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!