabbed globes, some bags, a bucket of soapy water, and some washcloths and out to bird cages we went. All three small owl enclosures got a good cleaning and due to previous effort only the Eastern Screech owls needed a scrub down on the walls.
We then moved to the enclosures with the two red-tailed hawks, Sierra and Race, where we started to give their walls a scrub as well. This did not last too long though because Race started to really get stressed out which can be troublesome to birds so we left. When we returned inside we emptied the dirty water and cleaned up a bit before returning to the front. I then received a job which included receiving various records in order to craft an excel spreadsheet listing each important drug used at the center with the dosage by species. In other words each spreadsheet tab was named after the drug and on each sheet I would list the species, how much dosage it takes, any other notes, how it was given (oral, injection, etc), and how often (weekly, biweekly, etc).
I did not get too far into this because every time I did something tended to come up. Normally someone would call the center and I actually answered the phone quite often today which is exciting. I now have a better idea of how to handle the calls but my thing is if no one is around in say the middle of the night so I need to work on my informational portion of things. The fact I can answer with confidence has made a difference; there's progress.
At one point a Pileated Woodpecker came in and was rather dehydrated due to being given sugar water. For anyone who rescues a bird, only hummingbirds truly drink sugar water so please do not give any to other birds. Regular water works and depending on the species seed and/or insects. Research the species if you can to see what sort of foods they eat but more importantly do your best to get the bird to a wildlife rehabilitation center near you.
I honestly cannot recall much else before lunch besides anything associated with cleaning, the drug sheets, and answering phone calls. After the half hour lunch I remember working on the drug sheet more and finally coming to a conclusion of what it should probably look like. Rory the broad-winged hawk was out with an intern in the parking lot. Rory started preening in the sun. This reminds me, I did talk to the head of education about bird handling. I may begin training this upcoming monday or tuesday if possible so that I can glove the birds. Hopefully if I build enough trust with the educator and Errol the Great Horned Owl I can start working with him. I need to go out and begin attuning him to my presence of voice of course. Hoping for progress as said before.
A while later we closed shop and I started to help out in back with an intern and staff due to the other intern driving to Antigo, Wi to drop off the Pileated Woodpecker and a Mourning Dove at REGI. Due to not having advanced license here yet only REGI can take birds. However in about 2 weeks the staff may have their advanced so I am stoked! That means they can admit more species!!
One of the main rehab staff members, there's two, then went over the rehab binder with me and all the procedures regarding rehabilitation of animals. I had a practice exam with a bird and was able to get at least three out of five issues with the bird wrong (It was a dead bird by the way). Once that was covered I then practiced injections with water into the thigh, wing membrane, and breast. Wing needs work but the other two went well. I also practiced tubing a bird which is where we put a tube down into the stomach of the bird in order to give it water. This is used if the bird is heavily emancipated (dehydrated I believe). These procedures go for other species of animal as well. For mammal injections its typically in the butt or between the shoulder blades like when you put flea medicine on your pets.
After this I helped prepare food for our four raccoons while the rehab staff member and an intern prepared vaccinations for the racoons. They received their first of three vaccines today and once they receive their third they will be ready for release. During the vaccination process I actually got the chance to use a catch pole on a coon. First time ever using a catch pole and I managed to capture the coon very quickly, maybe less then 5 minutes???, which made me very very excited!! I was also able to vaccinate at least two raccoons as well.
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| Catch Pole (similar to this) |
So in short I gained a lot of experience today: vaccinating/injections, tubing, practice exam, catch pole technique, answering phone calls, and helping customers. We finished up around 7:30p today instead of 4 but it was so worth it! My confidence is building oh so much now and honestly every passing day makes me 10x more excited about the next and this whole internship.
I absolutely love it here and everything I learn lets me know I am DEFINITELY in the right field :)!
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