A Bit of a Rough Day

Thursdays are always a little bit rough simply because it is such an early shift. The Center opens at 7am and because I have to commute from East Lansing, I usually need to leave my apartment at about 5:15am or so, so I can get gas and account for any traffic I might hit. Of course, that has me waking up at about 4:30am or so and the odds of me going to bed at 8:30pm the night before to assure eight hours of sleep are pretty low.

Anyhow, my day starts off very early. Aside from being tired though, today was especially difficult. A robin came into the center today after being caught by a cat. Whenever we get a call about a bird being caught by a cat, we always advise the caller to try to bring the bird in. Cats can carry bacteria in their saliva that can be harmful to birds. The most common bacterium is Pasteurella multocida and some sources I have seen say that as many as 90% of cats can carry it. When infected with the bacteria, birds can die within 24 hours from septicaemia even without showing any symptoms. For this reason, all cat-caught birds that we receive are treated with Amoxicillin, an antiobiotic that can treat against the bacteria.

Upon evaluating this robin, we sadly found that he had been severely wounded. He had several deep puncture wounds and his wing appeared to be broken. His injuries were serious enough that we knew we could not release him. Only a few minutes away is the Ann Arbor Animal Hospital, with whom we work closely. When we do get birds that are too injured to help, we feel like the most humane option is to euthanize the bird at this facility. It is not an easy decision for any of us at the Center to make and no one enjoys doing it. However, allowing the bird to suffer is something we are even less willing to do.

Despite knowing this is the kindest thing we can do for the bird, it is never easy for me. It is hard to drive an animal to the Animal Hospital when I know exactly what I'm bringing the bird into. In fact, I would be lying if I said that it never occurred to me to say I was bringing a bird to the Hospital after my shift was over and then just take the bird home with me. However, it's important to remember that it is selfish for us to keep a bird alive in pain and suffering when it has no chance at a natural life again. Like I said, the kindest thing we can offer is a painless way out.

I took a class at Michigan State taught by one of the most popular Zoology professors on campus. While he did teach a structured curriculum, some of the most important things I have learned about the field are bits of advice from his experience. One thing he advised that stuck with me was that as I move forward in my career (which I hope to be in the zoo business), I will meet people who disagree and do not like what I am doing. While this is likely applicable to any area of work, the zoo business is especially controversial. While this is something I like to address more in my other blog, Zoo-Logic, I find it is just as relevant here.

Since I have started at the Bird Center, I have been confronted about the fact that we need to euthanize some birds that are brought to us. This person openly disagreed with it and proceeded to tell me that if I truly cared about animals, I would not be able to make the decision to put one down. Thanks to this professor of mine, I knew this moment would come but I was in no way prepared for it. To be honest, I was quite put off that someone could say I don't care about animals when I have dedicated so much time and effort into an education and experiences that reflect quite the opposite.

Specific to the Center, I drive 60 miles each way three days a week. I'm an unpaid intern and gas prices have been through the roof. I am not working anywhere else at the moment either as I have classes this summer. I've realized it costs me about $23 in gas for each day I go to the Center. At 3 days a week for 14 weeks, I am making the drive 42 days in total give or take a day. With those figures, I'm paying almost $1,000 out of pocket for this internship that I do not need for my degree. Of course, I am appreciating the hands-on experience and it is another element to add to my resume. However, I deeply care about the work we are doing at the Bird Center and I am very passionate about helping animals.

It does hurt to think that some people do not see what we are doing as a good cause. However, my professor told me that you can't please everyone and that as long as you feel like you are making a difference, that is what counts.

Hummingbirds, Ducklings, and Crows, Oh My!

I am not sure if I explained this in the previous post but I intern at the Center part-time. I start summer classes soon and so have only been able to commit to about 20 hours a week. I do these hours in three shifts by coming in for the early morning on Thursday and then the afternoons on Friday and Saturday.

This past weekend has been particularly busy it seems, and we still are caring for over 100 birds for the time being. While it has been busy, I have been trying to take as many photos as I can, as well as some videos to better document my experience. Once my phone starts behaving, I will definitely be putting them up here as well.

One of the most unique intakes this week was a crow. I realize I've only been doing this for a short month and a half, but bringing in a bird that large was definitely out of the ordinary. Upon examining him, we had a hard time pinpointing any specific injury or problem, despite the fact that he did not give humans much trouble handling him. It is this unusual behavior in itself that shows us that he needs some sort of special care. We have been medicating him with antibiotics and NSAIDS (drugs that reduce inflammation and pain) as a precaution, but ultimately are still trying to determine why he is acting so strangely. Because of some scarring on his beak, we believe he is an older bird and may simply be at the end of his years.

From my understanding, we are also looking into the possibility of him having West Nile Virus. West Nile has been attributed to a high number of deaths in American Crows in some areas, particularly New York City and St. Louis. While the risk of a West Nile outbreak in crows is minimal due to the fact they are only partially migratory, it is still a possibility that we are operating around. Unfortunately, crows with WNV show no symptoms and generally die very quickly. It is unclear as to why crows are especially susceptible to WNV, but it appears to be something specific to this family of birds.

Cornell University has a very thorough and interesting web base for information on birds, as well as a page on crows and WNV. If you are interested, here it is.

We also received a juvenile Ruby-Throated hummingbird. These birds are usually the center of attention and are so fun to watch. It's quite easy to get distracted into watching them for long periods of time. While we feed most of the birds in the center a formula specifically for songbirds, the hummingbirds get syringes filled with a nectar formula very similar to what you could buy in a nature store, like Wild Bird Unlimited. It's pretty amazing how small they are, and how quiet they can be when they hover around. Simply put, they are extremely cute.

What was probably the most exciting part of the weekend for me was the wrangling of a mother duck and her 9 ducklings. Oddly enough, the family was walking down our very street. Though we do not handle waterfowl and usually refer birds of that variety to someone more specialized, it was not a possibility. Our Center closes at 9pm and we spotted the duck family at about 8:30pm, a time a bit too late to contact anyone. Instead, my supervisor, another intern and I, and a volunteer all locked up the Center and followed the ducks with nets and carriers. Mom was quickly caught, leaving all 9 ducklings to scatter into the bushes and beneath a porch of a neighbor residence. It took close to half an hour to find all of the ducklings, but soon Mom and babies were together again. We brought them back to the Center, made them comfortable for the night, and decided to take them to a place much safer than downtown Ann Arbor in the morning. It was definitely out of the ordinary for us, but it was a unique experience and really rewarding to know that they would be much happier and safer when released.

Introductory Post

My name is Jennifer Chapman and I am 22 years old. I am beginning this casual diary as a student at Michigan State University working on getting my Bachelor's of Science in Zoology. I am nearly finished and will have my degree by the end of August this year. While I am taking a couple of courses this summer, I have been dedicating most of my time to an internship at a bird rehabilitation center. The Bird Center of Washtenaw County is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and three days a week, I make the commute there as an unpaid intern to get some hands-on experience.

I started the internship on May 12th and in just the few weeks I have been involved, I have already found it to be a very enlightening and rewarding experience. I have learned about myself, as well as about birds, and despite the short amount of time that has passed, I have found that wildlife rehabilitation is a field I have a strong passion for. It is not a lucrative market and there are few instances in which a person can make a living in that line of work. However, I find it extremely gratifying and I hope to continue to participate in animal rehab as I can after I graduate.

At the Center, our mission is to take in injured and abandoned birds, provide the care they need, and prepare them to be released back into the wild. Additionally, we hope to educate the general public about avian life and encourage them to care about the conservation and preservation of those animals.

We are a non-profit organization run on donations from the city and dedicated animal lovers and our location is a very small building with few resources and limited space to do the work we are trying to do. The city of Ann Arbor allows us to use this building from May through August. However, for the remainder of the year, it is a polling station for the city. It makes rehabilitating birds that much more of a challenge and we are desperately trying to find a permanent location that better suits our needs and allows us to help birds year round.

It is especially hard having a small space this season. Though it is my first summer taking part at the Center, more experienced co-workers of mine have said this season has been especially busy. It is easy to see and very clear when you realize that in the first month of being open, the Center has had over 400 birds brought in to be cared for. Even right now, we have over 110 birds currently being cared for. As you can imagine, the costs of feeding, housing, and medicating so many animals can add up very quickly. Though it varies, we can spend at least $400 a week. Averages include $200 for mealworms, $25 for paper towels, and $185 for medications. Therefore, it is important that we reach out the public to raise awareness and increase public interest in donating money as well as volunteering time in order to continue the amazing effort taking place.

Personally, I have never particularly cared for birds. I will be the first to say that even as a Zoology student who has a general interest in all living things, I have always invested most of my attention to the ever popular mammals. It was not long, however, before I grew a new appreciation for birds, their behavior, and the conservation effort surrounding them. It has only been a few weeks but I find myself paying attention to birds wherever I go. I think about the birds currently at the Center even on my days off and I am probably overwhelming the people around me with how much I like to talk about birds. I am surprised this internship has affected me so much already and I only imagine that as time continues, I will learn about and fall in love with the work we're doing even more.

For more information about the Bird Center of Washtenaw County, please visit our website.