Sarvey update

Sarvey was great today. I actually got some cross training on some of the inside work. Which was nice, but I would be sad if I hadn't gotten the chance muck out the educational raptors' mews. It's become one of my favorite things to do since I get the chance to interact with them a bit. I definitely wouldn't have traded the experience for what I got to do today, (which is all well and good since I still got to do the Ed flights anyway.)  I started off the day with my typical routine of feeding. I fed the permanent crows, and the raven, and by the time I was finished I got roped into helping with a ring-necked dove. We had to catch it first. This particular dove has a tendency to escape every chance it gets. In any case once caught, we relocated the dove to an outside flight, where it quickly made itself at home.

from there I was able to begin work on cleaning mews, since most of the mid-day feeding had been done. I was able to get through the entirety of the Educational building, as usual. I believe my studying great horned owl behavior is paying off. Athena didn't pull her usual antics. She was her usual alarmed self on my way in, as expected, but I took the approach differently, bowing my head, and hooting to her in a GHOW cadence. I think it caught her off guard because she pretty much stopped hissing immediately and stared at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted an extra arm out of my forehead. I don't think she was expecting it. She was able to settle down after that, though she still remained alert, and watchful. She would hiss if I got too close, but that's only natural, and not something I was terribly worried about. I was able to go about mucking the entire flight, and making a couple trips in and out. She didn't get overly territorial this time! Where before she would herd me out of the flight, and sit on the ledge by the door, pressed into the netting so she could see my every movement. None of that today. After I left her flight she settled right back down, and the rest of her watching the rest of the day was relaxed and curious. Awesome!

I also tried hooting at Tadita, the Barred owl today. Once again I found myself catching a bird off guard. She get peering at me, and turning her head around to get a better look. Maybe I'd turned into another owl for all the attention she paid me. I have to say, the hooting business was rather amusing. 

I spent some extra time with Iya the barn owl today, as she's becoming a fast favorite of mine. I enjoy making twittering sounds at her, and having her respond. No hissing screeches from her today, like I usually get. Mostly just chitters and twitters. She only got agitated once while I was in the flight, and that was because I started raking and she didn't like the noise. Once I'd moved on to Skaska's flight next door, she kept screeching, and I would find myself talking to her and twittering to get her to calm down. She's such a vocal bird.

The other flights were fairly uneventful. Rex the crow apparently wasn't in the mood to play today like he usually does, so I didn't spend much time extra time in their yurt. Instead I found myself back inside and suddenly charged with the task of learning how to wrangle raptors. 

I started with a western screech owl, who was very laid back about the whole process (probably not a good sign if the bid doesn't fight back much, but he was a good practice bird.) He managed to back himself into a corner of his snyder and produce a lot of rapid beak snapping, but otherwise didn't fight back much. I was able to scoop him up in a towel, and grab hold of his little talons so that my lead could tube him. He went back into his snyder wide-eyed, and apparently traumatized judging by the look he gave me.

Next I got to move on to a slightly more challenging bird. We had to get some fluids in a Barred owl, who had been hit by a car, and was having several issues. She was also fairly easy to wrangle up, as she probably wasn't feeling too great. She had the presence of mind to fight back a little during the tubing though. The first tubing didn't stay down, and I had to turn her upside down and shake her gently to help clear her airways as she vomited it up. We tried one more time, and this time she kept it down at first. I could tell she wasn't feel great though. I attempted to get her back in her snyder, and she ended up at the edge with her tail feathers hanging out. I had to readjust her by actually picking her up and physically moving her because she was feeling so rotten. She ended up throwing up again several minutes later, poor thing. She just isn't doing well at all. 

Next I got tasked to clean a Saw-whet cage, which meant wrangling yet another bird. The saw-whet gave me a run for my money. He was a determined little bird, and he wanted out of the cage by any means necessary. He nearly flew out a couple times before I was able to corner him, and get him all wrapped up in a towel so I could transport him into a plastic tub while I cleaned. He tried to escape yet again on his way back in.

After that it was off to check how a pair of crows were flying to see if they were ready for release. I'm happy to report that they're doing rather well, and there's a good chance they'll be back in the wild soon. 

I went on to prepping food for the next day, which is typical toward the end of my shift. I got everybodies meals all bagged up, and at around the point I finished we had some new arrivals show up. A red tail hawk, who likely will not make the night, and a domestic bunny. Unusual arrival for us, since we don't take domestic animals. The bunny was probably bred to look similar to a wild cottontail, thus the easy mistake on the part of the person who found him. Since this particular bunny if definitely domestic, I got to spend extra time cuddling, and feeding it. I've so fallen in love with this bunny. If everything works out he may be coming home with me at some point. He such a sweety, and a major cuddler. 

That's about all there is to say about how today went. As for me I'm exhausted, and pleasantly satisfied with my progress for the time being. 

Stuffed owls.

Small owl
Great horned plush
Snowy owl
Burrowing owl
A second burrowing owl
Barn owl
Not an owl, but still a bird.

Sparkling cider always feels more sophisticated in a wine glass.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I actually rather enjoyed it this year. Not quite as awkward as last years "family gathering" full of unfamiliar, and not particularly friendly people. This year it was just myself, Shawn, His mother, and one of our mutual friends. Thanksgiving fell on my usual volunteer day, and as opposed to taking the day off, I opted to compromise by going in early around 9:30am, and leaving around 2.  There was a surprising number of people volunteering that day, although I was informed that it wasn't unusual for a butt-load of staff and volunteers to show up on the major holidays, and knock everything out early so we could all relax. 

The work day turned out to be a very productive one, even with my gross lack of sleep the night before, and my tendency to forget to eat while I'm there. (I'm used to a more structured setting where I was told to take a break at a specific time. Things at Sarvey are more relaxed, and I can pretty much break to eat whenever I need to within reason. Unfortunately I have a tendency to get wrapped up in things, and go the entire 6 hour shift without eating.) I ended up cleaning all of the Ed animal flights that day with the exception of Waskate (A bald eagle who can be aggressive,) and Scout, the grumpy raccoon. This meant I got to clean Freedom's flight for the first time, and finally got to meet our little celebrity. When I approached the flight she was right up front, and already interested. She didn't seem to mind my being there at all, which was about what I expected from her. She mostly just stood on the ground at the front of her flight, and watched me as I made my rounds. When it came time for me to clean the area she was in, she diligently ambled out of the way and made herself comfortable elsewhere. She's smaller then I thought she would be, but then again I'd probably feel differently with 12 lbs of bird hanging off my arm.

Other then Athena's usual antics the day was fairly uneventful, though one of the Peregrines, Isda, decided to get curious about me and got right up in my face while I was in her mew. I also nearly had a squirrel get adventurous and try to escape on me, but other then that yeah, not so eventful.

I am sad to report though that Road Warrior, a bald eagle with a head injury that stayed with us for two weeks or so, had to be humanely euthanized. Last Thursday when I saw him he seemed to be making good progress, though he had some depth perception issues when he ate. I guess over the week there were just too many complications, and it was in his best interest let him go. I'm sad, I was rooting for him, even if I did know his chances weren't great.

Been focusing a lot more on birds recently with my budding interest in ornithology. This has been great for rekindling my interest in more artistic endeavors. Along with illustrations here and there I also started up a sketch journal, and have used it as an excuse to get into the nitty-gritty of Owl physiology. After I get the basics out of the way I plan to delve into the individual species common to the northwest, and develop some good general knowledge. My plan for the next few years actually involve pursuing a biology degree, and maybe doing my thesis on ornithology. I'd love to do bird-specific vet-work, but I realize that a general biology degree opens up more job opportunities then narrowing myself down into something so specialized. Honestly though, I'd probably be happy working at a Raptor center for minimum wage for the rest of my life. If going to school is what it will take, then that's what I'll do. 

This was supposed to be a black winged kite, but somewhere a long the way I realized the pattern on it's wing didn't look quite right, and by that point it was too late to change it. Guess I'll have to take it into account for next time. It reminds me more of a Plumbeous kites markings to be honest.

Great horned owl, and a favorite of mine among birds. I'm still attempting to figure out how to coax Athena (one of the Ed birds at Sarvey wildlife center,) into being more comfortable with my presence. As it is she's taken to getting territorial, and guarding her flight from me. She'll actually attempt to attack me through the wiring if I get too close. Thankfully I can usually get in and out to clean it before she gets too up in arms, but I'm worried that, that could change with her increasingly aggressive behavior. She's one of my favorite birds at  Sarvey even despite her rotten attitude, so I'm hoping to make amends with her at some point. The bird I referenced for the image above was NOT Athena, just as a side note. Here's a picture of Athena's typical stance when I enter her flight, (as you can see, not a happy bird, with her feathers pressed to her body, and her ear tufts straight up in alarm:)

I've also become especially fond of Northern Saw-whet owls, although for whatever reason, I don't mind them nearly as interesting to draw or paint as the Great Horned Owls. However, Saw-Whets, and Great Horneds have become pretty regular staples in my dreams. Generally I dream about Saw-whets more so, though I can't say I know why, really. I've gotten up close and personal with both species fairly regularly over the last month, even going to far as to  tube a Saw-Whet on one occasion, but I also see a variety of other raptors regularly including Barred, Western screech, Short-eared, Snowy and Barn owls. Sarvey has a pretty diverse group of Ed birds. (Including two Peregrines, Three eagles, a red tail, a possum, a bobcat, an imprinted dear, and a particularly grouchy raccoon. It's definitely afforded me the opportunity to have a very enriching experience working there, even as a volunteer, and it has really got me worked up to the point where if I miss a day it puts me in a terrible mood, and everyone around me would probably suffer as a result.

A quick doodle of a Norther saw-Whet Owl

I also took some recent, (although not particularly awesome,) pictures of Tadita our Barred owl, and Iya the Barn owl. Iya was especially difficult to get a picture of as she prefers to hide up in the rafters (She IS a barn owl after all,) and the light is quite diffused from my meager vantage point. It most likely also did not help that I was using my droid to the take the pictures, and as such the quality is usually terrible unless the lighting is perfect anyway.

Tadita the Barred Owl

Iya the barn owl

Iya is another favorite of mine, mainly because she has a lot of personality. She hates men for one. I don't know what it stems from, but according to the staff, they can't send men in to clean her flight as she has a tendency to dive bomb them. She aims for the head, or so I've heard. Barn owls don't hoot, so she generally has to let us know whats up through the use of other vocalizations. Trust me, Iya is definitely a talker. She twitters, and screeches just about every time she sees someone, and often when I'm in her flight she make a raspy sort of hissing sound, that I believe is a fairly typical call for them. Possibly territorial. She doesn't hiss, or snap her beak at me though, so I think I'm pretty well off with her. She tends to lose interest in my being in her flight eventually too and settles back down to sleep. At least someone is comfortable with me (I'm talking to you Athena.) I enjoy twittering at her, as I'll generally get a response, something I haven't been able to elicit in the other birds (nor have I necessarily tried.)

 Brown Sicklebill, Female.

Common Kingfisher

Owl stuff

I keep coming across adorable owl stuff, so I'm going to start posting it here.

Clothes:
Sweatshirt
Saw-whet shirt
Owl hat
Great horned owl shirt

Jewelry:
Necklace
Owl timepiece necklace
Heart pendant
Owl love pendant
Starstruck owl
Branch owl
Vintage pendant

Bathroom:
Bathroom set

Kitchen stuff:
Dry measures.
Teacup, and saucer.
Cookie jar
Heart platter

Artwork:
Three owls.
Tattoo design
A scops drawing
Barn owl
Blue owl
Cowboy Ural owl

Electronics:
Flash drive!
Another Flash drive.

Misc:
Trinket dish.
Hungover owl playing cards.
Etched owl hook
Clock
Purple plaid flask!
Great horned owl backpack
Owl purse
Pocket mirror
Saw-whet bag
Adorable book ends
Cute bag

Ramblings

For the first time, in a very long while I've found myself lying awake into the wee hours of the morning lost in my thoughts. Thoughts that I suppose wouldn't hold much presidence outside the confines of my own mind, but at the time seem to be important enough.

This latest batch of ramblings was born out of a fairly vivid dream I had during the day, after shawn had left for work and I'd drifted back to sleep. I don't know if it was the lack of his presence, or just my minds innate ability to remind me how selfish I'm being when I fall into a routine, but my mind decided to choose then to send me careening into a dream full of teenage angst, and relationship hopping (my dream self, despite better judgement, and altogether unsure of how it happened was suddenly dating someone else, and was desperately confused and trying to steer herself back into being in a relationship with the person she actually cared about.)

Dream drama aside, what was actually important, as well as being part of the myriad of thoughts swirling about my conciousness, is my minds uncanny ability to take familiar places where I once lived, or stayed for any amount of time, and turn them into perverse alterations of themselves. My mind adapts these very places to suit just about any, and all dreams I might have; not including my numerous zombie related dreams, but I digress.

perhaps even more confusing is the fact that my mind will mix and match interiors, and exteriors. For instance, take my dream from yesterday; at one point the dream required I enter shawn's mother's house, or at least that's what it appeared to be on the outside. Once inside I found myself in a slightly altered version of my grandparents house in california. I don't know why my mind picks these two places to manifest most often, (with the occaissional smattering of the house I grew up in,) but it does. The odd thing about it, is that I spent so little time in either of these places, so I suppose I don't understand why my subconcious chooses to manifest them so reglarily.

In my mental excursions I've found myself debating a few other points well. Although I suppose the only other thing that's really sticking is my battle to understand my own intelligence, and capabilities. I find that I often don't understand things I hear, or know what something is off the bat. Ultimately I have trouble discerning whether this is a result of lack of exposure or lack of ability. I went through a similar mental struggle when it came to surviving on my own, and the basic skills neccessary to do so. At the time, and even now sometimes, I find myself frustrated with myself for not being able to do something so seemingly simple. My mental struggle goes something along the lines of: this is supposed to be easy, something everyone knows how to do, so why can't I just do it? Shouldn't I be able to reason my way through it? I find that I start to over anylize the situation. 

Take laundry for instance. We take advantage of how naturally it comes to us to do a load of laundry, but if you take someone who had never been taught how and put them in from of a machine with a basket of dirty clothes its only natural that they become confused. The basic concpt is simple. The clothes and soap go in and the machine washes them, but wait, do you just out the soap in there with the clothes, or is there some special compartment for it? And what's the difference between temperatures, and different types of wash cycles. Wait, what do you mean I have to wash stuff seperately, colors run? Even as simple and automated as a task might be to someone who was taught, doesn't mean it isn't a scary concept for someone else. But again, is it a lack of knowledge that drives their confusion, or inability?             

I came across a lot of adverse reactions to my lack of understanding. When I was asked to do something I didn't understand you may as well have been speaking another language. Perhaps it's so normal in our society that mostly everyone is taught basic skills as a child, and its expected of us adults to know and understand them. But what of those of us that don't?  My intent isn't to make excuses, but pehaps to garner a bit of understanding. Chances are that people like me already feel stupid for our lack of knowledge, but we aren't unwilling to learn. I pick up most skills fairly fast. I can't help but feel handicapped though.

Right now I'm working myself out of years of bad habits, and untapped skills. I try to feel intelligent. I try to be genuine, and outgoing, though I feel like I come across too strong in person. Most of all I'm making an attempt to make my life something I can appreciate. Ill always have doubts and fears. Don't most people? But I suppose what's important is that I've decided not to let them overpower me. I want to be happy. I want to appreciate what I have. I want to be a kind, benevolent, genuine person. I want to be ingelligent, and moreso I want to feel like I am. I'm working toward these things. I'm taking baby steps but I'll get there some day. Its difficult not to focus on the negitive aspects of life. Its easy to fall into a stifling, unhealthy routine. Its easy to be ignorant, and depressed. I'm sick of easy. I want to do something with my life. Something profound.           

Blegh.

found out some terrible news last night, but im not going to get into it. nothing life threateing. pardon the lack of capitolization. for some reason my phone wont let me do it in blogger.           okay, so first updatemy computer is down for the count. hard drive is failing. also imalso have my allergy test on october fifth, so im going to be eating gluten for the next two weeks. awesome.

Sketches and health update.

My allergist appointment is on October 5th. Ate gluten again for the first time today and spent the majority of it suffering hardcore. It's going to be a long two weeks.