Last Week In Waynesboro

Back on the road to California :) I'm sad to leave but so ready to get back to my life and school and figure out what's the next adventure. I learned tremendous amounts and I'm excited to take that knowledge to my next educational opportunity and apply it to my studies. To be completely immersed in this type of experience is ......I don't know....there are no words....but I'm on the road for a few more days so I'll try to find them at some point :) It's kind of one of those things that you have to be there for. But either way, I'll do my best.

I left Waynesboro, VA yesterday around 6am and arrived in Little Rock, AR at 5:30CST to pick up my mom from the airport. She's driving with me back to CA (bless her heart!) and it should be a pretty fun trip. We're leaving at 7am...hahah I've been up for an hour already and mom is struggling since she's jet lagged and I'm still on EST. so today might be kinda rough ;)

Either way, need to pack up and hit the road soon!

Here are some pics I took the last week I spent at my externship in Waynesboro, VA at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Enjoy!!!

Backyard Birding - American Robin

I have found my new favorite bird hahahah for now...I love birds ugghhhh

hahah anyways, I have gotten to work a lot with the American Robin (Turdus migratorius) this summer and have grown to absolutely adore them. They have such big personality....that can be said about so many species...but seriously, they are such characters. I enjoy so much getting to spend time feeding them and watching them grow and learn to be real birds in our Aviary Complex.

First of all...don't I work in such a gorgeous place!???! I'm so lucky :)

This is the Aviary where birds are slowly moved into as they develop their flying abilities and learn to self feed. They stay here until they are deemed ready for release....anyways, the Robin...

You will often see Robins foraging through lawns for worms and other invertebrates, with their characteristic run and stop, run and stop movements. They are common and I'm sure you have seen them all over...I definitely have. We have gotten quite a few in the past weeks and it is the first time I've really gotten to work with them.

Females are distinguished from males by their slightly duller coloring and can have three successful broods in a year. They are the largest of the thrushes and can live up to 13 years but most survive much less...about half of robins will survive to the next year (hence so many broods)

The Robin is omnivorous... invertebrates and berries comprise the majority of their diet in the wild.

They are highly adaptable birds and can be found in many urban environments. Because they forage through lawns, etc. they are susceptible to pesticide ingestion/death....So next time you decide to spray your yard to take care of a pest...give a thought for the other pretty creatures who make your yard their home and maybe look for more eco-friendly approaches. :) :)

My favorite thing about juvenile robins are their vocalizations...I could hang out with them in the aviary ALL day *sigh* It is a highlight of my day getting to feed them. The feathers on the top of their head will fluff up and so will their chests as they demand food. Check it out...I hate the crappy quality of video on my phone but......o well, what's a girl to do....

I can deny them nothing!! hahah Anyways, seriously contemplating nabbing one of these and sticking it in my purse before I leave ;)

Week 6 - Bears and Junk

I was pretty bummed when I got here and the bear cubs were weaned off formula because I think it would have made my life if I could have bottle fed a bear cub (maybe next summer). But I am happy that I have gotten to watch them grow up and start to become real bears....it was pretty scary at first but I have been taking care of them for so long that it's hard to be scared after awhile...they're like upright, seriously dangerous puppy dogs :) :)

The highlight of the past couple weeks has been the completion of the Large Mammal Complex and the subsequent moving of ALL 16 bear cubs to this larger, open air enclosure. They were kept in smaller brick installations which were designed to house adult, injured bears or a single cub, etc. Here are some pics and you'll see why these became unsuitable for growing cubs.

this is a shot of the yearling bear that we housed for the summer

he liked dragging water tubs into his den :) and blocking his den door :(

Deep cleaning pens was not fun for anyone with no ventilation, it was suffocating work and stressful for all creatures involved

We'd enter the enclosure from a door (at the top center) after trying to get most (if not all) of the cubs into the back dens. If we couldn't get them all back there, we'd have someone on the roof yelling directions to the people entering the pen and someone working the door to the back den....it was an undertaking haha especially has the cubs got bigger and became less scared of us.

This is a pic after a nice deep cleaning and fresh straw....anyways as you can see, keeping 16 growing cubs in these pens was just not a great idea and so we were all extremely happy to see them moved outside. They seem to absolutely love it and love being together...eventhough there are the occasional frequent tussles (especially around feeding time) they are becoming real bears and learning to socialize etc etc. Here are some fun pics of them in their new enclosure...as you can see very open :)

Adorable but not quite cuddly

Open air means more curiosity lol

They loooove the hose and water in general. I absolutely adore getting to fill their tubs.

Cuz......... just look!!!

Look!!!!!

They love cuddling and sleeping in a huge pile!!!! ugghhh it melts my heart!!

Can't get enough of them......

Anyways, we're working out a lot of details of keeping them in there (feeding, cleaning, safety issues, etc) until the Second Phase is completed....check out the description in the link.... towers for observation....triple gate system...this thing is going to be SO legit. I'm so excited!! It will be sad to have less and less contact with them but it is what is best for them...and safest for us.

I can't describe how happy it makes my heart to see them everyday being little bears...it makes all the hard work and near bear attacks SO worth it. This is the kind of work I came here to do...I wanted to make a difference and it feels wonderful to get to be a part of something that has not been done before. As I head home to California (in just 2 weeks) I will always hold on to that feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself, something truely meaningful...it will keep me pushing through the stress of school and trips away from home and friends. I feel like, for the first time, I was meant for something big...very big and I'm going to figure out what exactly that is :) :)

Gnight all. More coming soon!