A Year

Where does the time go?

It was a year ago this week that I first started work at the Audubon Center of the North Woods. It seems like just yesterday that I was packing up to move to Minnesota. Looking back, I have learned a lot and had many new experiences.

Some of the Audubon Staff

A few things I have done over the past year are (in no particular order):

1. Learned how to handle and care for birds, both education and rehab.
2. Tried numerous new foods, some of which were actually good. I now eat red sauce on my pasta, sweet potato fries and cooked broccoli to name a few.
3. Learned how to use a few power tools to do enclosure maintenance. Please note this is still a work in progress
4. Grabbed a Bald Eagle from its enclosure.
5. Went to my first baseball game ever.
6. Completed 10 graduate credits.
7. Picked up a few Ojibwe words. Boozhoo!
8. Made a bunch of new friends.
9. Got footed by a Bald Eagle and now have some talon scars around my ankle.
10. Trained an American Kestrel to "step up" nicely onto glove.

Its been a fantastic year.  I feel like this job has been very good for me. This is the longest I have worked somewhere continuously, which I guess means that I am becoming an adult. Scary! I enjoy my job (most days) and am constantly learning something or being challenged. I am looking forward to my remaining time at the center and can't wait to see whats in store for me next!

Hamline

TA DA!!

A benefit of my internship at the Audubon Center of the North Woods was a graduate certificate in environmental education from Hamline University. I finished the classes in May. When I got home this weekend my certificate was waiting for me!

A Day Downtown

Yesterday, I spent a lovely afternoon wandering around downtown Minneapolis with Amanda. It was great to get out of the Sandstone bubble for a bit and see a few sites.

Sculpture garden at the Walker Art Museum - the giant cherry and spoon!

Amanda and I on the bridge connecting the sculpture garden and Loring Park

Me in front of the Mary Tyler Moore statue at near Macy's

For as much as I love living in a more rural area, I always enjoy spending time wandering around cities. There is something about all the hussle and bustle; Enjoying good food and good company that makes me happy!

Merlin

Earlier this week, we got a female Merlin in for rehab.

This is the first Merlin that I had seen, in the wild or otherwise. Perhaps its because I work with falcons on a a daily basis but it was a beautiful bird. The long toes, nicely notched beak and the fun feather patterns. 

The people that brought the Merlin in found her after she hit a window, most likely chasing prey. After we examined her, the bird appeared to have some wing injury. I put a body wrap on the bird (the white bandage you see in the photos) so she couldn't move her wing. The good news is after a bit of rehab at The Raptor Center, this bird has a good chance for release.

Weekend Up North

My grandparents came to visit me this past weekend. It was a fantastic change of pace from the past week. We just moved slow and relaxed and saw some sites. On Friday I showed them around where I work. On Saturday, we hit up the Duluth and Superior area. We went to Canal Park as well as a couple Wisconsin State Parks. In addition, my Grandpa showed me some of his childhood stomping grounds.

Lighthouse at Canal Park

Manitou Falls at Pattison Park State Park

Little Manitou Falls at Pattison State Park

Shortly after my Grandparents dropped me off at my house,  my housemates asked if I wanted to go to Duluth with them. So I hopped back in the car and went to Canal Park and Superior Street with them. On the way home we grabbed pizza in this cute little place in Moose Lake.

It was a fun filled, relaxing weekend and a bit of what I needed!

What a Week!

The past week has been insane! We had the Ways of Wildlife Camp with 18 campers and many field trips connected to animals.

On the first full day of camp, my half of the group went to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. We got a behind the scenes tour and got a glimpse into what it takes to run an aquarium. It was lots of fun and we saw a bunch of fish. As a special bonus, the tall ships were still in the Duluth Harbor when we got there. 

My group in with the scuba diver in the sturgeon tank!

Me and a moose

Tall ships in Duluth

The next day we went back to Duluth to be a zoo keeper for the day at the Lake Superior Zoo. Here we went behind the scenes and cleaned the kangaroo enclosure. Then we got to explore the zoo before rushing back to the center for a Wildcat Sanctuary program. As part of this program we made enrichment for the cats which basically means we used cardboard boxes and paint to make giant cat toys!

Campers in front the the 'roo exhibit

(notice the matching t-shirts we made!)

Me showing my arm span!

The awesome cat toys!

On Wednesday, we learned about wildlife rehab. We took out a bunch of salvage animals and learned how to do a physical and bandages on an injured animal. It was a great lead in to our afternoon at an animal hospital. We took a tour of the vet clinic and rehab facilities in Garrison. Afterward, we took our picture by a huge Walleye (Minnesota's state fish)!

Me in front of the giant walleye!

On Thursday, we started the day in the barn. Half the group did kestrel handling and the other half did barn chores. It was fun to see how excited the kids were to gut the food or feed a herp. That afternoon, we drove down to the Wildlife Science Center. We saw the wolves, bears and other critters that they house.

Four wolves checking out our group!

Friday morning was a repeat of Thursday and then the campers got picked up after lunch. All in all this was a crazy week. It was exhausting because I worked nearly 90 hours but it was fulfilling at the same time. Through the week we got to see alot of critters and the campers learned how much work goes into caring for animals. It was great to see the kids get so excited to see, touch or feed an animal!

Family Reunion

Well, this past week was the family reunion. I met up with the parents, grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins for a few days in Door County. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip!

Close up of a dragonfly

Sunset

Cave Point County Park

My parents and I