Catch and Release

^Release of the 3 amigos!


^Coho in the big pool on a rainy day

^Mr. Killdeer in his kiddie pool

^The devious raccoons

^ A wild shrew!

The other day I got the chance to go out and be a part of a release!(picture above) We let the three amigos(a mallard, wood duck and merganser that had been 'roommates') and another mallard back into the wild! It is so cool to see this happen because it's the center's main goal to have every animal be released. The mallard had an injured foot prior to release, but she took off as soon as I let her into the water. The other three stuck together like always so it will be an interesting situation for them once it comes time to migrate!
The seals are growing up fast and some of them can now eat fish and live out in the big pools. Recently we got a ninth seal, Concho, who has become somewhat of a celebrity. The local news stations have been calling trying to get more info about her because she has quite an interesting back story. Apparently some woman picked up Concho and was parading her around on her boat for a day. The next day the police found the seal in a backpack in the woman's car after she was stopped for running a red light! Now this woman faces a possible $10,000-$20,000 fine and/or jail time! Yikes!

Among all the planned releases that have been going on lately, I've also managed to almost release many other animals. It happens to everyone, but it seems that I have had more than the usual number of animals try and escape from me! The other day I was moving two mallards to a bigger pen. There were some technical difficulties, and while the second one was in the net it managed to jump out and take off down the path! I had to call for backup to lure it out of the wild rose thicket that it had waddled into! It took a while and everyone got a little scratched up but it was a good lesson...one that I should have learned from. A few days later I went to feed a crow and broke the cardinal rule: always latch cage doors behind you! The crow managed to sneak by me and hopped outside (fortunately it couldn't really fly very well). I tried to throw a towel over it but it ducked into the seal nursery and came out the other side where I cornered it. Somehow no one saw this commotion but I was sure to tell them about it! They said that there are sometimes 'unscheduled releases' but this could be classified more as a flight test; if the crow was ready to fly, he would have been long gone!
The older raccoons have made a jail break on one of the staff members, and in the picture above the little ones are trying to figure out how to do the same!
What I've really enjoyed while being up here is that everyday I'm able to see wildlife roaming around, like the bald eagles, deer, foxes, and yesterday for the first time I saw a shrew!

We had another switching of interns this past week. While it was sad to see another one go, it is also exciting because now the house is all girls! Things haven't changed that much, but we did have a dance party the other night. We've all been cooped up a bit due to the rain this week so we have to find other ways to get out some energy! Hopefully I'll get a chance to go outside soon, possibly even go whale watching! That's all for now!

Long time, no update!

^The reason why we were so busy the past few weeks! These little cotton tails take so long to feed, fortunately some have grown up, but sadly others didn't make it




^ I finally got a good view of the Island from Young Hill, a nice little hike on the west side



^Our Red Tailed Hawk got released back into the wild! Yay!




^ Shrike and Eskimo...two of the newest harbor seals! We now have eight! Eskimo is "my" harbor seal because I got to name him...at the bottom there's a video!



^ Barn and tree swallows...some of our MANY birds!


Sorry I haven't updated for a while! I've just been getting lazy I guess!

I've done a few harbor seal midnight feeds so far and at first it was a little spooky! It's very dark and quiet out there but after a while things feel like a normal work day. My first night was the worst though, because earlier that day one of the interns asked if there had ever been any gruesome murders on the island because she's always scared when she's out there. Of course that's all I could think about, but we have Mr. Whitenose the cat to protect us, so it's all good! (BTW there haven't been any reported murders)

Exciting news...I got a library card! I had to bring in a note from the center saying I'm living/working here on the island, but now I'm in! I've been getting old movies to watch here with the other interns, like An Affair to Remember. After seeing Sleepless in Seattle I always wanted to see this movie, all the other girls said the same thing...we all loved it, talk about an emotional roller coaster!
Last week I went on a little hike up Young Hill, that had an amazing view of the west side of the island. Back home there are so many hills and mountains to climb, I was really missing that! It was good to get a view my surrounding, maps just aren't the same! On the way back I stopped at a little country store to buy some eggs and fresh ice cream. There are so many little farms around here(even an alpaca ranch), but unfortunately I have to work during farmer's market, so this was a nice treat!
One new thing I got to do at work was practice holding the owls! It's tricky because you have to wear these giant gloves so it's hard to tell if you have a grip on their little legs or not. I guess I didn't quite have a grip because while we were feeding the Barred Owl it reached out and clasped onto the other girl's finger! I felt so bad, fortunately there was no blood but it was still shocking!
I have a lot of homework to keep up on, but I'll update if anything new and exciting happens!

If you ever see a harbor seal pup on the beach, don't interfere. It's actually a federal crime to touch, harass, or even come within 100yds of a marine mammal! A lot of people don't know about that, but people have actually been prosecuted. Some of the seals we get were separated from their moms because people didn't know she was just out fishing and they decide to move the pup, and then the mom can't find them. Here's a little clip of Eskimo so you can hear how loud these little guys can be!

Finally some exploring!

^ Kayaking trip on west side of island



^ Me tube feeding one of the harbor seal pups



^ Exhibits from the whale museum



^ British camp and the telescope view of an Osprey nest

A quick update:
I got to do some really cool things during my days off, in addition to catching up on some schoolwork! One thing was a sunset kayaking tour, which was free! A few businesses like to support Wolf Hollow by offering discounts or deals to staff and interns so I was really thankful I was able to go. It was beautiful out there; we saw Canada in the distance, the Olympic peninsula to one side and Bald Eagles swooping around on shore and over the water. The best part was when a humpback whale came just along side my kayak! It totally took my breath away! Our group was bummed we didn't get to see any Orcas but it was a treat to see the whale because they aren't seen around here very often! The only down side to the trip was that because it was sunset I had to take the taxi home and it was ridiculously expensive, but it all ended up being worth the trip!
Good news! I'm now officially signed off and can feed the harbor seal pups on my own! I kind of have mixed emotions about it though...now I GET to do midnight feeds all by myself, they really now how to take advantage of the free labor around here :0)
Another free excursion was the whale museum, fairly small but very cool and educational! I learned a couple neat things because I don't now very much about marine life. One is that the orcas don't ever sleep, they just shut off one half of their brain occasionally and navigate the waters with the other half! Also seals, and a few other animals, have delayed attachment when they conceive, where a fertilized egg just floats around until she's done nursing her other pup!
I also went with or Education Coordinator to the British Camp (the island used to be occupied by both the British and America at one point), where we talked to people about wildlife. It was nice because I also got to walk around a bit and see more of the island that I probably wouldn't have gotten to on my own!
The days have still been long and crazy but fun too! The interns got a pizza day today as a 'thank you' for being troopers. It definitely helps knowing you're appreciated, maybe not paid, but appreciated!

What a busy week it's been!

The Odd Couple: the mallard and gosling duo
If animals get along we'll put them together so they won't get lonely and to save our limited space

Otter play time, so curious!

Stilt---the harbor seal pups all get names, this years theme is endangered vertebrates, if we get two more it will be my turn to name one!

Swim time-can you spot the merganser?

My roommate Laura is leaving today, so last night we decided to hit the town! We took advantage of the local public transportation...hitchhiking! They actually encourage bumming rides to save gas and cut down on traffic! We waited at the "rideshare" stop for a good 20 minutes before someone was going our way. On the way back though some crazy girl in a Jeep screeched to a halt right away! "We're in luck," we thought. Boy were we wrong, it was a wild ride. I guess she didn't see our third traveler, so she took off with only two of us in and the door wide open! She said she was headed to Wold road which is right where we started from so it was perfect. But then she didn't know where Wold road was so I had to give her directions, and I've only lived here two weeks! She was a little nutty but we were definitely thankful there are crazies in the world, otherwise we would have walked the eight miles!

I've been working nine-hour days lately, so I'm pretty wiped out! Hopefully I'll be able to elaborate more later! Until then....

4th of July Weekend

Tristen (the driver and one of the staff rehabbers), Katherine, me, Laura (the 'animals' walked behind the float throwing out candy and I chased after them to bandage their wounds)......our prize winning float



Pretty much the whole town was in the parade: The delorean was just cool, but I don't really know what the shark-mobile was all about?!?


There were a ton of dogs in the parade but probably the best group was the Cutthroats and Canines, with their boats and even a man on a motorized keg!



Popeye the seal evaded me again, but I did find her in stuffed animal form!




So I didn't do too much exploring on my two days off :0(
There was so much thunder and lightening on Thursday that I was fooled into staying inside most of the day, even thought it hardly rained. The fourth was a great success though! I got to be in the town parade...any more doubts about me being a local? haha! It was so much fun, and really cool to see how much people cheered when they saw us because they really appreciate what the center does. Fortunately that evening I got a ride back into town with the family of the new intern, who just arrived. The important part was that they graciously gave me a ride back home when the fireworks ended at ELEVEN O'CLOCK at night! That would not have been possible on my bike! I hung around the town that evening but it was a little lonely being all by myself. Sadly the other interns had to work the late shift so they never even made it into town that night. Left to my own devices, I did something I've never done before...I went to the movies by myself! This doesn't sound too outrageous, but it's something I wouldn't do under normal circumstances, so it was kind of exciting and not as strange as I thought it would be! Now I understand how people say it can be depressing to be alone on the holidays (even though I don't think they meant the 4th of July). I've always had great memories of spending time with friends and family in summers past, so this time I really felt like I was missing out. I think God knew that I needed someone to talk to because I went to the little coffee shop I discovered and they were really friendly. They were having a little celebration in the shop and the owner invited me to stay a while and talk! I didn't stay very long but it was nice just to be able to meet someone and get a little connected with the island community.

The past two days have been non stop because we have been getting so many animals! I didn't even get official lunch breaks because there just wasn't any time. At least it never gets boring, there's always new animals, endless chores, and things going wrong! Like today, I was feeding the squirrel and he made a jail break! I now have a new appreciation for the adjective 'squirrely'. It took me forever to catch that thing, and if it wasn't for the giant gloves I had on, I would probably be missing a few fingers. I've definitely gotten less timid around the animals because it just isn't practical! Since I've figured out that they're less fragile than you think, and not very likely to attack (except for that squirrel), I've been getting so much more done!
Sorry I didn't write much about the actual internship part, so if you have any questions, just let me know!
Hope everyone is doing well!!

Some catching up to do...

So it's been awhile since I've written last - here's what's been going on:
Sunday was my late shift day and pretty much all I did was feed the baby birds. About two thirds of the animals we get are birds, usually baby ones. People disturb their nests, they get caught by pets, get hit by a car, or smack into a window and then end up here. The songs birds are especially labor intensive, and depending on how old they are, they have to be fed up to every fifteen minutes! It got kind of old after a while because that was all I did for about five hours. The good side was that I got to know many different types of birds, which I never really pay attention to. I'm not really a 'bird watcher' or anything, so I didn't realize how diverse and cool birds are! The bad side of it all was that a few birds died, one on my watch. It happens in this kind of work, but it's still rather sad. Going home, it feels like I have to do the same routine for myself, eat/clean, eat/clean...It makes me realize how these animals are dependent on us, but we're not much different and depend on them too! God is so amazing for creating such a finely tuned world, and it's so cool to be a part of taking care of it like He intended us to!

Monday again was A LOT of feeding and cleaning. The days are starting to blend together a little, which I guess is a good because it means I'm starting to get the hang of things! One thing the center does is pick up roadkill and leave it in a safe location for the scavengers on our property. Two girls had the joy of bringing it back here, and I took some glamour shots using their cameras. Laura now has facebook profile picture of her carrying the dear and I captured it's good side, eye-bugging out and everything. Later I got to clean out the back of the truck, but sadly, my efforts didn't gain such media attention.

Tuesday was my first day off!!!!! woohoo! We are located on the center of the 8-mile-wide island and every point of interest (including the only town) is on the coast, therefore 4 miles away. If we ever want to go to town we have to ride bikes, so we get a good workout on those hilly, country roads. I had my trusty bike shipped here by UPS and it made it in one piece! Actually in many pieces, but I was able to reassemble it and head off to town. It reminds me of Morro Bay here with the tourist centered shops and restaurants and attractions. Although the town has a lot more charm because many of the old buildings are still intact (picture above). I just walked around and got oriented with the streets, took a few pictures but tried to not act like too much of a tourist, because after all...I'm a local now. haha. I tried to find Popeye but was unsuccessful. She is the resident harbor seal of the area and hangs out around the fish market because she always gets fed. She's pretty much a legend. She has her own statue (picture) and even 'fish pops' that the market sells to people who want to feed her. I guess people feel sorry for her because she's blind in one eye (hence the name) so she's been fed so much that she resemble a beach ball rather than her statue! The highlight of my excursion was going to the market!! I've been living off PB&J for the past week so I bought as much food as I could fit into my backpack! On the ride home some crazy car was honking at me so I pulled over and realized my bag busted open and everything almost ended up in the street! That would have been a tragedy!

Today I made an airport run! We get animals from the surrounding areas so San Juan Airlines will sometimes give the critters a lift. What's even funnier is when they get sent over by ferry. For some legal reason the ferry workers can't handle the animals so a random passenger is handed a box and asked to take it across. Last time a crazy woman said "you need a better system, I thought I was handed a bomb! I had to open the box to look...this really isn't safe" It really is a funky way of doing things, but I've realized that improvisation is vital to wildlife rehab!
I also got to feed the fawns today (picture). One wouldn't take it's bottle and I ended up squirted milk in my hair, but just like the otters...it's hard to get mad at animals that are so darn cute!

Now I have two whole days off, so I'll let everyone know how my island exploration goes!
Miss you all!