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

45 X 90

I think my nerdiness was on full display today.

Amanda and I went to the exact center of the northern half of the western hemisphere which lies on the 45th parallel and 90th meridian. Basically that means its the halfway point between the equator and the north pole (and it happens to be the halfway point between Greenwich, England and the International Dateline).  There are 4 points in the world where the 45th and 90th meet - the one in Wisconsin is the most visited because 2 are in the middle of the ocean and one is in a remote area of China.

The marker the county put up

Me in front of the sign!

Yep, thats right. It is in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a bunch of corn fields. The sign was placed along the road side and its not at the true location - that is about 1000 feet East in the corn field....but it was still fun!

Back to Wausau

So I have a full 6 days off and am spending a few of them in Wausau. My friend came to visit for a few days and we went to the few fun places there are in this town.

Rib Mountain State Park - Quarry Area

Me sitting on a hippo statue at the Leigh Yawkey

(don't worry, the sign said it was ok to sit on it)

Amanda and I at the Eau Claire Dells bluffs!

All in all, its nice to be able to sit around and relax; not having to worry about anything. Oh and I have been getting my Starbucks fill. For the rest of the week, I will be at the family reunion in Door County. Looking forward to more relaxing and some good photo chances! :)

milkweed

I took a walk today around the property. I wish I could have been out longer but I was nearly eaten alive by the mosquitoes and flies. I did, however, manage to take quite a few pictures of the critters I found hanging out on the common milkweed!

The underside of the leaf

Tree Frog (Green Phase) - there were 2 of them

but I wasn't quick enough with my camera.

Daddy long legs

Monarch Caterpillar