oh my, winter's on it's way

i apologize for the many months i've spent without an update but summer is not the time to be on the computer (unless it's your job). with prime time tv back on and the weather making me want to stay inside cuddled on the couch, the internet is seeing much more of my face lately and i have no excuse to ignore bird songs.

i'm still working full time at the wild bird care centre and it's still the best thing in my life. i feel so lucky everyday to have a job i'm so passionate about and be working with people i consider to be such dear friends. lately, it's been all about cuddling with very sick canada geese and driving hawks to the vet for surgery every day.

speaking of birds, a friend of mine sent me this link a few days ago and i think it's worthy of sharing (i already posted it to tracey's blog!). it's a new book of bird photos by andrew zuckerman and they are the most incredible pictures i've ever seen. he's being hailed as the modern day audubon because he uses technology to be able to capture every detail of these animals. his use of the white background makes every image into a portrait. check it out. bird book

i love my job

i knew i liked volunteering at the bird centre but i never realized how much until i started as a full time employee 4 weeks ago. i have never felt more passionate about anything. this really is what i need to do with my life. animal care is my calling. i go in on my days off, i put in unpaid overtime, i go home and cry because i've fallen in love with the sick, it's stressful and overwhelming but there is no where else i'd rather be. i learn new things every hour, and there's still so so much i don't know. i just know i feel as though this is where i belong. now if only i could somehow satisfy that pang in the back of my chest that wants me to wander the planet for months on end...

my social life is mostly on hold. one or two times a week i manage to show my face around town but i mostly work and sleep. my next task is finding more time for my pony.

i think i'll be going to mtl this sunday evening for A Camp. hope to see some ladies i like

oops

i feel bad because i never want to write about my life anymore. i still don't want to but the guilt is winning out for a quick moment.

i've started my summer job at the bird centre. i work 4 days a week, 10.5 hours a day. it's really tiring and leaves me time for nearly nothing else. when i do have days off, i get to spend them in physio and desperately trying to accomplish household chores. i need to start finding more time for ponies and friends. i'll get into a routine i guess.

it's nice to be a graduate though. i got 100% on my ornithology final so i really went out with a bang. i've even been able to apply some of my new knowledge at work and people seem genuinely impressed. that feels good.

so that's my life lately. i wish my summer was going to be about more than just making money but it really won't. that has to be my first priority, oreo being my second. my social life is going to have to wait.

i've been eating really well lately. calorie counting is more fun than it sounds and very rewarding.

here is a recent picture of me with a paper mache bald eagle

actual bird song content

so i came home from my bird song course this morning (at 10am...it's over by then) and i heard a bird singing in the trees across the street. i didn't know what it was but it was a distinct call that felt familiar so i went to my trusty bird songs field guide and spent ages listening to recordings and finally identified it as a northern cardinal :) i feel that this is a really huge accomplishment and a step in the right direction. i can't wait for more moments like this.

i'm sorry

i apologize for neglecting you. the stress is close to ending, i may finish today. but it's sure taken it's toll on me. there is a muscle in my thigh that has been spasming for 4 days now and i feel pressure on my chest not to mention headaches and eye aches. i need some serious massage therapy and love therapy to undo the troubles school has caused me.

this morning i attended my first class of my bird song identification course. i really feel that i'm on my way to becoming a life long birder and naturalist-hobbiest and this fact gives me a tingly happiness. in my dream world, this would be my paying career but those jobs are tough to come by so i won't hold my breath.

i have set fitness goals for the months of april and may and i hope i achieve them. i'm lucky to have a man in my corner now, helping me on. once this rain stops, it'll be jogging/biking/riding season in full force and i'll be out of excuses. i think for graduation i'm getting a new bike like this:

flashcards

i've combined studying with arts&crafts to make 135 flashcards for my birds midterm next tuesday. it's a lot of work so i hope it pays off with a juicy A+. i had to cut my favorite bird book into pieces in order to make these. besides the stresses of school work, my life is looking pretty perfect lately :) also, i want to learn how to do this lauren conrad updo. it's so pretty.

dance baby dance

Bird Shakes His Tailfeather @ Yahoo! Video

this is how i'm studying for my ornithology quiz today

field trips

yesterday i went on a school field trip to observe waterfowl all afternoon. i met a pretty massive cutie who was also a bird expert and i followed him around asking questions but on the way back to school he casually put it into the conversation that he had a gf. OF COURSE. he would have been a bad date anyways. seemed like kind of a know-it-all but what can i say, i'm a sucker for scruffy hair and blue eyes that can identify the subtle differences between icelandic, herring and glaucous gulls. here are some pictures of a few of the birds i saw that i had never seen before.

male common goldeneye-my most exciting sighting of the day


female common merganser-i've seen these at the bird centre before but they are still magnificent


female black duck-didn't even know this species existed until yesterday. probably always mistook them for female mallards. only now do i realize how ignorant that was.


glaucous gull-another species i never knew about. the same large size as the greater black-back gull but with much lighter colouration

picking insects off leaves

i just sent an apology email to a guy i went on one date with 3 years ago, because i was kind of a bitch to him and never explained why at the time (there was a reason that had nothing to do with him). i'm not sure if it's a good idea to rehash stuff like that so long after the fact but i figure saying nice things to people is never a bad idea. if you have nothing good to say, keep it to yourself but if you have something good to say, you should always, always say it. making people feel good makes you feel good :)

i'm almost finished knitting my very first scarf and it looks pretty lovely if i may say so myself. today i met my first whitewing crossbill at work and tomorrow i am going on a 4 hour field trip to look at waterfowl. all i want to do lately is go to the movies and as much as i love going to movies alone, i have these dumb 2 for 1 passes that i have to use up before the end of the month and i'm not having an easy time finding movie dates. everyone is too busy, poor, or has bad cinematic taste. check out this madly cute spider pic that made my day.

amputation

today i had the privilege of observing some minor surgery done on the leg of a ring-billed gull. the poor guy came in recently with his leg basically dangling by a thread. they wrapped it to try to get it to set together but nothing was happening so they decided this morning that his best bet for a good life would be amputation of the lower leg. there was only skin and a bit of tendon to cut through, but i still felt ill when i saw that they would be using scissors while the gull was fully awake! birds are incredibly resilient creatures and never cease to amazing me with how well they deal with injury. there was a fair bit of bleeding but some stitches and lots of pressure took care of that after a few minutes and he was wrapped up and should be able to be released come spring. just another interesting day on the job!

the leg before shot.



stitching up the remaining leg



already standing and eating only minutes later

best of bird songs

the lyre bird shows us why birds are the most amazing by imitating every sound he's ever heard to impress the ladies. i am supposed to be cramming for my ornithology final right now and this is probably not the best way.

cardinals

i wonder if we'll get any of these guys at the centre this winter. as much as i hope wild birds never get hurt, i like learning about different species when they arrive and comparing their behaviours. i would also be interested to see some grouse or terns.

must love owls

last night i was at the house party of an adorable guy when i noticed the pattern on his comforter. all signs point to owl lover

thank goodness for this

what a treat :)