Not much to say about today. I spent most of it watching movies (Hercules, Fox and the Hound 2) and TV series New Girl. I honestly love the show, it's hilarious! Other then that I feel like I have bad news more then anything. Rocky Boot never called back. I'm assuming I didn't make it to the next step: scheduling an interview. I intend on calling tomorrow but if I didn't make it then I guess it's going to make me a bit more bumped out then what I am currently. The library turned me down too. The guy said he would hold on to my resume just in case anything changes and for the future but in the meantime that's two jobs down. It's believed Subway has already hired but I am going to try calling them Friday. I intend on calling Rocky Boot tomorrow to see if I may have misheard when call backs will be or what is going on.
Campus Safety sent me an application two days ago but I did not notice the email until today. I mailed back saying so, due to a busy schedule, and that I am printing it, filling it out, and mailing it first thing tomorrow. Hopefully they have not hired all the people they need in the last two days. If they haven't then I hope my application isn't considered horrid and tossed. So far things aren't looking good. This happened last time though too; when I thought I would end up jobless for the summer or houseless for the school year and suddenly something good happened. I have the oddest feeling that the "good news around the corner" is not coming this time but I am, of course, going to try my best to stay positive.
Just going to keep hoping they get better, especially when I just filled out a 9 page application for campus safety, but we will see what happens. Intend on visiting McDonalds when I return to school since that's the soonest I can but otherwise it will be phone calls, emails, and hoping/praying..
Otherwise, as said, nothing really going on today. Work on rehabilitation tomorrow and then everything returns to normal. Next day off might be Sunday be we will see what happens.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Day 81 - Rehabilitation
Back on rehabilitation again today and off once again tomorrow! It was nice to get back into the swing of things but I honestly do not mind every other day off rather then two days in a row. I'm all the way caught up on my sleep, was able to get job applications in, and just relaxed. Of course after tomorrow I will be jumping back into the swing of things again.
So today my morning started off by feeding squirrels; we have the three baby reds, one young red, and the two young gray squirrels still. All three of them were fed formula and the one single red was given his solids as well (nuts and other things). A rehabber and I went on a produce run shortly after at Save More and Trigs. Thank God we did because Save More gave us two boxes of very nice fruits and vegetables!!! We ended using quit a bit of them today for our patients. Anything we could not give to our animals or was rotten was tossed to compost for the deer to use but we were able to use 90% of what we were given.
We then grabbed the Snowy Owl and worked on her bandages; took the old ones off, applied/injected necessary medications, and put new bandages back on. Once she was finished we put her back into a clean cage with new food and water then I had to feed squirrels again. At some point I aided the other rehab intern on duty today by simply carrying raccoon bowls to the raccoons, handing them two her, and changed a water dish. I was going to chart but kind of failed so she finished it up. I think we went on lunch after 12pm feedings, with squirrels, were finished up.
After lunch it was back to work of course. I had more feedings at 2, 5, and 8pm but in between 2 and 5 we managed to catch some resident birds. I personally captured Eddie the Bald Eagle which I was super excited about! The other intern captured Ethel the Great Horned Owl, Fritz the Eastern Screech, and I think Cecil the Northern Saw-whet Owl. I was either feeding or working on other stuff when she captured the three. Below is a picture of me with Eddie!
We also grabbed Woody the Wood Turtle and Tatiana the Russian Tortoise. When we captured the birds we checked out their beaks and talons; trimming or coping (filing) what is necessary. Same applies for the turtles beaks and nails; trimming or filing as well. Without the filing and trimming their beaks can close to where they cannot eat and the nails/talons can become sharp and hurt us or the animal themselves.
Besides bird/turtle exams we bleached the counters and did dishes. I eventually worked on our feeding schedule. I tore off any tape, erased all information on it after writing it down, and then began to cut tape to put new stuff on. We were hoping to redo the board by making the lines more straight and adding a medication section (what times they needed their medications which encourages us to check the folder to see what meds are being given out at those times).
At the end of the day our last chores were sweeping, mopping, dishes, garbage, and compost. I did some dishes and mopped while other intern took out garbage, a rehabber took out compost, and another rehabber mopped. I also helped out education by swatting flies in Hortense's enclosure then went upstairs. I eventually fed at 5pm as said before, went to a movie rental place to pick up "Mirror, Mirror", and then came back. We watched said move later, pausing only for 8pm feeding, and now I am finally typing up this blog post.
Overall the day went very well with work and after. Some news regarding Rocky Boots and the job applications! Rocky called today for an over the phone interview. The lady who called, I know her name but never mention names on her, asked me why I wanted to work at Rocky and wanted me to describe what all I did at my last three jobs. She then told me that today they were doing phone screenings and would either call tomorrow to schedule an interview (the next step) or not call at all. I'm hoping they call back and ask to schedule an interview. It would be soooo amazing if I could work at Rocky Boot considering it's one of the places I prefer to work at the most!
Pray they call for me, please! Pray even more that I actually get the job for this school year! I need experience, cash, and something to do when I am not focused on school!!!
Leaving this post off with a picture of one of our three baby red squirrels and a picture of one of our baby gray squirrels.
So today my morning started off by feeding squirrels; we have the three baby reds, one young red, and the two young gray squirrels still. All three of them were fed formula and the one single red was given his solids as well (nuts and other things). A rehabber and I went on a produce run shortly after at Save More and Trigs. Thank God we did because Save More gave us two boxes of very nice fruits and vegetables!!! We ended using quit a bit of them today for our patients. Anything we could not give to our animals or was rotten was tossed to compost for the deer to use but we were able to use 90% of what we were given.
We then grabbed the Snowy Owl and worked on her bandages; took the old ones off, applied/injected necessary medications, and put new bandages back on. Once she was finished we put her back into a clean cage with new food and water then I had to feed squirrels again. At some point I aided the other rehab intern on duty today by simply carrying raccoon bowls to the raccoons, handing them two her, and changed a water dish. I was going to chart but kind of failed so she finished it up. I think we went on lunch after 12pm feedings, with squirrels, were finished up.
After lunch it was back to work of course. I had more feedings at 2, 5, and 8pm but in between 2 and 5 we managed to catch some resident birds. I personally captured Eddie the Bald Eagle which I was super excited about! The other intern captured Ethel the Great Horned Owl, Fritz the Eastern Screech, and I think Cecil the Northern Saw-whet Owl. I was either feeding or working on other stuff when she captured the three. Below is a picture of me with Eddie!
We also grabbed Woody the Wood Turtle and Tatiana the Russian Tortoise. When we captured the birds we checked out their beaks and talons; trimming or coping (filing) what is necessary. Same applies for the turtles beaks and nails; trimming or filing as well. Without the filing and trimming their beaks can close to where they cannot eat and the nails/talons can become sharp and hurt us or the animal themselves.
Besides bird/turtle exams we bleached the counters and did dishes. I eventually worked on our feeding schedule. I tore off any tape, erased all information on it after writing it down, and then began to cut tape to put new stuff on. We were hoping to redo the board by making the lines more straight and adding a medication section (what times they needed their medications which encourages us to check the folder to see what meds are being given out at those times).
At the end of the day our last chores were sweeping, mopping, dishes, garbage, and compost. I did some dishes and mopped while other intern took out garbage, a rehabber took out compost, and another rehabber mopped. I also helped out education by swatting flies in Hortense's enclosure then went upstairs. I eventually fed at 5pm as said before, went to a movie rental place to pick up "Mirror, Mirror", and then came back. We watched said move later, pausing only for 8pm feeding, and now I am finally typing up this blog post.
Overall the day went very well with work and after. Some news regarding Rocky Boots and the job applications! Rocky called today for an over the phone interview. The lady who called, I know her name but never mention names on her, asked me why I wanted to work at Rocky and wanted me to describe what all I did at my last three jobs. She then told me that today they were doing phone screenings and would either call tomorrow to schedule an interview (the next step) or not call at all. I'm hoping they call back and ask to schedule an interview. It would be soooo amazing if I could work at Rocky Boot considering it's one of the places I prefer to work at the most!
Pray they call for me, please! Pray even more that I actually get the job for this school year! I need experience, cash, and something to do when I am not focused on school!!!
Leaving this post off with a picture of one of our three baby red squirrels and a picture of one of our baby gray squirrels.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Day 79/80 - OFF
Day 79
I intended on spending my two days off traveling to the International Wolf Center up in Ely, Minnesota. However I cannot afford a hotel, the gas, and food. I did my laundry already this week so really all I have to do is go grocery shopping. Do I want to? Not really.
In other words I have spent my day off lying around and doing nothing but applying for jobs that I will hopefully get this upcoming school year. I have so far applied at McDonalds in Logan OH, Subway in Nelsonville and Plains OH, Burger King, Rocky Boots, and at the school as a Library Support member. Hopefully I will get at least one position that works with my school schedule. If not, I guess I will have more time for other things such as homework, projects, adventuring, reading, and TV. Beyond that, who knows what I will do.
I'm hoping the rest of the day will be full of adventures of some sort. I consider going out to eat or hanging out with my coworkers as an adventure anymore. Watching a movie sounds awesome to me. If not I wasted this day then but may go out tomorrow. Not sure. Overall I honestly want to go home. It's not that I do not love it here but I miss home too much. I will miss this place once I leave but as the days tick by I just want to leave more and more. Only 15 more days left since I am leaving the 13th instead of the 15th now. I almost wish it were possible to fly home for a day and fly back but then I wouldn't want to leave. I'm just home sick is all. Otherwise I still enjoy being here.
Day 80
Its a shame that all I am doing is sitting up here still. Yesterday I was filling out job applications to a variety of places in the Nelsonville/Logan/Athens area. I am hoping to acquire a job somewhere that works with my school schedule. Im willing to work anywhere; including McDonalds. Money is money when it comes to any job that is not natural resources related. I hope to work at Subway or Rocky Boots. I would not mind being a Sandwich artist. Rocky Boots is associated with natural resources in a sense so even though its a restaurant job I could still cook up the occasional bison burger. We will see how things go; just have to stay hopeful. I truly hope to find something at the school or natural resources related before anything but customer service work never hurt anyone.
I am going to continue searching for things to apply to today and at some point will go out and get groceries because I cannot avoid it anymore; unless of course I don't eat but that' impossible for me. Do I for see any adventures today? Not really. I may go out on my next day off though (Wednesday). Why do I have so many day off lately? Because I switched with people quite a bit and this is what I ended up with. I do not mind taking day to jut chill out and forget about everything honestly. Not seeing everyone though is honestly making me somewhat sad but tonight the assistant education director's parents have invited everyone over for a cook out so I intend on going to that later. Hopefully everyone else will as well; I miss hanging out as a large group with everyone.
UPDATE: Pictures added!!
I intended on spending my two days off traveling to the International Wolf Center up in Ely, Minnesota. However I cannot afford a hotel, the gas, and food. I did my laundry already this week so really all I have to do is go grocery shopping. Do I want to? Not really.
In other words I have spent my day off lying around and doing nothing but applying for jobs that I will hopefully get this upcoming school year. I have so far applied at McDonalds in Logan OH, Subway in Nelsonville and Plains OH, Burger King, Rocky Boots, and at the school as a Library Support member. Hopefully I will get at least one position that works with my school schedule. If not, I guess I will have more time for other things such as homework, projects, adventuring, reading, and TV. Beyond that, who knows what I will do.
I'm hoping the rest of the day will be full of adventures of some sort. I consider going out to eat or hanging out with my coworkers as an adventure anymore. Watching a movie sounds awesome to me. If not I wasted this day then but may go out tomorrow. Not sure. Overall I honestly want to go home. It's not that I do not love it here but I miss home too much. I will miss this place once I leave but as the days tick by I just want to leave more and more. Only 15 more days left since I am leaving the 13th instead of the 15th now. I almost wish it were possible to fly home for a day and fly back but then I wouldn't want to leave. I'm just home sick is all. Otherwise I still enjoy being here.
Day 80
Its a shame that all I am doing is sitting up here still. Yesterday I was filling out job applications to a variety of places in the Nelsonville/Logan/Athens area. I am hoping to acquire a job somewhere that works with my school schedule. Im willing to work anywhere; including McDonalds. Money is money when it comes to any job that is not natural resources related. I hope to work at Subway or Rocky Boots. I would not mind being a Sandwich artist. Rocky Boots is associated with natural resources in a sense so even though its a restaurant job I could still cook up the occasional bison burger. We will see how things go; just have to stay hopeful. I truly hope to find something at the school or natural resources related before anything but customer service work never hurt anyone.
I am going to continue searching for things to apply to today and at some point will go out and get groceries because I cannot avoid it anymore; unless of course I don't eat but that' impossible for me. Do I for see any adventures today? Not really. I may go out on my next day off though (Wednesday). Why do I have so many day off lately? Because I switched with people quite a bit and this is what I ended up with. I do not mind taking day to jut chill out and forget about everything honestly. Not seeing everyone though is honestly making me somewhat sad but tonight the assistant education director's parents have invited everyone over for a cook out so I intend on going to that later. Hopefully everyone else will as well; I miss hanging out as a large group with everyone.
UPDATE: Pictures added!!
Day 78 - Rehabilitation
Last night I just did not get very much sleep. I think I drank way too much pop and ate too much candy because I was not able to go to bed until roughly 12am, kept waking up every other hour, and then was wide awake at 6am. I actually got up and got ready for work around 6:30am and was messing around with facebook until 8. When I finally went downstairs I decided to feed raccoons since I was on squirrels the last two days.
We have three new raccoons whom did not seem to be doing too hot. By the sound of their lungs and the mucus coming out of their nose/eyes, they have an upper respiratory infection, and based on their stool and lethargic nature they are dehydrated. We began medication and occasional injections for hydration while they are still on hydration liquids. We hope that all they have is the respiratory infection and severe dehydration because other things they could have based on their symptoms include parvovirus. Humans cannot get parvovirus but we are capable of spreading it which means our other raccoons could get it without safe/preventive measures. We always bleach out feet and try to prevent the raccoons from not touching us at all costs so hopefully this will be enough. Since the disease is capable of being transferred to pets I intend on washing all clothes, thoroughly cleaning the inside of my car (particularly the floors), and throwing out my shoes before I come home. I believe in being safe then sorry so I do not want to risk anything. Some of my jeans will get thrown out too, mainly due to holes, but now I have another reason too. Everything else never gets near the animals so we are okay with that. Some diseases that harm wildlife can also harm our pets; they lurk in the world and although you should not be paranoid about it it's good to be wary.
Besides giving the raccoons their medication/injections and feeding both indoor and outdoor; us two rehab interns helped with feeding indoor residents and the snowy owl. I grabbed and the other intern learned the bandaging process with snowy's feet. The infection has been healing up really well but she still has more days of work ahead of her. The vet stated that she will truly never be able to perch again which means we may need platforms for perching rather than typical perches in her enclosure. I have seen her sitting on top of her perch but this does not necessarily mean she is perching correctly. When we put Snowy back and I think ended up doing 12pm feeding. Besides feeding patients, residents, and working with the snowy I cannot recall what else we did. Maybe dishes but beyond that I'm not sure.
We took lunch for an hour though and after lunch we did the 2pm feeding. Raccoons progressively improved through out the day, or at least seemed like they were, so hopefully they continue to do well tomorrow. After lunch we gave all our outdoor residents new water and then began cleaning tasks shortly after. I did tub dishes while the other intern did the kitchen/nursery dishes. I then went outside to our outdoor raccoon enclosure we just moved all the raccoons into and cleaned up a bag full of raccoon feces. We discovered the raccoons breached their half of the enclosure into the other half that had a door open; but thankfully no one escaped. We fed them and went back inside to finish sweeping/mopping. However we received a call so rather then continue helping out with cleaning I left to Hurley, Wisconsin to pick up young Peregrine Falcons. They died while on the way to Hurley so I ended up turning around and returning to the center instead. Carcasses will, or should be, turned over to the Wisconsin DNR.
After that I ended up going out to eat with a summer intern and one of our spring interns who stopped by to visit. We got chinese and the executive director showed up as well. She, the spring intern, ended up leaving early this morning so I missed her but did say bye last night. It was so great to see her and to hear that her new job is going well!! She is actually returning to the center this fall as an intern again.
After dinner I recall passing out and not waking up until 4am in the morning wondering when I passed out which is why I did not type this post up on the true day 78. Instead it's day 79 today and I am typing it up because I am off.
We have three new raccoons whom did not seem to be doing too hot. By the sound of their lungs and the mucus coming out of their nose/eyes, they have an upper respiratory infection, and based on their stool and lethargic nature they are dehydrated. We began medication and occasional injections for hydration while they are still on hydration liquids. We hope that all they have is the respiratory infection and severe dehydration because other things they could have based on their symptoms include parvovirus. Humans cannot get parvovirus but we are capable of spreading it which means our other raccoons could get it without safe/preventive measures. We always bleach out feet and try to prevent the raccoons from not touching us at all costs so hopefully this will be enough. Since the disease is capable of being transferred to pets I intend on washing all clothes, thoroughly cleaning the inside of my car (particularly the floors), and throwing out my shoes before I come home. I believe in being safe then sorry so I do not want to risk anything. Some of my jeans will get thrown out too, mainly due to holes, but now I have another reason too. Everything else never gets near the animals so we are okay with that. Some diseases that harm wildlife can also harm our pets; they lurk in the world and although you should not be paranoid about it it's good to be wary.
Besides giving the raccoons their medication/injections and feeding both indoor and outdoor; us two rehab interns helped with feeding indoor residents and the snowy owl. I grabbed and the other intern learned the bandaging process with snowy's feet. The infection has been healing up really well but she still has more days of work ahead of her. The vet stated that she will truly never be able to perch again which means we may need platforms for perching rather than typical perches in her enclosure. I have seen her sitting on top of her perch but this does not necessarily mean she is perching correctly. When we put Snowy back and I think ended up doing 12pm feeding. Besides feeding patients, residents, and working with the snowy I cannot recall what else we did. Maybe dishes but beyond that I'm not sure.
We took lunch for an hour though and after lunch we did the 2pm feeding. Raccoons progressively improved through out the day, or at least seemed like they were, so hopefully they continue to do well tomorrow. After lunch we gave all our outdoor residents new water and then began cleaning tasks shortly after. I did tub dishes while the other intern did the kitchen/nursery dishes. I then went outside to our outdoor raccoon enclosure we just moved all the raccoons into and cleaned up a bag full of raccoon feces. We discovered the raccoons breached their half of the enclosure into the other half that had a door open; but thankfully no one escaped. We fed them and went back inside to finish sweeping/mopping. However we received a call so rather then continue helping out with cleaning I left to Hurley, Wisconsin to pick up young Peregrine Falcons. They died while on the way to Hurley so I ended up turning around and returning to the center instead. Carcasses will, or should be, turned over to the Wisconsin DNR.
After that I ended up going out to eat with a summer intern and one of our spring interns who stopped by to visit. We got chinese and the executive director showed up as well. She, the spring intern, ended up leaving early this morning so I missed her but did say bye last night. It was so great to see her and to hear that her new job is going well!! She is actually returning to the center this fall as an intern again.
After dinner I recall passing out and not waking up until 4am in the morning wondering when I passed out which is why I did not type this post up on the true day 78. Instead it's day 79 today and I am typing it up because I am off.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Day 77 - OFF
Today marks my 11th weeks as an intern which means I only have about 2 weeks and a few days left. Currently I have 2 weeks and 6 days left but I may adjust my schedule to leave on the 13th which means 2 weeks and 4 days left instead. Only dropping two days but we shall see. I already dropped two days since what I previously said so not sure if it may go through. If it does then I will leave the 14th, stay at a hotel in Michigan somewhere, then drive to Wellington on the 15th which means I will be back in Ohio!!!!! I miss the buckeye state. Instead of saying O-H-I-O it's O-H-OH-NO here! :(!
Haha I have had fun while being here though but I just feel it is finally time to head home. Summer is coming to an end and I want to enjoy the rest of it coming and going as I please with my friends, two families, and boyfriend. I miss my cats too.
Today was spent cleaning house. I have swept, mopped, did dishes, and cleaned surfaces in the kitchen and swept in the living areas. This is because I am signed up for the cleaning this week so I wanted to knock it out in one day since I have had to work otherwise! All that's left then is sorting, bagging, and taking out the recycling to the garage then cleaning is finished for the week besides taking out any possible trash. Other then that I need to shower and do laundry some point today.
I honestly do not feel like doing anything but relaxing on the couch today because of how tired I have been. If I didn't have to do laundry, I wouldn't. Maybe on my two days off I will explore again. I still want to go to the Aldo Leopold center but just haven't the time (or money). From here on out I have to save up every penny as much as possible so I have enough gas money to get home. I currently need food as it is. If only the check I mailed home was actually home. I am hoping it gets put in today or tomorrow so I can buy some groceries. A bacon lettuce tomato sandwich sounds awesome and I don't want to be left out of the group if we go out to eat anywhere since I lack cash. Surviving off $!50 every two weeks is possible but can be tricky if you like to go places, need groceries, and have to go to the laundry mat every week. It's doable honestly; good news is I don't have to spend money on gas unless I decide to drive.
Other then cleaning and laundry today I honestly don't know what else may happen. I can update this post later but for now this is all I have.
UPDATE: Ending up watching Beautiful Creatures after laundry with two interns, a rehabber, and the assisstant education director. Good movie! Bed after!
NEWS: I am now leaving August 13th instead of the 15th. This means only 17 days left or 2 weeks and 3 days.
Haha I have had fun while being here though but I just feel it is finally time to head home. Summer is coming to an end and I want to enjoy the rest of it coming and going as I please with my friends, two families, and boyfriend. I miss my cats too.
Today was spent cleaning house. I have swept, mopped, did dishes, and cleaned surfaces in the kitchen and swept in the living areas. This is because I am signed up for the cleaning this week so I wanted to knock it out in one day since I have had to work otherwise! All that's left then is sorting, bagging, and taking out the recycling to the garage then cleaning is finished for the week besides taking out any possible trash. Other then that I need to shower and do laundry some point today.
I honestly do not feel like doing anything but relaxing on the couch today because of how tired I have been. If I didn't have to do laundry, I wouldn't. Maybe on my two days off I will explore again. I still want to go to the Aldo Leopold center but just haven't the time (or money). From here on out I have to save up every penny as much as possible so I have enough gas money to get home. I currently need food as it is. If only the check I mailed home was actually home. I am hoping it gets put in today or tomorrow so I can buy some groceries. A bacon lettuce tomato sandwich sounds awesome and I don't want to be left out of the group if we go out to eat anywhere since I lack cash. Surviving off $!50 every two weeks is possible but can be tricky if you like to go places, need groceries, and have to go to the laundry mat every week. It's doable honestly; good news is I don't have to spend money on gas unless I decide to drive.
Other then cleaning and laundry today I honestly don't know what else may happen. I can update this post later but for now this is all I have.
UPDATE: Ending up watching Beautiful Creatures after laundry with two interns, a rehabber, and the assisstant education director. Good movie! Bed after!
NEWS: I am now leaving August 13th instead of the 15th. This means only 17 days left or 2 weeks and 3 days.
Day 76 - Rehabilitation
After 9 days of working I can finally say I am off tomorrow. I feel exhausted all around which is also why I did not post until late in the evening. I almost did not tonight but since I forgot details about yesterday I figured I should at least make an attempt to post something about today.
This morning was feeding; I fed the squirrels again today since the other intern wanted raccoons. The three babies are getting so big. So far only two of the three red squirrel babies have their eyes open still and they are also approaching 30 grams really fast. They feed/eat like champs too. The rehabber fed the other red squirrel we had. Last night he wasn't doing so hot, laying on his side, but today after some medication he perked back up and was fine for the rest of the day. Sadly I think I caused him to aspirate. This means formula could have been inhaled into his lungs while feeding; which can cause pneumonia if untreated. It was treated though and as said he did fine for the rest of the day.
Once feeding was done I helped make raccoon bowls for outside raccoons while the other intern was feeding raccoons in the Raccoon isolation room (RISO). He fed outside guys once the bowls were made and since we released two gray squirrels and three red squirrels we no longer had to make squirrel trays for outside squirrels. I then started on chores since the mice were being fed and we did not have to prepare food for residents since we had two volunteers. I started to clean the cooler in our back room. Some nasty stuff was built up from some produce that went bad so I scrubbed down some shelves, walls, and made it look nice. Bleach killed whatever may have been growing in there and soap took care of the rest (okay it wasn't that bad but just in case). Afterwards one of the volunteers and I grabbed some bags and head outside to one of the squirrel cages.
The volunteer removed old wood chips while I gathered new ones into a bag and carried it back. To my surprise she was finished when I arrived with the new stuff so asked her to virkon the walls, ceiling, and logs inside the cage while I took the trays and washed them at our outside wash area. Once they were washed I came back and once again she was finished so I filled the trays with new woodchips and we were done in a matter of minutes! We had back in to look for more stuff to do since a lot of the list was stuff for after lunch or projects involving the other intern. I started to make more disinfectant and intended on filling bottles through out the place (only filled one) while the volunteer did dishes. Once that stuff was taken care of I started working on protocols with a rehabber and eventually the volunteer left.
Protocols ended when my help was requested by our rehabber involving a muskrat. Since it's a rodent we are allowed to legally rehab it. The muskrat was hit by a car and so we bandaged its wound, gave it pain killer, anti-inflammatory, and then hydration in hopes it would survive. Sadly later on in the evening it was discovered on its back and barely breathing which later resulted in having to euthanize it due to possibly pain / internal bleeding. We did our best through out the day and the end result seems sad but honestly death may have been the best option. After all, it's either a painless death or suffering in pain despite any help given due to injuries. As said, we tried our best but the animal arrived in bad shape and remained in bad shape no matter what we seemed to do.
Later after we originally bandaged the muskrat I believe I may have had squirrel feeding again so I tried to quickly take care of that. I also fed our other red squirrel inside. We did not go to lunch as anticipated though because a fawn came in after being hit by a car. Part of its leg was severed off, it had a dislocated back leg, road rash, and bloody stool/feces. Internal injuries rather possible as well. After being granted permission from other advanced license we were able to put him down. Any efforts made would be long term and out of out current capability until we are 100% able to rehabiltate deer. We could have given the deer a possible fake leg but this would require her to grow up to adult hood before being released due to needing a new limb upon mature growth. Since it was out of our control, the deer was suffering, and we were able to put it down we had too. It sounds like we offed two things in one day thanks to car hits but it was necessary to prevent continued suffering and pain to the animal despite any efforts taken. Sometimes even the best are is not the greatest simply because the injuries are too great to even consider rehabilitating.
I started squirrel feeding, 2pm, while two others buried the deer. Once this was done one of the two grabbed the snowy owl and I mostly watched. I washed some dishes then ran off to join the two rehabbers, the intern, and snowy to go next door for her appointment with a vet. Due to finections in her foot they had to remove the scab, remove dead tissue in the foot, and then wash it out with saline solution. The vet also medicated it and then we brought the snowy back to northwoods and bandaged her up. After this was finished we were finally able to take lunch.
A rehabber, intern, and I went to Subway in Walmart where we also bought some candy. We returned to the center eating candy after enjoying our subs and hung out for a bit before returning back to lunch. I started closing tasks, fed squirrels (4 reds), and then we were called to a rescue. Two grays quirrels and their nest were found inside a vehicle at a car dealership down the street. They removed the squirrels, place them in a box, and then we picked them up and brought them back. We gave the two rehydration fluid and overall the two seem to be doing fine. These grays do not have their eyes open yet but are no where near as tiny as the small red squirrels. They were roughly 80-90 grams in weight while the reds are 20-30 grams. After they were taken care of I helped the intern outside working on setting up an enclosure that we wanted to move our raccoon patients too. Den boxes were added, they have a slide, logs, and walls to climb around on, a a tub with water constantly rubbing from a hose (a drain is in the tub so the enclosure does not get wet). Below are some pictures of the new enclosure they were moved too! I consider it the ultimate enrichment room.
Later that night, after work was finished up, I did 6pm, 8pm, and 10pm squirrel feeds. 8pm included the three baby reds, one juvenile red, and then the two grays. Besides this the interns and I played sardines. This like backwards hike and seek. One person hides and everyone had to try to find them. Once they find the person they have to hide with them until everyone is hiding with the person; by then the round is over and the first person who found the hider then gets to hide. Never heard of the game but it was actually really fun. I kind of hope we can add empty outside enclosures to the fun besides the main floor of building (not including basement and upstairs).
Overall I am sore everywhere, cannot keep my eyes open, and am thinking bed. I had a good day no matter what but am going to embrace my day off tomorrow as much as possible. Goodnight everyone!
This morning was feeding; I fed the squirrels again today since the other intern wanted raccoons. The three babies are getting so big. So far only two of the three red squirrel babies have their eyes open still and they are also approaching 30 grams really fast. They feed/eat like champs too. The rehabber fed the other red squirrel we had. Last night he wasn't doing so hot, laying on his side, but today after some medication he perked back up and was fine for the rest of the day. Sadly I think I caused him to aspirate. This means formula could have been inhaled into his lungs while feeding; which can cause pneumonia if untreated. It was treated though and as said he did fine for the rest of the day.
Once feeding was done I helped make raccoon bowls for outside raccoons while the other intern was feeding raccoons in the Raccoon isolation room (RISO). He fed outside guys once the bowls were made and since we released two gray squirrels and three red squirrels we no longer had to make squirrel trays for outside squirrels. I then started on chores since the mice were being fed and we did not have to prepare food for residents since we had two volunteers. I started to clean the cooler in our back room. Some nasty stuff was built up from some produce that went bad so I scrubbed down some shelves, walls, and made it look nice. Bleach killed whatever may have been growing in there and soap took care of the rest (okay it wasn't that bad but just in case). Afterwards one of the volunteers and I grabbed some bags and head outside to one of the squirrel cages.
The volunteer removed old wood chips while I gathered new ones into a bag and carried it back. To my surprise she was finished when I arrived with the new stuff so asked her to virkon the walls, ceiling, and logs inside the cage while I took the trays and washed them at our outside wash area. Once they were washed I came back and once again she was finished so I filled the trays with new woodchips and we were done in a matter of minutes! We had back in to look for more stuff to do since a lot of the list was stuff for after lunch or projects involving the other intern. I started to make more disinfectant and intended on filling bottles through out the place (only filled one) while the volunteer did dishes. Once that stuff was taken care of I started working on protocols with a rehabber and eventually the volunteer left.
Protocols ended when my help was requested by our rehabber involving a muskrat. Since it's a rodent we are allowed to legally rehab it. The muskrat was hit by a car and so we bandaged its wound, gave it pain killer, anti-inflammatory, and then hydration in hopes it would survive. Sadly later on in the evening it was discovered on its back and barely breathing which later resulted in having to euthanize it due to possibly pain / internal bleeding. We did our best through out the day and the end result seems sad but honestly death may have been the best option. After all, it's either a painless death or suffering in pain despite any help given due to injuries. As said, we tried our best but the animal arrived in bad shape and remained in bad shape no matter what we seemed to do.
Later after we originally bandaged the muskrat I believe I may have had squirrel feeding again so I tried to quickly take care of that. I also fed our other red squirrel inside. We did not go to lunch as anticipated though because a fawn came in after being hit by a car. Part of its leg was severed off, it had a dislocated back leg, road rash, and bloody stool/feces. Internal injuries rather possible as well. After being granted permission from other advanced license we were able to put him down. Any efforts made would be long term and out of out current capability until we are 100% able to rehabiltate deer. We could have given the deer a possible fake leg but this would require her to grow up to adult hood before being released due to needing a new limb upon mature growth. Since it was out of our control, the deer was suffering, and we were able to put it down we had too. It sounds like we offed two things in one day thanks to car hits but it was necessary to prevent continued suffering and pain to the animal despite any efforts taken. Sometimes even the best are is not the greatest simply because the injuries are too great to even consider rehabilitating.
I started squirrel feeding, 2pm, while two others buried the deer. Once this was done one of the two grabbed the snowy owl and I mostly watched. I washed some dishes then ran off to join the two rehabbers, the intern, and snowy to go next door for her appointment with a vet. Due to finections in her foot they had to remove the scab, remove dead tissue in the foot, and then wash it out with saline solution. The vet also medicated it and then we brought the snowy back to northwoods and bandaged her up. After this was finished we were finally able to take lunch.
A rehabber, intern, and I went to Subway in Walmart where we also bought some candy. We returned to the center eating candy after enjoying our subs and hung out for a bit before returning back to lunch. I started closing tasks, fed squirrels (4 reds), and then we were called to a rescue. Two grays quirrels and their nest were found inside a vehicle at a car dealership down the street. They removed the squirrels, place them in a box, and then we picked them up and brought them back. We gave the two rehydration fluid and overall the two seem to be doing fine. These grays do not have their eyes open yet but are no where near as tiny as the small red squirrels. They were roughly 80-90 grams in weight while the reds are 20-30 grams. After they were taken care of I helped the intern outside working on setting up an enclosure that we wanted to move our raccoon patients too. Den boxes were added, they have a slide, logs, and walls to climb around on, a a tub with water constantly rubbing from a hose (a drain is in the tub so the enclosure does not get wet). Below are some pictures of the new enclosure they were moved too! I consider it the ultimate enrichment room.
Later that night, after work was finished up, I did 6pm, 8pm, and 10pm squirrel feeds. 8pm included the three baby reds, one juvenile red, and then the two grays. Besides this the interns and I played sardines. This like backwards hike and seek. One person hides and everyone had to try to find them. Once they find the person they have to hide with them until everyone is hiding with the person; by then the round is over and the first person who found the hider then gets to hide. Never heard of the game but it was actually really fun. I kind of hope we can add empty outside enclosures to the fun besides the main floor of building (not including basement and upstairs).
Overall I am sore everywhere, cannot keep my eyes open, and am thinking bed. I had a good day no matter what but am going to embrace my day off tomorrow as much as possible. Goodnight everyone!
Day 75 - Rehabilitation
Day 8 in my 9 day work week. This is what happens when you switch with people. I did it so they could spend time with those they love and care about though. I wish people would visit me but I also understand the cost to drive and/or fly makes it not possible. Plus the good news is I get quite a few days off between now and August. Not sure what August will look like until roughly the last week of July but I do know my last day is approaching faster then one would think; 21 days left. I may leave two-three days sooner too but it's in the air still.
Today I was on rehabilitation and although there are typically two of us in back, the other intern was stranded in Chicago due to a flight delay. He is supposed to arrive around 2pm today but in the meantime the two education interns, two rehabbers, and I have been holding down the fort. I think the education interns took care of cleaning on their side and then after wards helped feed. I feed squirrels and raccoons in side while everyone else fed raccoons outside, fed everyone their squirrel trays full of nuts and stuff, made food for residents inside and out, fed and watered residents, made solids for raccoons inside, and then went on produce run.
More or less they were a HUGE help!!! I did dishes, made forumla for everyone since the rest went bad, cleaned/fed/watered all of our mice, and took bad/mold/old produce outside to dump with the truck. Once that was taken care of (mind you I was helped with the loading process again) I then grabbed the Snowy Owl and we did her bandages and cleaned her cage. New food and water then she was put back. I did dishes a bit later once again and then cleaned off all counters in the kitchen, exam room, and nursery. I went through the back cooler and threw out all bad/old produce and then began 12pm squirrel feeding. Once this was done then we took lunch which is where I presently am typing up everything before this particular sentence.
After lunch I recall squirrel feedings again and the other intern showed up around 2ish as originally thought. Once he did everything kind of slowed down because everyone was chatting and up to shenanigans. I did 2pm, 4pm, 6p,. 8pm, and 10pm squirrel feedings and honestly cannot recall what else otherwise. Later after 6pm feeding though we went to the Min-aqua bats water ski show which was honestly really fun. I saw my first Osprey while there and also saw a Bald Eagle. It was my first water ski show too which was exciting. Some bare foot skiers last a quarter mile, some people skied backwards, and some had a pyramid. There was quite a bit of fun but we had to leave for 8pm feeding. After this feeding though three of us got chinese at the buffet across the street then returned back to hang out withe everyone as a group. Wish I could remember more and had pictures but sadly I cannot and do not.
Today I was on rehabilitation and although there are typically two of us in back, the other intern was stranded in Chicago due to a flight delay. He is supposed to arrive around 2pm today but in the meantime the two education interns, two rehabbers, and I have been holding down the fort. I think the education interns took care of cleaning on their side and then after wards helped feed. I feed squirrels and raccoons in side while everyone else fed raccoons outside, fed everyone their squirrel trays full of nuts and stuff, made food for residents inside and out, fed and watered residents, made solids for raccoons inside, and then went on produce run.
More or less they were a HUGE help!!! I did dishes, made forumla for everyone since the rest went bad, cleaned/fed/watered all of our mice, and took bad/mold/old produce outside to dump with the truck. Once that was taken care of (mind you I was helped with the loading process again) I then grabbed the Snowy Owl and we did her bandages and cleaned her cage. New food and water then she was put back. I did dishes a bit later once again and then cleaned off all counters in the kitchen, exam room, and nursery. I went through the back cooler and threw out all bad/old produce and then began 12pm squirrel feeding. Once this was done then we took lunch which is where I presently am typing up everything before this particular sentence.
After lunch I recall squirrel feedings again and the other intern showed up around 2ish as originally thought. Once he did everything kind of slowed down because everyone was chatting and up to shenanigans. I did 2pm, 4pm, 6p,. 8pm, and 10pm squirrel feedings and honestly cannot recall what else otherwise. Later after 6pm feeding though we went to the Min-aqua bats water ski show which was honestly really fun. I saw my first Osprey while there and also saw a Bald Eagle. It was my first water ski show too which was exciting. Some bare foot skiers last a quarter mile, some people skied backwards, and some had a pyramid. There was quite a bit of fun but we had to leave for 8pm feeding. After this feeding though three of us got chinese at the buffet across the street then returned back to hang out withe everyone as a group. Wish I could remember more and had pictures but sadly I cannot and do not.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Day 74 - Education
Only two more days until my next day off and I am still trying to plan something that isn't too expensive. Tonight I intend on actually getting my laundry done since after 5pm I will have time. Anyway, today I was on education.
This morning I recieved a call from Hocking. I wanted to drop Forestry and instead get my Wildlife degree with GPS/GIS Certificate. The call today basically said that my new schedule is 100% figured out for the year and by the sounds of it the year will turn out very smooth and easy. I may be able to get a part time job if I have enough time!!!! More money, yay!!
So besides this I mopped and then at 9am I read a story to two kids for our story time program. I read "The little Wood Duck" for a story and it indirectly taught that it's okay to be different. In other words its okay to show individuality. Birds plus the topic felt suitable for me haha. I realized this after honestly.
Since we left the open/closed sign set to open a group wondered in around 9:30am so we figured we would take them out. I did first tour and they thoroughly enjoyed it! All my tours today said I did an awesome job and enjoyed which is a huge confidence boost for me. I do my best of course! So it's very nice to hear positive feedback! The other education intern and I switched back and forth for every tour. She gave one at 10am and I think I gave one at either 10:30am, 11am, or 12pm then we waited around until lunch. I had a tour so she took lunch first then once my tour came back I took lunch. I had to give a tour as soon as my lunch was over and ever since it was fairly steady until maybe 2pm.
I then worked on some gift shop stuff; adding items and updating the inventory list. I also took a test regarding rehabilitating a bird. It was a practice test and although I forgot a medication and the general diet of a kingfisher (silly me forgot they ate fish, DUH!) I was told that I did very well in the end. This to me is proof that I have learned something since I have been here. I know I have but now I have paper form too (besides protocols). I also know where to go to find the answers to things so finding resources = awesome in my opinion. Half the battle is figuring it out, the other half is knowing where to turn to when in need of help.
Once the test was over and after more tours we eventually closed shop at 4:40pm. No one came to a program that was going to happen at 4:30pm so the day ended earlier then it was going to originally. I swatted flies out of the turkey vultures cage, turned off all the lights, and then helped rehab side grab our snowy owl for her daily exam. After that I head upstairs and relaxed for a while until the education intern, a rehabber, and I went out to eat at a chinese restaurant. I basically left with a food coma. We then went to the move store and rented "Pitch Perfect". AMAZING movie! I loved it! One of my new favorites and something I wouldn't mind owning in the future because I know plenty of people who would love this movie back at home.
Since the movie ended I have been on here typing up this, playing some facebook games, and preparing for bed.
But before bed, I leave with a picture of me holding Candy the Corn snake and some good news! One of the three red squirrels slightly opened her eyes today!!!!! Also no more 3am feeding. I beefed her up yesterday with my feedings so she not only gained a few grams but also looks healthier then before! It was mentioned I miss-weighed......HA please!!! I weighed her twice just to confirm her weight yesterday IN CASE of miss-weighing. Not sure if it was a joke or not but if not; nice try in the attempt to call me out on something I did not even do. People make me laugh.
This morning I recieved a call from Hocking. I wanted to drop Forestry and instead get my Wildlife degree with GPS/GIS Certificate. The call today basically said that my new schedule is 100% figured out for the year and by the sounds of it the year will turn out very smooth and easy. I may be able to get a part time job if I have enough time!!!! More money, yay!!
So besides this I mopped and then at 9am I read a story to two kids for our story time program. I read "The little Wood Duck" for a story and it indirectly taught that it's okay to be different. In other words its okay to show individuality. Birds plus the topic felt suitable for me haha. I realized this after honestly.
Since we left the open/closed sign set to open a group wondered in around 9:30am so we figured we would take them out. I did first tour and they thoroughly enjoyed it! All my tours today said I did an awesome job and enjoyed which is a huge confidence boost for me. I do my best of course! So it's very nice to hear positive feedback! The other education intern and I switched back and forth for every tour. She gave one at 10am and I think I gave one at either 10:30am, 11am, or 12pm then we waited around until lunch. I had a tour so she took lunch first then once my tour came back I took lunch. I had to give a tour as soon as my lunch was over and ever since it was fairly steady until maybe 2pm.
I then worked on some gift shop stuff; adding items and updating the inventory list. I also took a test regarding rehabilitating a bird. It was a practice test and although I forgot a medication and the general diet of a kingfisher (silly me forgot they ate fish, DUH!) I was told that I did very well in the end. This to me is proof that I have learned something since I have been here. I know I have but now I have paper form too (besides protocols). I also know where to go to find the answers to things so finding resources = awesome in my opinion. Half the battle is figuring it out, the other half is knowing where to turn to when in need of help.
Once the test was over and after more tours we eventually closed shop at 4:40pm. No one came to a program that was going to happen at 4:30pm so the day ended earlier then it was going to originally. I swatted flies out of the turkey vultures cage, turned off all the lights, and then helped rehab side grab our snowy owl for her daily exam. After that I head upstairs and relaxed for a while until the education intern, a rehabber, and I went out to eat at a chinese restaurant. I basically left with a food coma. We then went to the move store and rented "Pitch Perfect". AMAZING movie! I loved it! One of my new favorites and something I wouldn't mind owning in the future because I know plenty of people who would love this movie back at home.
Since the movie ended I have been on here typing up this, playing some facebook games, and preparing for bed.
But before bed, I leave with a picture of me holding Candy the Corn snake and some good news! One of the three red squirrels slightly opened her eyes today!!!!! Also no more 3am feeding. I beefed her up yesterday with my feedings so she not only gained a few grams but also looks healthier then before! It was mentioned I miss-weighed......HA please!!! I weighed her twice just to confirm her weight yesterday IN CASE of miss-weighing. Not sure if it was a joke or not but if not; nice try in the attempt to call me out on something I did not even do. People make me laugh.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Day 73 - Rehabilitation
Today started off earlier for me since I was able to actually get up, shower, and eat before everyone else was ready. I headed down and started to feed squirrels. FINALLY I was able to feed squirrels rather then CONSTANTLY feeling stuck on raccoons. They're easy but that does not mean I want to do them every single day. It was getting on my nerves but finally I was able too get away. Who knows if I will get lucky enough to feed them for the rest of the month but that does not mean I will. I was told its whoever gets down first....Challenge Accepted.
I fed the three babies, our new juvenile red squirrel, our two red squirrels (adult) outside, and also our two gray squirrels outside. The rehabber had prepared squirrel trays for me and while I was feeding outside squirrels she prepared resident food (inside and out). I took the tray and fed all of the birds outside while the other intern fed raccoons. I have a video of Eddie the Eagle eating but cannot post it here. However I will provide a link, only facebook friends can view it though thanks to my privacy settings that I am not changing. Sorry, but I just refuse to. (Link: Here)
When I returned inside I filled out all charts that I needed too while the other intern fed inside guys. This includes the turtles and hortense the turkey vulture. A volunteer fed mice while I grabbed the Snowy Owl. We removed her bandages, cleaned up her feet, and then applied bandages back. The infections in her feet are looking a lot better and hopefully progress will continue! After she was finished I put her back and we were finished with 8am feedings.
The volunteer started to grind up Thiamine tablets into powder. When fish die they loose thiamine, an important vitamin in animal (bird especially) diets so we have to supplement the thiamine back into the diet. The other intern went outside to empty, scrub, and refill Eddie the Eagle's pond with water. While they both did this I organized the lid drawer in the kitchen, cleaned the microwave, did kitchen dishes, restocked baby boxes under exam table, and bleached all the counters in the exam room, nursery, and kitchen area. I wanted to knock out as much as possible. At some point I did the 10am squirrel feeding and cleaned Hortense's cage by picking up old fish parts left over, feathers, feces, and changed out her water so it was fresh. Logged this in her chart as well. When we got donations in we bagged any dead fish then took a live fish and put it in Eddie's pond for him to eat. Not sure if he ended up eating it or not. The other intern also took a bunch of blankets down stairs while I was working on stuff too. Overall the place looked great and it was still before 12pm.
While the other intern worked on updating the patient database I tried to make progress with the Common Loon protocol. Truly I am struggling to find any information regarding loon rehabilitation and although I know exactly who to ask about birds I just feel it may be best to find my own info. Plus I am nervous about asking because I am not sure what the response would be. For the most part it looks decent; it's just minor details I may lack or miss. I was told my long-legged waders and grebe protocol was excellent once again so I hope this one follows suit. Once loons are finished then I can try to finish cormorant protocol and work on others or help edit. There's a lot that still need finished even though they are not necessarily mine. I feel like I am the only one attempting to make progress anymore but I could be wrong and who knows who is done with what. They are due before the end of the month so hopefully we can complete them all before then. If I could just bust out these last two protocols that would be great.
I worked on protocols until it was time for the 12pm feeding. I fed the red squirrels in the nursery (babies and the one juvenile) then took recycling from the kitchen outside. I virkoned the exam room table then replaced some bags. We were then ready to take lunch for an hour.
After lunch it was back to protocols until 2pm feeding. Once that was over then it was protocols again until the 4pm feeding. We cranked out the feedings (all squirrels for me) and while the other intern left to REGI in antigo I took out trash, compost, swept, mopped, finished up any remaining dishes, and then sat down with a rehabber and executive director for an hour to listen to them about ideas for Diane Chart. She was our old executive director that passed away in a car accident last year. Sadly I did not get the chance to meet her though I wish I did because by the sounds of it she was practically amazing. Very nice, caring, helpful, outgoing, friendly, wished for human involvement in education/learning, and many more good traits. A memorial is being built after her and I truly hope that it is spectacular and something Diane would want. We also tried to think up names for the Snowy Owl but so far nothing seems to stick and we truly do not wish to name her until she's placed outside.
I then head upstairs for an hour to eat, rest a little, and of course answered a few phone calls. I then had to head back down for 6pm feeding. Then back up I went until 8pm feeding. Of course there's another repeat for I am about to head back down for the 10pm feeding then hopefully bed. I surely hope to pass off the phone since I had it last night and then I may end up doing the 3am feeding but we will see how it goes since the other intern returned a while ago from REGI.
I leave this post of course with some pictures. One if a nest with two baby robins outside our facility, in back, and the other is a Belted Kingfisher that was transported to REGI as mentioned earlier.
Also, I updated my last post with pictures with me paddle boarding and kayaking so feel free to return to Day 72 to check those out! Tomorrow I am on education then the rest of the month is either me being off or working rehabilitation. It's hard to believe...but July is almost over.
I fed the three babies, our new juvenile red squirrel, our two red squirrels (adult) outside, and also our two gray squirrels outside. The rehabber had prepared squirrel trays for me and while I was feeding outside squirrels she prepared resident food (inside and out). I took the tray and fed all of the birds outside while the other intern fed raccoons. I have a video of Eddie the Eagle eating but cannot post it here. However I will provide a link, only facebook friends can view it though thanks to my privacy settings that I am not changing. Sorry, but I just refuse to. (Link: Here)
When I returned inside I filled out all charts that I needed too while the other intern fed inside guys. This includes the turtles and hortense the turkey vulture. A volunteer fed mice while I grabbed the Snowy Owl. We removed her bandages, cleaned up her feet, and then applied bandages back. The infections in her feet are looking a lot better and hopefully progress will continue! After she was finished I put her back and we were finished with 8am feedings.
The volunteer started to grind up Thiamine tablets into powder. When fish die they loose thiamine, an important vitamin in animal (bird especially) diets so we have to supplement the thiamine back into the diet. The other intern went outside to empty, scrub, and refill Eddie the Eagle's pond with water. While they both did this I organized the lid drawer in the kitchen, cleaned the microwave, did kitchen dishes, restocked baby boxes under exam table, and bleached all the counters in the exam room, nursery, and kitchen area. I wanted to knock out as much as possible. At some point I did the 10am squirrel feeding and cleaned Hortense's cage by picking up old fish parts left over, feathers, feces, and changed out her water so it was fresh. Logged this in her chart as well. When we got donations in we bagged any dead fish then took a live fish and put it in Eddie's pond for him to eat. Not sure if he ended up eating it or not. The other intern also took a bunch of blankets down stairs while I was working on stuff too. Overall the place looked great and it was still before 12pm.
While the other intern worked on updating the patient database I tried to make progress with the Common Loon protocol. Truly I am struggling to find any information regarding loon rehabilitation and although I know exactly who to ask about birds I just feel it may be best to find my own info. Plus I am nervous about asking because I am not sure what the response would be. For the most part it looks decent; it's just minor details I may lack or miss. I was told my long-legged waders and grebe protocol was excellent once again so I hope this one follows suit. Once loons are finished then I can try to finish cormorant protocol and work on others or help edit. There's a lot that still need finished even though they are not necessarily mine. I feel like I am the only one attempting to make progress anymore but I could be wrong and who knows who is done with what. They are due before the end of the month so hopefully we can complete them all before then. If I could just bust out these last two protocols that would be great.
I worked on protocols until it was time for the 12pm feeding. I fed the red squirrels in the nursery (babies and the one juvenile) then took recycling from the kitchen outside. I virkoned the exam room table then replaced some bags. We were then ready to take lunch for an hour.
After lunch it was back to protocols until 2pm feeding. Once that was over then it was protocols again until the 4pm feeding. We cranked out the feedings (all squirrels for me) and while the other intern left to REGI in antigo I took out trash, compost, swept, mopped, finished up any remaining dishes, and then sat down with a rehabber and executive director for an hour to listen to them about ideas for Diane Chart. She was our old executive director that passed away in a car accident last year. Sadly I did not get the chance to meet her though I wish I did because by the sounds of it she was practically amazing. Very nice, caring, helpful, outgoing, friendly, wished for human involvement in education/learning, and many more good traits. A memorial is being built after her and I truly hope that it is spectacular and something Diane would want. We also tried to think up names for the Snowy Owl but so far nothing seems to stick and we truly do not wish to name her until she's placed outside.
I then head upstairs for an hour to eat, rest a little, and of course answered a few phone calls. I then had to head back down for 6pm feeding. Then back up I went until 8pm feeding. Of course there's another repeat for I am about to head back down for the 10pm feeding then hopefully bed. I surely hope to pass off the phone since I had it last night and then I may end up doing the 3am feeding but we will see how it goes since the other intern returned a while ago from REGI.
I leave this post of course with some pictures. One if a nest with two baby robins outside our facility, in back, and the other is a Belted Kingfisher that was transported to REGI as mentioned earlier.
Also, I updated my last post with pictures with me paddle boarding and kayaking so feel free to return to Day 72 to check those out! Tomorrow I am on education then the rest of the month is either me being off or working rehabilitation. It's hard to believe...but July is almost over.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Day 72 - Rehabilitation
Today was honestly both awesome and relaxing though it did have it's down moments. For the most part the most I did was feed animals and work on protocols. Us two interns did 8am feedings for raccoons, squirrels, and mice. A rehabber and I worked on the Snowy Owl's bandages and cleaned out her temporary home. She also did dishes, made more food when we needed it, and overall all three of us finished up 8am chores around 10 which is pretty early.
After that the intern left for REGI to take a bird while I stayed back and worked on protocols until 12pm. I did 12pm feeding then we worked until 1pm before taking an hour lunch. I had to answer the door once because a Belted Kingfisher came in. Sadly he died due to stress which made me very sad, I felt like it was my fault but honestly all I did was hold her for maybe 10 seconds. I was literally the ONLY person at the center since everyone was either off, at Paddle for the Wild Side, Antigo, or went home for lunch. Speaking of Paddle for the Wild side, after 2pm feeding and lunch the other intern returned and with the rehabber the three of us switched with two other interns at the event.
The event is basically to help out the center by promoting our canoe raffle and giving us a chance for donations while a boat shop down the street in downtown minocqua (also one of our board members) allowed people to use his kayaks and paddle boards for free. Many people seemed to show up. The three of us tried paddle boarding for the first time but due to not having balance anymore I actually fell off into the lake. I went under but had a life jacket on which I honestly felt hindered me then anything. It made me float when I did not wish too and thus felt like I went into shock more then anything upon hitting the water. I am a very good swimmer so having something hold me back only made me stressed. I inhaled some water and felt pressure in my ears, that finally went away hours later, but overall was fine; just embarrassed.
At least I can say I attempted the paddle board. To give you an idea of what it is here a picture of one of our interns being a pro at the paddle board.
+-+NWC.jpg)
It was hard.
I then kayaked for the first time. I may have ended up 100% wet from falling in but I still wanted to go out and have always wanted to kayak, so I did. I went out decently far before feeling uncomfortable. Paddled around for a bit and overall enjoyed myself in the kayak. Should have gave up the first time I fell off the paddle board and just kayaked but I was too stubborn. Learned my lesson I suppose but again, still had fun. Just know that lake water does not taste good at all and its uncomfortable feeling algae on your feet.
After the event was over and I helped tear down we drove back to the center. I was in pain for a good few hours due to water in my ear. I am hoping the water all came out and that I won't get an infection. I took pain killers so it helped out greatly. At least I can sleep normally without ear pain. I went to Rockets frozen yogurt in two with the assistant education director and a rehabber. Got cheesecake and some greek berry flavors mixed with plenty of toppings. My favorite was these green berries that pop in your mouth like star burst or something. Price was based on how much your bowl weighed vs what was inside so you could create your own bowl like it was a salad bar. After we ate and checked out a shop across the street (t-shirts and hoodies) I was taken back to the center because I wanted to relax. I helped feed at 6pm, 8pm, and am about to do the 10pm but otherwise I relaxed, played facebook games, and of course worked on finishing up this blog.
I leave this post off with a good night and a picture of one of our three baby red squirrels! They are growing fast! May open their eyes soon.
UPDATE: Paddle at the Wild Side pictures! Im in a kayak in two and on the paddle board in the other pics. I looked angry but I promise I wasn't!!! Bright sun!
After that the intern left for REGI to take a bird while I stayed back and worked on protocols until 12pm. I did 12pm feeding then we worked until 1pm before taking an hour lunch. I had to answer the door once because a Belted Kingfisher came in. Sadly he died due to stress which made me very sad, I felt like it was my fault but honestly all I did was hold her for maybe 10 seconds. I was literally the ONLY person at the center since everyone was either off, at Paddle for the Wild Side, Antigo, or went home for lunch. Speaking of Paddle for the Wild side, after 2pm feeding and lunch the other intern returned and with the rehabber the three of us switched with two other interns at the event.
The event is basically to help out the center by promoting our canoe raffle and giving us a chance for donations while a boat shop down the street in downtown minocqua (also one of our board members) allowed people to use his kayaks and paddle boards for free. Many people seemed to show up. The three of us tried paddle boarding for the first time but due to not having balance anymore I actually fell off into the lake. I went under but had a life jacket on which I honestly felt hindered me then anything. It made me float when I did not wish too and thus felt like I went into shock more then anything upon hitting the water. I am a very good swimmer so having something hold me back only made me stressed. I inhaled some water and felt pressure in my ears, that finally went away hours later, but overall was fine; just embarrassed.
At least I can say I attempted the paddle board. To give you an idea of what it is here a picture of one of our interns being a pro at the paddle board.
+-+NWC.jpg)
I then kayaked for the first time. I may have ended up 100% wet from falling in but I still wanted to go out and have always wanted to kayak, so I did. I went out decently far before feeling uncomfortable. Paddled around for a bit and overall enjoyed myself in the kayak. Should have gave up the first time I fell off the paddle board and just kayaked but I was too stubborn. Learned my lesson I suppose but again, still had fun. Just know that lake water does not taste good at all and its uncomfortable feeling algae on your feet.
After the event was over and I helped tear down we drove back to the center. I was in pain for a good few hours due to water in my ear. I am hoping the water all came out and that I won't get an infection. I took pain killers so it helped out greatly. At least I can sleep normally without ear pain. I went to Rockets frozen yogurt in two with the assistant education director and a rehabber. Got cheesecake and some greek berry flavors mixed with plenty of toppings. My favorite was these green berries that pop in your mouth like star burst or something. Price was based on how much your bowl weighed vs what was inside so you could create your own bowl like it was a salad bar. After we ate and checked out a shop across the street (t-shirts and hoodies) I was taken back to the center because I wanted to relax. I helped feed at 6pm, 8pm, and am about to do the 10pm but otherwise I relaxed, played facebook games, and of course worked on finishing up this blog.
I leave this post off with a good night and a picture of one of our three baby red squirrels! They are growing fast! May open their eyes soon.
UPDATE: Paddle at the Wild Side pictures! Im in a kayak in two and on the paddle board in the other pics. I looked angry but I promise I wasn't!!! Bright sun!
Day 71 - Gem Show
So normally when I post events it means we have a canoe raffle but this time we only took some of our residents with some props. We had four birds, two turtles, and some madagascar cockroaches. Overall the purpose of us being at the event was to talk about the center, the animals we have, why we have them, and to just teach the public in general about birds, turtles, and the cockroaches. I got the chance to switch back and forth between the birds and turtles/cockroaches.
At the turtle booth we talked about the five turtles native to Northern Wisconsin. There are 11 species of turtles native to Wisconsin. We had Woody the Wood Turtle and Snort the Spiny Softshell turtle. Wood turtles are mainly terrestrial while Spiny Softshells are mainly in water so it was interesting having both to compare. Most people, including myself at one point, thought turtles were aquatic and terrestrial (except Tortoise of course) but learned some things. Many compare the wood turtle to the snapping turtle so we talked about their differences. Snappers have ridges on back of shell (like spikes) while wood turtles are flat. Wood turtles also have very orange skin under their shell while Snapping turtles do not. We talked about how the Blanding's turtle and Wood turtle are both threatened in Wisconsin and somewhat about habitat when asked or who seemed the most common (Painted and Snapping) though Softshells are the most I believe. I cannot remember 100% but we had shells showing how turtles aged from small to their bigger size. Some snapping turtle eggs as well to show their size and a snapping turtle skull. Pictures were there for each turtle and overall I was actually able to talk about turtles for once rather then birds all the time lol.
At the bird booth we had four birds with us; Sierra the Red-tailed Hawk, Leo the Long-eared Owl, Rory the Broad-winged Hawk, and TJ the American Kestrel. We periodically rotated the birds to give each and break and give others the chance to see them. We talked about each bird and why they are at the center with us. Sierra was shot and therefore she cannot hunt due to lacking her gliding capability. Rory is missing his right eye completely from a possible nest fall during a wind storm. Leo has a broken shoulder or elbow and therefore struggles during flight. TJ has neurological issues, nervous system, due to possible head trauma; she bobs her head and tail when she should not and also her one eye is slightly closed at all times. We had an owl wing and a hawk wing. Reason why was to explain flight. Owls have frayed feathers that allow silent flight (making them slower as well) while hawks have sharp feathers that make sound but also make them very fast and agile. There are three types of birds of pray; Buteos, Accipiters, and Falcons. Buteos have short tails and broad wings for long distance flight / soaring. Accipiters have longer tails, more curved wings, and are overall built for speed. Falcons are built for fast speeds, agility, and maneuverability. For example the Peregrine Falcon can fly up to 220mph! One of the fastest animals on earth if not thee fastest! We also had an owl and hawk skull. This helped explained how owls have large eye sockets since they cannot roll their eyes or move them like we can which is why they turn their heads to see. They can turn their heads 280 degrees, not 360 degrees or all the way around like many believe. These large eyes are meant for seeing in the dark since owls are nocturnal. Hawks however have smaller eyes and can also move them a lot like we can. They can turn their head 180 degrees but do not need much movement otherwise since they can move their eyes to see and only need to see during daylight hours. Finally we had talons (red tailed hawk, great horned owl, broad winged hawk, and eagle) to show the sizes and how the hawks are different from owls once again. Owls have four toes that form a box when they grasp something while hawks/eagles have three toes in front and one toe in back.
It's obvious I still remember more about birds then turtles but I am learning of course. Talking to people all day about both truly helped since I had the assistant education director with me to answer questions or help me recall facts about the birds, turtles, and such. I got to peel off from the booth for a while and check out all the awesome rocks, gems, and fossils. I saw amazing jewerly but I swear everything was like $10-$25 and UP! Some of the stuff I wanted was $45 for one and $50 for the next but hey, I am a poor college student. Some day though! Some day! I also ate a brat. I used to dislike brats but wisconsin makes the most amazing brats I have ever had (and who can not love cheese curds). Both of these things, amongst other things, I will miss about this place.
Overall the gem show went well. We finished at 5pm and headed back. After work I helped feed once and ended up watching The Host with two other interns. We later went out and got ice cream at Culvers then returned back to finish movie time. I got a mint and reese pieces concrete mixer from Culvers. Amazing ice cream! Later that day I went to bed of course but overall the day was great and I must say I throughly enjoyed holding Sierra the Red-tailed Hawk. I wish I had a picture but her and Race both are amazing birds. Well, who here isn't an amazing bird?
At the turtle booth we talked about the five turtles native to Northern Wisconsin. There are 11 species of turtles native to Wisconsin. We had Woody the Wood Turtle and Snort the Spiny Softshell turtle. Wood turtles are mainly terrestrial while Spiny Softshells are mainly in water so it was interesting having both to compare. Most people, including myself at one point, thought turtles were aquatic and terrestrial (except Tortoise of course) but learned some things. Many compare the wood turtle to the snapping turtle so we talked about their differences. Snappers have ridges on back of shell (like spikes) while wood turtles are flat. Wood turtles also have very orange skin under their shell while Snapping turtles do not. We talked about how the Blanding's turtle and Wood turtle are both threatened in Wisconsin and somewhat about habitat when asked or who seemed the most common (Painted and Snapping) though Softshells are the most I believe. I cannot remember 100% but we had shells showing how turtles aged from small to their bigger size. Some snapping turtle eggs as well to show their size and a snapping turtle skull. Pictures were there for each turtle and overall I was actually able to talk about turtles for once rather then birds all the time lol.
At the bird booth we had four birds with us; Sierra the Red-tailed Hawk, Leo the Long-eared Owl, Rory the Broad-winged Hawk, and TJ the American Kestrel. We periodically rotated the birds to give each and break and give others the chance to see them. We talked about each bird and why they are at the center with us. Sierra was shot and therefore she cannot hunt due to lacking her gliding capability. Rory is missing his right eye completely from a possible nest fall during a wind storm. Leo has a broken shoulder or elbow and therefore struggles during flight. TJ has neurological issues, nervous system, due to possible head trauma; she bobs her head and tail when she should not and also her one eye is slightly closed at all times. We had an owl wing and a hawk wing. Reason why was to explain flight. Owls have frayed feathers that allow silent flight (making them slower as well) while hawks have sharp feathers that make sound but also make them very fast and agile. There are three types of birds of pray; Buteos, Accipiters, and Falcons. Buteos have short tails and broad wings for long distance flight / soaring. Accipiters have longer tails, more curved wings, and are overall built for speed. Falcons are built for fast speeds, agility, and maneuverability. For example the Peregrine Falcon can fly up to 220mph! One of the fastest animals on earth if not thee fastest! We also had an owl and hawk skull. This helped explained how owls have large eye sockets since they cannot roll their eyes or move them like we can which is why they turn their heads to see. They can turn their heads 280 degrees, not 360 degrees or all the way around like many believe. These large eyes are meant for seeing in the dark since owls are nocturnal. Hawks however have smaller eyes and can also move them a lot like we can. They can turn their head 180 degrees but do not need much movement otherwise since they can move their eyes to see and only need to see during daylight hours. Finally we had talons (red tailed hawk, great horned owl, broad winged hawk, and eagle) to show the sizes and how the hawks are different from owls once again. Owls have four toes that form a box when they grasp something while hawks/eagles have three toes in front and one toe in back.
It's obvious I still remember more about birds then turtles but I am learning of course. Talking to people all day about both truly helped since I had the assistant education director with me to answer questions or help me recall facts about the birds, turtles, and such. I got to peel off from the booth for a while and check out all the awesome rocks, gems, and fossils. I saw amazing jewerly but I swear everything was like $10-$25 and UP! Some of the stuff I wanted was $45 for one and $50 for the next but hey, I am a poor college student. Some day though! Some day! I also ate a brat. I used to dislike brats but wisconsin makes the most amazing brats I have ever had (and who can not love cheese curds). Both of these things, amongst other things, I will miss about this place.
Overall the gem show went well. We finished at 5pm and headed back. After work I helped feed once and ended up watching The Host with two other interns. We later went out and got ice cream at Culvers then returned back to finish movie time. I got a mint and reese pieces concrete mixer from Culvers. Amazing ice cream! Later that day I went to bed of course but overall the day was great and I must say I throughly enjoyed holding Sierra the Red-tailed Hawk. I wish I had a picture but her and Race both are amazing birds. Well, who here isn't an amazing bird?
Friday, July 19, 2013
Day 70 - Education
The big 7-0. What am I going to do with myself? These days are still flying by. 26 days left before returning home to Ohio. This is also my 10th week here which means only about 3-4 weeks left.
Today started off different then normal cleaning. I helped the assistant education director load up two birds for a craft show down the street (Rory the Broad-winged Hawk and TJ the American Kestrel). I then helped clean by mopping since the other intern swept and vacuumed already. She also checked bathrooms. So once this was covered we then proceeded to answer phone calls and do tours once 10am rolled around. This basically defines out entire day.
Some interesting stuff this morning was when a man came in that had brought an American Crow a few weeks ago. This crow ended up dying so we sent it in to test for West Nile virus. The tests came back positive so now Oneida county and Vilas county (the county north of us) is positive for West Nile Virus in crows. Typically West Nile affects birds before mammals. Corvids (Blue Jays, Crows, Ravens) are the first bird species to show signs before it travels to other birds. I told you guys these mosquitoes and ticks are horrible here. Now the virus is expressing it. Hopefully it does not spread to people any time soon. If it does, here's something information below about humans and West Nile.
Here's a little blip about West Nile that I pulled from a Wisconsin Division of Public Health source.
"Approximately 80% of people infected with West Nile Virus do not become ill. Most of the remaining 20% of infected people may experience a mild illness that can present with fever, headache, eye pain, muscle aches, joint pain, a rash on the trunk, swollen lymph nodes, nausea and vomiting. Less than 1% of people infected with West Nile virus become severely ill. Symptons of severe illness include extreme muscle weakness, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), paralysis, and coma. In rare cases the infection may be fatal, particularly in the elderly and people with other medical conditions".
Link to Source: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/P4/P42104.pdf
Besides this morning, tours, and phone calls we had a Red Squirrel come in and a baby bird (possibly a House Wren). The Red Squirrel was lethargic but after some hydration he was crawling all over the place so he was moved from a small container to a larger cage with a den box. He can snuggle up in the den box and then roam around when necessary. The baby bird came later in the evening and the odds are not good. Never ever feed a bird bread and milk, especially a baby bird. In fact, never feed any wild animal anything milk based. Just because milk is good for us does not mean it is good for anything else because guess what; cow's milk is horrible for animals. Think about the animal; what would it most likely find in it's natural environment based on the age? Truth is, it's illegal to attempt to rehabilitate any wildlife so save yourself the trouble (and possibly the animal's life) by not feeding it anything. Even too much water can cause something to drowned or inhale the water so maybe offer a small dish and that's it H20 wise. The most frustrating thing ever is an animal dying due to "attempting to help" because sometimes the help makes the condition 100x worse.
Other then these animals coming in and doing education stuff I helped feed the red squirrel that came in, a deer mouse that came in two days ago, and our three baby red squirrels who are slowly but surely getting bigger. They weigh roughly 15-20g now and are starting to grow in some fur. For the most part they are gray skinned but they are growing in some red fur. I will try to take a picture tomorrow unless I forget again. I forgot to take pictures all day since I was so caught up in everything.
Overall had a pretty good day and contemplating bed early. I am work 7:30am to 6:30pm (roughly) due to the Gem Show! I will explain more tomorrow of course. We will see how things go with that. I am excited for it because I really wanted to work this event.
Today started off different then normal cleaning. I helped the assistant education director load up two birds for a craft show down the street (Rory the Broad-winged Hawk and TJ the American Kestrel). I then helped clean by mopping since the other intern swept and vacuumed already. She also checked bathrooms. So once this was covered we then proceeded to answer phone calls and do tours once 10am rolled around. This basically defines out entire day.
Some interesting stuff this morning was when a man came in that had brought an American Crow a few weeks ago. This crow ended up dying so we sent it in to test for West Nile virus. The tests came back positive so now Oneida county and Vilas county (the county north of us) is positive for West Nile Virus in crows. Typically West Nile affects birds before mammals. Corvids (Blue Jays, Crows, Ravens) are the first bird species to show signs before it travels to other birds. I told you guys these mosquitoes and ticks are horrible here. Now the virus is expressing it. Hopefully it does not spread to people any time soon. If it does, here's something information below about humans and West Nile.
Here's a little blip about West Nile that I pulled from a Wisconsin Division of Public Health source.
"Approximately 80% of people infected with West Nile Virus do not become ill. Most of the remaining 20% of infected people may experience a mild illness that can present with fever, headache, eye pain, muscle aches, joint pain, a rash on the trunk, swollen lymph nodes, nausea and vomiting. Less than 1% of people infected with West Nile virus become severely ill. Symptons of severe illness include extreme muscle weakness, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), paralysis, and coma. In rare cases the infection may be fatal, particularly in the elderly and people with other medical conditions".
Link to Source: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/P4/P42104.pdf
Besides this morning, tours, and phone calls we had a Red Squirrel come in and a baby bird (possibly a House Wren). The Red Squirrel was lethargic but after some hydration he was crawling all over the place so he was moved from a small container to a larger cage with a den box. He can snuggle up in the den box and then roam around when necessary. The baby bird came later in the evening and the odds are not good. Never ever feed a bird bread and milk, especially a baby bird. In fact, never feed any wild animal anything milk based. Just because milk is good for us does not mean it is good for anything else because guess what; cow's milk is horrible for animals. Think about the animal; what would it most likely find in it's natural environment based on the age? Truth is, it's illegal to attempt to rehabilitate any wildlife so save yourself the trouble (and possibly the animal's life) by not feeding it anything. Even too much water can cause something to drowned or inhale the water so maybe offer a small dish and that's it H20 wise. The most frustrating thing ever is an animal dying due to "attempting to help" because sometimes the help makes the condition 100x worse.
Other then these animals coming in and doing education stuff I helped feed the red squirrel that came in, a deer mouse that came in two days ago, and our three baby red squirrels who are slowly but surely getting bigger. They weigh roughly 15-20g now and are starting to grow in some fur. For the most part they are gray skinned but they are growing in some red fur. I will try to take a picture tomorrow unless I forget again. I forgot to take pictures all day since I was so caught up in everything.
Overall had a pretty good day and contemplating bed early. I am work 7:30am to 6:30pm (roughly) due to the Gem Show! I will explain more tomorrow of course. We will see how things go with that. I am excited for it because I really wanted to work this event.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Day 69 - Rehabilitation
Wow it's almost day 70!
Today I was back on rehabilitation and also back on raccoons. I almost forget what it's like to feed squirrels in all honesty but at least I have got the hang of raccoon feeding so it flies by quickly. Plus every time I touch squirrels I feel like I am going to kill them so feeding raccoons isn't so bad.
I fed raccoons this morning at 8am and later at 12pm. In between was tasks like making more solids, taking life jackets out to a boat, emptying water out of boat and fixing a tarp, doing tub dishes, doing kitchen dishes, cleaning/disinfecting kitchen surfaces, and then helping the other intern pick up raccoon poo outside. I intended on spot cleaning myself at 4pm since I was on raccoon duty but since she decided to do it it helped me! Will make 4pm feeding faster without that task. I helped her later with 12pm squirrel feedings. We then took lunch.
During lunch, and slightly before, I talked to the education coordinator for natural resources at Hocking college and let me tell you she has been a HUGE help. I now have an idea of what classses I FOR SURE need to take, when I can take them, and she is actually going through and planning practically my whole schedule for both semesters for me so I graduate on time with everything I need. This the most and biggest help I have ever received. Thankful I emailed the facebook page and for whomever gave me her information because everything is working out smooth. She has spoken with financial aid and other teachers for me since I have been in Wisconsin despite her busy schedule and I am very very grateful. So this year at Hocking I am looking forward to completing my Wildlife Management degree and acquiring my GIS/GPS Certificate. Pray everything goes right and that I leave no class behind. I am taking extra classes too that will help with transferring to other college for my Bachelors. Yippee!!
Anyway, after lunch, we were straight back to business. I started to clean up the exam room by putting away any donations we received through out the day and mostly just tried organizing what I could before the 4pm feeding. I had about 2.5 hours at the time but then we remembered we had an appointment with the vet next store about our resident Snowy so I took three boxes to recycling and head back in to grab her. We removed her bandages before taking her next door to evaluated by the vet. She made some cuts and flushed out any pus in her feet before adding in antibiotic. Snowy took it all like a dream; very calm like. When we returned we put bandages back on and placed her back into her temporary enclosure. From there I think I started on making brackets out of metal but honestly failed. Was close but not quite there. Another intern who made brackets yesterday came back and made one in like 5 minutes when I felt like it took me 20min. It took him many times as well but I felt like I wasted time I could have spent elsewhere. I then started 4pm feeding of raccoons, inside and out, and then did tub dishes while others fed, swept, mopped, etc.
Before we loaded up a Blue Jay and Wood cock to go to REGI in Antigo we took our tan truck to the repair shop due to break issues. We then came back and I grabbed birds and left. Was so happy to see everyone at REGI again! The executive director, Marge, and her interns showed me what bird ticks were! They were right about "when you see them once, you'll never miss again" because tonight we got a Blue Jay in and right off the bat I plucked a bird tick and vialed it to be sent in for research. Thanks everyone at REGI!
After returning back to the center I did 8pm raccoon feeding rather late and then did 10pm squirrel feeding. Since then I crawled upstairs and now intend to sleep very soon! Rather tired and tomorrow is day 3 of the 8 day work week. Work week may be extended though because I may attempt to take a two day on two different days but we will see. There's a trip I really want to make but only if I can book a hotel for it.
PS. Do not forget to vote! You can vote daily! If you're unsure of what the Eagle Rare Life award is all about or who Marge is please comment below and I will fill in the gaps. I can tell you now, she is very generous and knowledgeable, rehabilitates and gives all birds a second chance at life by doing everything she and her interns possibly can, and fully deserves this honor! Read the description and watch the video if you don't take my word for it!
http://www.eaglerarelife.com/content/Marge-Gibson
Today I was back on rehabilitation and also back on raccoons. I almost forget what it's like to feed squirrels in all honesty but at least I have got the hang of raccoon feeding so it flies by quickly. Plus every time I touch squirrels I feel like I am going to kill them so feeding raccoons isn't so bad.
I fed raccoons this morning at 8am and later at 12pm. In between was tasks like making more solids, taking life jackets out to a boat, emptying water out of boat and fixing a tarp, doing tub dishes, doing kitchen dishes, cleaning/disinfecting kitchen surfaces, and then helping the other intern pick up raccoon poo outside. I intended on spot cleaning myself at 4pm since I was on raccoon duty but since she decided to do it it helped me! Will make 4pm feeding faster without that task. I helped her later with 12pm squirrel feedings. We then took lunch.
During lunch, and slightly before, I talked to the education coordinator for natural resources at Hocking college and let me tell you she has been a HUGE help. I now have an idea of what classses I FOR SURE need to take, when I can take them, and she is actually going through and planning practically my whole schedule for both semesters for me so I graduate on time with everything I need. This the most and biggest help I have ever received. Thankful I emailed the facebook page and for whomever gave me her information because everything is working out smooth. She has spoken with financial aid and other teachers for me since I have been in Wisconsin despite her busy schedule and I am very very grateful. So this year at Hocking I am looking forward to completing my Wildlife Management degree and acquiring my GIS/GPS Certificate. Pray everything goes right and that I leave no class behind. I am taking extra classes too that will help with transferring to other college for my Bachelors. Yippee!!
Anyway, after lunch, we were straight back to business. I started to clean up the exam room by putting away any donations we received through out the day and mostly just tried organizing what I could before the 4pm feeding. I had about 2.5 hours at the time but then we remembered we had an appointment with the vet next store about our resident Snowy so I took three boxes to recycling and head back in to grab her. We removed her bandages before taking her next door to evaluated by the vet. She made some cuts and flushed out any pus in her feet before adding in antibiotic. Snowy took it all like a dream; very calm like. When we returned we put bandages back on and placed her back into her temporary enclosure. From there I think I started on making brackets out of metal but honestly failed. Was close but not quite there. Another intern who made brackets yesterday came back and made one in like 5 minutes when I felt like it took me 20min. It took him many times as well but I felt like I wasted time I could have spent elsewhere. I then started 4pm feeding of raccoons, inside and out, and then did tub dishes while others fed, swept, mopped, etc.
Before we loaded up a Blue Jay and Wood cock to go to REGI in Antigo we took our tan truck to the repair shop due to break issues. We then came back and I grabbed birds and left. Was so happy to see everyone at REGI again! The executive director, Marge, and her interns showed me what bird ticks were! They were right about "when you see them once, you'll never miss again" because tonight we got a Blue Jay in and right off the bat I plucked a bird tick and vialed it to be sent in for research. Thanks everyone at REGI!
After returning back to the center I did 8pm raccoon feeding rather late and then did 10pm squirrel feeding. Since then I crawled upstairs and now intend to sleep very soon! Rather tired and tomorrow is day 3 of the 8 day work week. Work week may be extended though because I may attempt to take a two day on two different days but we will see. There's a trip I really want to make but only if I can book a hotel for it.
PS. Do not forget to vote! You can vote daily! If you're unsure of what the Eagle Rare Life award is all about or who Marge is please comment below and I will fill in the gaps. I can tell you now, she is very generous and knowledgeable, rehabilitates and gives all birds a second chance at life by doing everything she and her interns possibly can, and fully deserves this honor! Read the description and watch the video if you don't take my word for it!
http://www.eaglerarelife.com/content/Marge-Gibson
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Day 68 - Rehabilitation
Today starts my 8 day work week. Meaning my next day off will not be
until Thursday of next week. This is due to switching with someone and
thus giving up my day off on Monday. Why I am saying this is, if I do
not post for a few days in a row you can easily assume it was because of
being busy. Of course I will do my best but the animals and job come
first. Today also marks 28 days left for this internship which is scary
to think about!!!
So far today I have practically done raccoon stuff. This morning I fed two raccoons in our Raccoon Isolation room; this included changing their bed and providing them new solids to eat. As I did dishes the other intern had finished squirrels and our new Deer Mouse patient so he made up two bowls for the outside raccoons. I thanked him and took said bowls out. Once I fed these guys and changed out their water I grabbed the wheel barrel and shovel out there and started shoveling wood chips into the barrel. Once this was full of fresh wood chips I then went into the enclosure and started shoveling out old wet wood chips used by the raccoons and started bagging. This summed up most of my morning for I shoveled out the front half of one mammal cage (the worst) and then put new woodchips in. I also medicated a raccoon while outside with antibiotics then head to the outside dumpster with the three bags in the wheel barrel. Of course the bags were tossed, all supplies were put back, and I head inside.
This was when I checked out the list and although I actually did not get around to doing anything else besides feeding inside raccoons and editing our whiteboard I at least was able to cross off the raccoon clean up. What I meant by editing the whiteboard is I erased old data specifying where our raccoons were located and who was getting fed what and when. I combined all raccoons now outside (14) into one raccoon total and specified what they eat (on here I can only say Solids). I then rewrote whether or not an animal was on 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% formula and what formula they required. This data is detailed in folders where we record our feedings and such daily/hourly which is how I knew who got what besides experience.
After the 12pm raccoon feeding the rehabilitation side took lunch till 1:30pm then continued the day of course. I recall starting dishes after lunch, or at least attempting to before one of our volunteers started chatting with both rehab interns until the rehabber returned from lunch. Once I chatted for a while I made more disinfectant and then ran to ACE hardware to return two bolts and then purchase some nail glue for our tub. Upon returning back I then did exam room dishes before we realized we forgot to make a produce run so I then went to Save More and Trigs. Trigs had 4 1/2 boxes while Save More accidentally threw theirs out 5 minutes before I arrived. All is well though.
When I returned back to the center we unloaded and then moved on to new tasks. I helped clean up the exam room a bit by putting some sheets in the raccoon isolation room and then at some point I finished off all the tub dishes. Had to to do 4pm feedings; inside raccoons and outside. Everyone helped me prepare the trays again for the outside guys so I am grateful for that. While outside I filled Rhea/Willow and Errol's water since they were accidentally forgotten. Upon returning inside I cleaned up / restocked some and then helped the other intern on rehab with mice cleaning/feeding. Once this was done he and the rehabber worked on the Snowy Owl's feet a bit while I took out compost with Jimmy (my GMC). Once this was taken out then I took over for the other intern with Snowy's other foot while he and an education intern fed squirrels. We received two new Red squirrels tonight. I helped clean out Snowy's temporary home too and then I think that was it for the day. We didn't finish everything on the list but we actually managed to finish some projects. I want to say we finished at least 80% of the list but the fact we actually did projects truly is awesome in my opinion because it seems like the last few weeks or so it's been non stop feeding and cleaning or occasional protocols. Finally things are starting to transition back into what they used to be since majority of the protocols are finished except for a few. I personally have two left but I am not 100% positive what else there is beyond that.
I then took an intern to Wal-mart and picked up food at McDonalds (yuck) while waiting on her. She doesn't have a car since she flew here and there's no way I would make her walk since she's been so nice to me, it's hot, and carrying a lot of groceries sucks! After returning back to the center I then crawled upstairs for a bit before heading back down about 30min later to do 8pm feedings. I fed a raccoon and then helped the other intern with one of the three baby squirrels and a chart. I also did kitchen dishes which included washing leftover dishes and putting majority of the rest away. I offered to take phones and do the 10pm feeding if the other intern did the 3am feeding. He agreed and I am eternally grateful!
I am back on rehab tomorrow which means possibly transporting a Blue Jay to REGI. We will see what the day brings.
So far today I have practically done raccoon stuff. This morning I fed two raccoons in our Raccoon Isolation room; this included changing their bed and providing them new solids to eat. As I did dishes the other intern had finished squirrels and our new Deer Mouse patient so he made up two bowls for the outside raccoons. I thanked him and took said bowls out. Once I fed these guys and changed out their water I grabbed the wheel barrel and shovel out there and started shoveling wood chips into the barrel. Once this was full of fresh wood chips I then went into the enclosure and started shoveling out old wet wood chips used by the raccoons and started bagging. This summed up most of my morning for I shoveled out the front half of one mammal cage (the worst) and then put new woodchips in. I also medicated a raccoon while outside with antibiotics then head to the outside dumpster with the three bags in the wheel barrel. Of course the bags were tossed, all supplies were put back, and I head inside.
This was when I checked out the list and although I actually did not get around to doing anything else besides feeding inside raccoons and editing our whiteboard I at least was able to cross off the raccoon clean up. What I meant by editing the whiteboard is I erased old data specifying where our raccoons were located and who was getting fed what and when. I combined all raccoons now outside (14) into one raccoon total and specified what they eat (on here I can only say Solids). I then rewrote whether or not an animal was on 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% formula and what formula they required. This data is detailed in folders where we record our feedings and such daily/hourly which is how I knew who got what besides experience.
After the 12pm raccoon feeding the rehabilitation side took lunch till 1:30pm then continued the day of course. I recall starting dishes after lunch, or at least attempting to before one of our volunteers started chatting with both rehab interns until the rehabber returned from lunch. Once I chatted for a while I made more disinfectant and then ran to ACE hardware to return two bolts and then purchase some nail glue for our tub. Upon returning back I then did exam room dishes before we realized we forgot to make a produce run so I then went to Save More and Trigs. Trigs had 4 1/2 boxes while Save More accidentally threw theirs out 5 minutes before I arrived. All is well though.
When I returned back to the center we unloaded and then moved on to new tasks. I helped clean up the exam room a bit by putting some sheets in the raccoon isolation room and then at some point I finished off all the tub dishes. Had to to do 4pm feedings; inside raccoons and outside. Everyone helped me prepare the trays again for the outside guys so I am grateful for that. While outside I filled Rhea/Willow and Errol's water since they were accidentally forgotten. Upon returning inside I cleaned up / restocked some and then helped the other intern on rehab with mice cleaning/feeding. Once this was done he and the rehabber worked on the Snowy Owl's feet a bit while I took out compost with Jimmy (my GMC). Once this was taken out then I took over for the other intern with Snowy's other foot while he and an education intern fed squirrels. We received two new Red squirrels tonight. I helped clean out Snowy's temporary home too and then I think that was it for the day. We didn't finish everything on the list but we actually managed to finish some projects. I want to say we finished at least 80% of the list but the fact we actually did projects truly is awesome in my opinion because it seems like the last few weeks or so it's been non stop feeding and cleaning or occasional protocols. Finally things are starting to transition back into what they used to be since majority of the protocols are finished except for a few. I personally have two left but I am not 100% positive what else there is beyond that.
I then took an intern to Wal-mart and picked up food at McDonalds (yuck) while waiting on her. She doesn't have a car since she flew here and there's no way I would make her walk since she's been so nice to me, it's hot, and carrying a lot of groceries sucks! After returning back to the center I then crawled upstairs for a bit before heading back down about 30min later to do 8pm feedings. I fed a raccoon and then helped the other intern with one of the three baby squirrels and a chart. I also did kitchen dishes which included washing leftover dishes and putting majority of the rest away. I offered to take phones and do the 10pm feeding if the other intern did the 3am feeding. He agreed and I am eternally grateful!
I am back on rehab tomorrow which means possibly transporting a Blue Jay to REGI. We will see what the day brings.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Day 67 - OFF
Man was today hot! I was laughing at how hot it was Ohio while I enjoyed the nice weather in Wisconsin and let me tell you, it came back and bit me! Much like when everyone was laughing about how it was cold here and snowing on my first day and the following weekend it was cold in Ohio. I still remember that. I should have learned my lesson of karma!
Anyway, the heat didn't stop me! I decided to finally go out and hike the bear skin trail today. I did not get too far because I had at least 5 deer flies follow me for about 3 miles straight (as in, the whole time I walked). If it weren't for the flies annoying the living crud out of me I would have continued walking. The other thing affecting me was the heat; I actually felt slightly heat exhaustion and so when I was done I drank a ton of water (and Sunny D). Mmmmm...watermelon flavored Sunny D = Surprisingly Good.
Once my walk was over with I actually ended up getting a few groceries before talking to the boyfriend for a good hour. I have to admit, it was the longest I have chatted with anyone on the phone and we probably could have kept talking had he not been tired. It was past his bed time which is hard to remember when you're an hour behind Ohio time. 8pm here is no problem for me but when 9pm is your bedtime in Ohio then you get tired fast. My own bedtime is approaching soon (10 minutes actually) so I too will probably start reading a book for a while before hitting the hay.
The remainder of my day was spent mostly playing facebook games, hanging out in the AC, and deciding which portion of the bed I wanted to lay on. Needless to say nothing much was going on but the walk was surely worth it because it made me feel 100% better about life again. I saw some pretty sights which I took pictures of and have posted below for everyone to view. I was growing bored of Wisconsin's scenery in all honesty but hiking the Bearskin Trail rejuvenated the beauty of this state and gave me some inner peace! :)
Anyway, the heat didn't stop me! I decided to finally go out and hike the bear skin trail today. I did not get too far because I had at least 5 deer flies follow me for about 3 miles straight (as in, the whole time I walked). If it weren't for the flies annoying the living crud out of me I would have continued walking. The other thing affecting me was the heat; I actually felt slightly heat exhaustion and so when I was done I drank a ton of water (and Sunny D). Mmmmm...watermelon flavored Sunny D = Surprisingly Good.
Once my walk was over with I actually ended up getting a few groceries before talking to the boyfriend for a good hour. I have to admit, it was the longest I have chatted with anyone on the phone and we probably could have kept talking had he not been tired. It was past his bed time which is hard to remember when you're an hour behind Ohio time. 8pm here is no problem for me but when 9pm is your bedtime in Ohio then you get tired fast. My own bedtime is approaching soon (10 minutes actually) so I too will probably start reading a book for a while before hitting the hay.
The remainder of my day was spent mostly playing facebook games, hanging out in the AC, and deciding which portion of the bed I wanted to lay on. Needless to say nothing much was going on but the walk was surely worth it because it made me feel 100% better about life again. I saw some pretty sights which I took pictures of and have posted below for everyone to view. I was growing bored of Wisconsin's scenery in all honesty but hiking the Bearskin Trail rejuvenated the beauty of this state and gave me some inner peace! :)
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| Lake Minocqua |
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| Looks like there is a little piece of Dayton, Ohio in Minocqua, Wisconsin's history after all! |
Monday, July 15, 2013
Day 66 - Education
Let's take a moment to realize I have been keeping up with a blog for 66 days. Originally I thought I may struggle to keep it going due to how busy I could be but despite my schedule, my readers have inspired me to keep going and all my new tales/adventures I have on a daily basis are just worth more than a measly facebook post. This truly is the experience of a life time.
Also, it is now official. I only have ONE MONTH left at NWC. Time is flying too fast!!!!
Today I was on education which meant starting off sweeping and mopping. I covered the sweeping part while the other intern did the mopping. We answered phone calls when necessary and waited for 10am to roll around to flip the closed sign to open. The first call today was an Eagle call. Apparently an Eagle was sitting on a dock and unable to fly but between the rehabbers leaving and arriving at the house the eagle flew away. This isn't the first time something like this has happened but at least it was in Mincoqua. Meaning not too much gas was wasted on a far away drive somewhere (which has also happened before).
I gave first tour today and for the most part I feel I gave pretty good ones. My groups ranged from 3-5 people to 8-12 people roughly. Some groups larger and others small but we made it work and everyone left with a smile on their face.
Earlier in the morning hours and occasionally throughout the afternoon I sat down and worked on updating the patient database. We had not updated it since mid-way through June so there are a lot of animals that need entered. For the most part mammals are all up to date but we still need to update birds and reptiles/amphibians.
Other stuff I worked on was protocols again. My Long-legged Wader protocol has been finished but I am about 85% finished with the Grebe protocol and wanted to start gathering sources for my Loon and Cormorant protocols. Once these are done then I can help edit as requested by the rehabbers. Also help on other protocols (probably mammals) as well if they desire. All protocols must be finished before the end of July so although things have slowed down we will be taking a crack at them big time again.
Besides the main portion of my day being database, protocols, tours, phone calls, and also finishing my awesome resume! I got the chance to meet someone very important to the center and whom I have been wanting to meet since I first heard about he and his sisters. Dr. Rory Foster's son.
Now here's some brief history about the center that I never truly covered.
Dr. Rory Foster and I believe a decolletage of his started Foster and Smith. This companies veterinary products are sold to all vets practically everywhere in the United States. Besides this Dr. Rory started both the Northwoods Animal Hospital next door and Northwoods Wildlife Center. When he just worked at the hospital next door he took in only domesticated animals but one day some one brought in a deer fawn that had been struck by a car. The fawn broke it's leg and so Dr. Rory took it in and attempted wildlife rehabilitation in order to release it back into the wild; and he did! Besides a deer fawn he started received all kinds of wild animals; an owl being the second patient. Next thing he knew his animal hospital was full of domesticated and wildlife. Due to the hospital being too small to house both he then created Northwoods Wildlife Center in 1979. Originally it was a small portion of the building but over the years they have added on thanks to donations. NWC was created to be a non-profit organization and has remained one since. Of course many patients have walked in and out of these doors, many residents have come and gone, and although many staff have come and gone as well (volunteers included) some have also stayed. It's a treat to sit down with the volunteers whom have been here for years and talk to them about the past.
Sadly Dr. Rory Foster passes away from A.L.S./Lou Gehrig's Disease when he was roughly in his 30's (I think). He does have two books written about him "Dr. Wildlife" and "I have never met an animal I did not like". I highly recommended reading and I have actually just started "I have never met an animal I did not like" today! I was previously reading Wildlife Hospital and hope to finish it but I should have read about Rory first before the other book. Still, it was full of helpful information that has somewhat been applied to this internship when necessary.
Anyway, needless to say it was a huge deal to get to finally meet Dr. Rory Foster's son, Mike Foster. I mentioned way back in the beginning about wanting to meet him and behold it has finally happened! I even have a picture to prove it! The picture behind all of us is Dr. Rory Foster himself.
So yeah! Defeinitely an awesome ending for the work day! After this work was finished and I crawled back upstairs and ate dinner. This eventually led me to a nap that lasted a few hours before I crawled downstairs to the main lobby (where I am sitting now) to type this up, work on gift shop inventory more (and attempting to create some sort of system to make inventory easier) and who knows what else. I intend on spending this night reading all of Rory Foster's book because I am off tomorrow .May spend tomorrow finishing what I can't tonight and then I will probably work on protocols and who knows what else. I feel like being more productive than ever after today so I will probably be up all night working on stuff or at least reading! :)
Also, it is now official. I only have ONE MONTH left at NWC. Time is flying too fast!!!!
Today I was on education which meant starting off sweeping and mopping. I covered the sweeping part while the other intern did the mopping. We answered phone calls when necessary and waited for 10am to roll around to flip the closed sign to open. The first call today was an Eagle call. Apparently an Eagle was sitting on a dock and unable to fly but between the rehabbers leaving and arriving at the house the eagle flew away. This isn't the first time something like this has happened but at least it was in Mincoqua. Meaning not too much gas was wasted on a far away drive somewhere (which has also happened before).
I gave first tour today and for the most part I feel I gave pretty good ones. My groups ranged from 3-5 people to 8-12 people roughly. Some groups larger and others small but we made it work and everyone left with a smile on their face.
Earlier in the morning hours and occasionally throughout the afternoon I sat down and worked on updating the patient database. We had not updated it since mid-way through June so there are a lot of animals that need entered. For the most part mammals are all up to date but we still need to update birds and reptiles/amphibians.
Other stuff I worked on was protocols again. My Long-legged Wader protocol has been finished but I am about 85% finished with the Grebe protocol and wanted to start gathering sources for my Loon and Cormorant protocols. Once these are done then I can help edit as requested by the rehabbers. Also help on other protocols (probably mammals) as well if they desire. All protocols must be finished before the end of July so although things have slowed down we will be taking a crack at them big time again.
Besides the main portion of my day being database, protocols, tours, phone calls, and also finishing my awesome resume! I got the chance to meet someone very important to the center and whom I have been wanting to meet since I first heard about he and his sisters. Dr. Rory Foster's son.
Now here's some brief history about the center that I never truly covered.
Dr. Rory Foster and I believe a decolletage of his started Foster and Smith. This companies veterinary products are sold to all vets practically everywhere in the United States. Besides this Dr. Rory started both the Northwoods Animal Hospital next door and Northwoods Wildlife Center. When he just worked at the hospital next door he took in only domesticated animals but one day some one brought in a deer fawn that had been struck by a car. The fawn broke it's leg and so Dr. Rory took it in and attempted wildlife rehabilitation in order to release it back into the wild; and he did! Besides a deer fawn he started received all kinds of wild animals; an owl being the second patient. Next thing he knew his animal hospital was full of domesticated and wildlife. Due to the hospital being too small to house both he then created Northwoods Wildlife Center in 1979. Originally it was a small portion of the building but over the years they have added on thanks to donations. NWC was created to be a non-profit organization and has remained one since. Of course many patients have walked in and out of these doors, many residents have come and gone, and although many staff have come and gone as well (volunteers included) some have also stayed. It's a treat to sit down with the volunteers whom have been here for years and talk to them about the past.
Sadly Dr. Rory Foster passes away from A.L.S./Lou Gehrig's Disease when he was roughly in his 30's (I think). He does have two books written about him "Dr. Wildlife" and "I have never met an animal I did not like". I highly recommended reading and I have actually just started "I have never met an animal I did not like" today! I was previously reading Wildlife Hospital and hope to finish it but I should have read about Rory first before the other book. Still, it was full of helpful information that has somewhat been applied to this internship when necessary.
Anyway, needless to say it was a huge deal to get to finally meet Dr. Rory Foster's son, Mike Foster. I mentioned way back in the beginning about wanting to meet him and behold it has finally happened! I even have a picture to prove it! The picture behind all of us is Dr. Rory Foster himself.
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| Left to Right: Myself, Rehabber, Mike Foster, Executive Director, Other intern (HUGE fan of Rory) |
Day 65 - OFF
So today was an interesting adventure.
Rather than going out and about to some random park, forest, etc I actually just walked around Minocqua with a fellow intern here at the center. What a better way to spend your time waiting on laundry rather than actually waiting on laundry. We visited multiple shops with amazing items. My favorite shop is the one that had a ton of Common Loon crafts (from shirts to mugs to decor) and other decorations like carpets, blankets, wooden sculptures, glass sculptures, and more. Another store we visited was a T-shirt store and although I did not fit truly anything in there it was still cool to see all the different (and funny designs). Like one was either a bear or moose that looked super tired and below is said "sleepy head". Matching jammy pants as well! We went to a fudge shop and I bought AMAZING fudge. Was about $9 but totally worth it because it's rather sweet so I know for sure that I will savor it. It's maple something; maybe maple almond. It tastes both sweet with a hint of salty plus maple and its fudge so overall a great choice!!
We head back to the laundry mat to move our clothes from the washer to the dryer before returning to some stores again. We actually decided to go to a place called Cheeseboard where they sold a variety of cheese, fudge, dips, candy, and more. I cannot deny buying some cheese for sandwiches and cheese curds. The curds do not squeak sadly but are still good. They are dill and garlic cheddar and the slices are raspberry cheddar I think. Tastes like sweet raspberry and yet still cheese; absolutely amazing. The intern and I tried a variety of cheese flavors both expensive and not. I intended on buying one more flavor but decided to stick with what I had.
After we left the cheeseboard we went back to get our clothes, folded them up, and head back to the center. The day has been great so far and it was truly nice to hang out with one of the interns for a while. Normally I feel super awkward if I am only hanging out with one person but not today, it was super fun! My friends may not recognize me when I go home because I can hang out with everyone solo without being super quiet and antisocial haha :)!
Since returning I honestly played some facebook games and listened to music until I felt like I needed to do something. Since I am rather sick of protocols at the moment I figured why not just update my resume! It's been a while since I have done so and thanks to our assistant education director and a rehabber I now have two very amazing examples to look off of when crafting my own. So hopefully it won't look so crunched and disorganized anymore!
Afterwards all of us interns but one went to a rehabbers house with his girlfriend and played board games (especially pictionary) for the rest of the evening before we left, went to mcdonalds, and then went to bed. Good day indeed!
Rather than going out and about to some random park, forest, etc I actually just walked around Minocqua with a fellow intern here at the center. What a better way to spend your time waiting on laundry rather than actually waiting on laundry. We visited multiple shops with amazing items. My favorite shop is the one that had a ton of Common Loon crafts (from shirts to mugs to decor) and other decorations like carpets, blankets, wooden sculptures, glass sculptures, and more. Another store we visited was a T-shirt store and although I did not fit truly anything in there it was still cool to see all the different (and funny designs). Like one was either a bear or moose that looked super tired and below is said "sleepy head". Matching jammy pants as well! We went to a fudge shop and I bought AMAZING fudge. Was about $9 but totally worth it because it's rather sweet so I know for sure that I will savor it. It's maple something; maybe maple almond. It tastes both sweet with a hint of salty plus maple and its fudge so overall a great choice!!
We head back to the laundry mat to move our clothes from the washer to the dryer before returning to some stores again. We actually decided to go to a place called Cheeseboard where they sold a variety of cheese, fudge, dips, candy, and more. I cannot deny buying some cheese for sandwiches and cheese curds. The curds do not squeak sadly but are still good. They are dill and garlic cheddar and the slices are raspberry cheddar I think. Tastes like sweet raspberry and yet still cheese; absolutely amazing. The intern and I tried a variety of cheese flavors both expensive and not. I intended on buying one more flavor but decided to stick with what I had.
After we left the cheeseboard we went back to get our clothes, folded them up, and head back to the center. The day has been great so far and it was truly nice to hang out with one of the interns for a while. Normally I feel super awkward if I am only hanging out with one person but not today, it was super fun! My friends may not recognize me when I go home because I can hang out with everyone solo without being super quiet and antisocial haha :)!
Since returning I honestly played some facebook games and listened to music until I felt like I needed to do something. Since I am rather sick of protocols at the moment I figured why not just update my resume! It's been a while since I have done so and thanks to our assistant education director and a rehabber I now have two very amazing examples to look off of when crafting my own. So hopefully it won't look so crunched and disorganized anymore!
Afterwards all of us interns but one went to a rehabbers house with his girlfriend and played board games (especially pictionary) for the rest of the evening before we left, went to mcdonalds, and then went to bed. Good day indeed!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Day 64 - Education
It has been a very long time since we have experienced a slow day, at least for me anyway, but today may have been the slowest. When I say slow I mean at least 6 tours total slow between 10am and 4pm. Normally we have a tour every half hour and wonder when we will have time for lunch. Today we were wondering what else we could do since all our cleaning tasks were mostly finished and because there wasn't a computer to work on stuff with. In particular I was hoping to update the gift shop stuff since there have been quite a few changes since the last time I touched the system. However since one of our other interns can't seem to get her computer situation figured out...she steals it and suddenly the WORK laptop is MIA. So much for updating any databases or anything work related....
The good news is due to the day being as slow as it was, I was able to finally just relax and de-stress. The last week has practically killed me to the point I have been wanting to go home every day but now that I can feel like I can relax a little without someone jumping down my throat about something; things aren't so bad again. I also realized I only have about a month left here in Wisconsin so although the relaxation period is short lived due to protocols/dosage sheets/brochures I promised I would work on...on top of everything else... it was nice to finally relax. I will hopefully finish everything before I leave but honestly there's so much paperwork and so little time to do anything BESIDES work on my days off (which I am NOT happy about whatsoever) I guess paperwork will rule my life and adventuring stops here. Yay.... (sarcasm)
Needless to say I am enjoying myself but not 100% lately. Sorry everyone...but I speak the truth. Still, great experience overall but just wish things were better. I miss the first few weeks when everything was absolutely amazing and fun. Now I feel stressed and pushed around without much room to even dare retaliate. This free-spirited soul hates cages and that it why I am very resistant when people attempt to shove me into one.
Besides tours and answering maybe one or two phone calls today, I restocked some gift shop stuff, helped with morning chores, cleaned the exam room for rehab side, and helped take care of our resident Snowy Owl's daily foot checks with one of our rehabbers. Aside from all this the remainder of my day was spent napping for hours with the occasional rude awakening, going to get food, driving around a little, getting gas, and buying a few groceries. Tomorrow, due to being off, will probably be sleeping in, finally doing all my laundry (yay clean clothes!), and working on protocols.
The sooner they are finished the sooner I get my freedom back.
The good news is due to the day being as slow as it was, I was able to finally just relax and de-stress. The last week has practically killed me to the point I have been wanting to go home every day but now that I can feel like I can relax a little without someone jumping down my throat about something; things aren't so bad again. I also realized I only have about a month left here in Wisconsin so although the relaxation period is short lived due to protocols/dosage sheets/brochures I promised I would work on...on top of everything else... it was nice to finally relax. I will hopefully finish everything before I leave but honestly there's so much paperwork and so little time to do anything BESIDES work on my days off (which I am NOT happy about whatsoever) I guess paperwork will rule my life and adventuring stops here. Yay.... (sarcasm)
Needless to say I am enjoying myself but not 100% lately. Sorry everyone...but I speak the truth. Still, great experience overall but just wish things were better. I miss the first few weeks when everything was absolutely amazing and fun. Now I feel stressed and pushed around without much room to even dare retaliate. This free-spirited soul hates cages and that it why I am very resistant when people attempt to shove me into one.
Besides tours and answering maybe one or two phone calls today, I restocked some gift shop stuff, helped with morning chores, cleaned the exam room for rehab side, and helped take care of our resident Snowy Owl's daily foot checks with one of our rehabbers. Aside from all this the remainder of my day was spent napping for hours with the occasional rude awakening, going to get food, driving around a little, getting gas, and buying a few groceries. Tomorrow, due to being off, will probably be sleeping in, finally doing all my laundry (yay clean clothes!), and working on protocols.
The sooner they are finished the sooner I get my freedom back.
Day 63 - Rehabilitation
Today marks 9 weeks as an intern here at NWC!
One word can describe today, BUSY. Other words include tired as all get out, stressed, and overall tired of everything. My day was not the greatest but was not the worst either. The intern and I mostly fed. I actually got the chance to feed our, now 3, baby red squirrels today while the other intern fed raccoons. He saw that for the last week I have been stuck on raccoons and thankfully took the job from me. I love the coons and all but after a week of nothing but them and barely touching squirrels; was tired of it.
Besides feeding practically every two hours I also did my best to make sure the kitchen dishes were kept up so a pile did not form. I had to wash my dropper used to feed the babies anyway so I figured why not wash everything else as well. Through out the day it was mostly squirrel feedings and dishes. The three red squirrels in the cage room, they are bigger guys, were moved outside into the pre-release cage where they are now enjoying their new home. Our two gray squirrels, whom were once babies and now big!, were moved as well. So now all three of our pre-release cages are full.
Besides doing more dishes and feedings today, the other intern and I teamed up with an education intern and watered the garden in back. We then grabbed DC the Eastern Screech Owl and brought her inside. We put anklets on her feet so that she could be leashed and used on programs again. We also trimmed her talons and worked on her beak by filing it down. This is we stay safe regarding the talons and so her beak doesn't grow a tube that prevents her from eating I believe. All of the birds get monthly "maintenance" so she was the first for this month. One her exam was finished and I put her back, we went on lunch for an hour.
After lunch I did more feeding/dishes and then helped a rehabber with our resident Snowy Owl. She needed her bandages changed on her feet and other daily maintenance in order to heal infections in her feet. Her feet are looking a lot better since her arrival so although progress is rather slow they are still healing (knock on wood). I think after this I helped with tub dishes and other daily chores before the intern left for REGI with three Robins and one nestling that may be a Vireo. I on the other hand went upstairs with phone for a very short duration of time. Had to call someone in Michigan and give them numbers for Michigan rehabilitators since animals cannot cross borders. After that a call came in about some Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels who were going to arrive in roughly 20 minutes. That is about how long I could relax before heading downstairs to greet them with the squirrels. They filled our the cards and the exam began. I put deflea on them, weighed them, sexed them (4 Females, 1 Male), and placed them in a box that went into an incubator. After about an hour they went from very chilled and lathargic to energetic and peppy. They kept making chipping noises and were the most adorable things ever. Eventually we gave them rehydration fluid at 5% body weight and overall everything seemed good.
One word can describe today, BUSY. Other words include tired as all get out, stressed, and overall tired of everything. My day was not the greatest but was not the worst either. The intern and I mostly fed. I actually got the chance to feed our, now 3, baby red squirrels today while the other intern fed raccoons. He saw that for the last week I have been stuck on raccoons and thankfully took the job from me. I love the coons and all but after a week of nothing but them and barely touching squirrels; was tired of it.
Besides feeding practically every two hours I also did my best to make sure the kitchen dishes were kept up so a pile did not form. I had to wash my dropper used to feed the babies anyway so I figured why not wash everything else as well. Through out the day it was mostly squirrel feedings and dishes. The three red squirrels in the cage room, they are bigger guys, were moved outside into the pre-release cage where they are now enjoying their new home. Our two gray squirrels, whom were once babies and now big!, were moved as well. So now all three of our pre-release cages are full.
Besides doing more dishes and feedings today, the other intern and I teamed up with an education intern and watered the garden in back. We then grabbed DC the Eastern Screech Owl and brought her inside. We put anklets on her feet so that she could be leashed and used on programs again. We also trimmed her talons and worked on her beak by filing it down. This is we stay safe regarding the talons and so her beak doesn't grow a tube that prevents her from eating I believe. All of the birds get monthly "maintenance" so she was the first for this month. One her exam was finished and I put her back, we went on lunch for an hour.
After lunch I did more feeding/dishes and then helped a rehabber with our resident Snowy Owl. She needed her bandages changed on her feet and other daily maintenance in order to heal infections in her feet. Her feet are looking a lot better since her arrival so although progress is rather slow they are still healing (knock on wood). I think after this I helped with tub dishes and other daily chores before the intern left for REGI with three Robins and one nestling that may be a Vireo. I on the other hand went upstairs with phone for a very short duration of time. Had to call someone in Michigan and give them numbers for Michigan rehabilitators since animals cannot cross borders. After that a call came in about some Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels who were going to arrive in roughly 20 minutes. That is about how long I could relax before heading downstairs to greet them with the squirrels. They filled our the cards and the exam began. I put deflea on them, weighed them, sexed them (4 Females, 1 Male), and placed them in a box that went into an incubator. After about an hour they went from very chilled and lathargic to energetic and peppy. They kept making chipping noises and were the most adorable things ever. Eventually we gave them rehydration fluid at 5% body weight and overall everything seemed good.
Sadly, either I did something wrong or something unseen occurred because all but one were found dead this morning. The last survivor only lasted for maybe a few hours before she too died as well despite the rehydration period. Not sure what happened at all; but despite them being very active and making sounds + feeding well I guess it did not matter.
At 8pm I fed the red squirrels, these guys, and the raccoons since the other intern wasn't back yet. I also fed the squirrels again at 10pm. Once finished I was finally able to eat dinner and sit down/relax for the first time today besides the "short" lunch period. Shortly after was bed. Still rather sad about the squirrels today since I am the sole caretaker but can you blame someone who truly lacks overall experience with judging situations despite the fews time I was able to watch others? I truly feel it was an unseen event that occurred but who knows... or at least... what have I not been told?
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