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.