a parakeet and a creep

Sunday, my patient load came down to 21 as I lost one of the Yellow-throated Euphonia. I have no idea of what happened... he became lethargic so I put him on some antibiotics. Two hours later he had died. The other three appear healthy though and are mostly eating on their own. Monday brought me an Olive-throated Parakeet with a broken humerus and radius. She had surgery on Wednesday to pin the humerus and hopefully the wrap will help fix the rest of the wing. The Roadside Hawk's eyes are looking much better but only time will tell if the torn eye lid will heal correctly. There's a definite ulceration on that eye - caused either by the Grackles or the rubbing of the lid on the eye. She's super feisty though so I guess that's always good. All of the babies are doing well. The Flycatchers have finally started eating on their own. The only problem I have now is supplying enough food. I catch moths, but not enough, and I'm quickly running out of canned mealworms. I don't have a mealworm colony here so if anybody wants to accidently send some larva to get one going, I would appreciate it. The Woodpeckers have been cut off from formula. They're quite friendly though, so I am reluctant to release them near any people. The "tame" Roadside Hawk has been moved outside. He's actually pretty skiddish. I've been "exercising" him in order to build up his flight muscles because he tires quite quickly. FYI: exercising mean chasing him around with a broom. The eight parrots should be transferred within the next two weeks. Finally! Those guys have been in those little cages for way too long... and they're be that much closer to release! I think that's all patient-wise...

Alison and her mom arrived Monday evening. It's so good to see them! I haven't seen Alison in three years, since we worked together on Maui. They've been a huge help so far. They even let me take a nap yesterday. Things have calmed down considerably over the past few days and I'm starting to feel the exhaustion of the past 6 weeks. I'm beginning to feel like a zombie wandering most of the time. I'm so thankful they're here to help out! Having the company is nice, too. Not that I don't love hanging out with birds the majority of the day, it's just nice to have some human interaction whilst doing so.

We had a slightly ridiculous moment on Tuesday night when we went out to Greedy's in town. A creep decided to break into the car and was sitting in the back seat when we walked up. We ran back to the bar and all of the men hopped up and ran to the car to check it out. The perpetrator had gone by then. This car is a piece so no harm was done; it was just a little random... and scary. It's nice to know that there's people to look out for you when you need it. Thank you Greedy's employees and patrons! And now I know where NOT to park. Live and learn... or something.

What's up for this week? I have no idea. Hopefully some field work or maybe a day off. Hmm..

a million birds and a margay

The case load at CASA has exploded. This week, I got in 7 birds and one margay. I currently have 22 rehab patients and 2 education birds in my care. That is almost triple what it was 2 months ago. Insane! And when I think I can't handle any more, I get in something else. It's really amazing what you're able to do when you have to. I wear my running shoes and shorts to work now. It's kind of a necessity when I run from building to building since walking takes way too long. The intern I've had since last week has been a ton of help. I do believe I owe my sanity to her and my co-workers. Alison arrives on Monday with her mom. She's going to be here for a month and it's going to be fantastic to have some more experience and knowledge available... and help feeding hungry little mouths.

So! New patients for this week: 4 Euphonia (still not entirely sure what species) on Sunday. Their nest was taken by some kids in Santa Familia. These birds are so incredibly tiny, weighing in at a hefty 8 grams a piece. I have the feeling they aren't the brightest creatures since they don't quite get the whole feeding process. Not to mention, every time I open the top of their basket, they all spring out and then immediately flutter to the floor. They've just fledged so they don't quite have the hang of flying yet. Next up: A Margay on Monday. Yes, a cat. A beautiful little wild cat. She was reportedly shot (although I couldn't find any shot wounds) on Friday. Here was the only place she could go for intensive care so I took her in. Thanks to my excellent cat restraint skills acquired from Dutch Fork Animal Hospital, I was able to give her some fluids and other medications. This patient was a learning experience for sure. She wasn't able to urinate on her own so I learned how to express a bladder. Sadly, she took a horrible turn for the worse and had to be euthanized on Tuesday. Another learning experience... I now know how to do an intracardial stick. I found myself saying "thank God" when I got it right on the first try. She was sedated so she didn't feel a thing. Tuesday was Roadside Hawk Day. I got in three. The first I received in the morning and had been found grounded and attacked by blackbirds: a common situation. She has a lot of wounds on her head and she has a torn nictitating membrane on one of her eyes. Maybe it'll heal itself... she's going to be a wait-and-see what happens patient, I think. Hopefully she'll be alright. The next two arrived in the evening. A disturbing and heartbreaking case, no doubt. They had been hand-raised for over a month. One is tame and the second.. well... the second was so deformed and in obvious pain that she had to be euthanized immediately. Needless to say, Tuesday was a ridiculously emotionally-charged day that culminated in my having a slight tear-filled breakdown. But, people here are amazing and I had some good support. I think I broke my personal record for longest work day ever that day. 18 hours. I am a BEAST. Also, this little experience of living in Belize has amounted to a ridiculous amount of personal growth. Who knew?

I often get questions about how I can perform euthanasia and I generally get the comment of "I could never do that". It's a necessary part of my job. Nobody, with the exception of the extremely deranged, enjoys i. I always try to do what is best for the animals that are in my care. If it comes to the point where the suffering is extensive, quality of life is beyond poor, or there is no way the animal can live life in the wild like it is meant to, then the most selfless thing you can do is to end its suffering. It sucks, but it's a part of my job that sometimes has to be done.

But, on to happier things! The Golden-fronted Woodpeckers got evicted this week (happier?). I decided it was time to make them grow up... plus I needed the room as the clinic is overflowing. They're still receiving supplemental feedings in the aviary but they're doing quite well with eating on their own. The Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers get their eviction tomorrow. They might just be throwing worms around in their cage but I'm pretty sure they aren't eating them or the live moths I put in there. I guess we'll see how it goes outside. I'm hoping it will encourage them to stop being so reliant. They've been enjoying their nightly freedom while I clean out their cage though. All four fly around the room, often hanging off of the hardware cloth that keeps them from flying all the way up to the clinic ceiling. The Chachalaca is getting in her adult plumage. She was moved into a larger cage yesterday and I think she's still a bit freaked out about it, but she loves hanging out in front of the mirror all day. So vain. Hopefully my anti-imprinting tactics will work. She gets incredibly stressed when I weigh her every day. It's definitely a promising sign that she runs from me.

I suppose that's all the updates for this week. I am currently bogged down by paperwork; it might be my least favorite part of this job. Hopefully I can catch a few hours of sleep after finishing these Forest Department reports!

a grackle and an intern

What an insane week! I've been constantly running around and thinking about the next step in my head. I'm actually surprised my brain hasn't exploded yet. To add to the craziness, Tuesday evening I received a baby Great-tailed Grackle from the Belize Zoo. Somebody had found him in Belmopan, fed him sausage (what?) and water, and dropped him at the zoo. Little guy has some sort of infection on his wing but is acting like a normal Grackle fledgling. And by normal Grackle, I mean ridiculously obnoxious and loud. I got very frustrated when trying to do an intake examination because he wouldn't be quiet. After a long day, my patience is trying... so I put him up and tried again in the morning after he had a full belly. The vet is coming tomorrow to give me her thoughts.

Thankfully, I have an intern! She arrived from Virginia on Tuesday and has been a great help so far. I had her feeding birds on the first day. Tomorrow we set up an aviary for the Woodpeckers... if they ever decide to be independent. It seems as if the Flycatchers maybe actually beat them to the independence. They've decided to stop showing interest in the syringe feeding, although they all just fledged yesterday. Tonight I set up the bug zapper in order to catch some delicious moths. I'll test them tomorrow for their fly-catching abilities.

Really, that's all I've got to update. I'm too exhausted to add anything else. I know, I know... a definite departure from last week's heartfelt blog, but that's how it goes. Goodnight, all!

mysterious flycatchers, a chachalaca, and an amazing job

Well, apparently baby season is in full swing. The Golden-fronted Woodpeckers have fledged! They're practicing their flight skills and their typical woodpecker stubbornness. They've become picky about what they'll eat and they, so far, haven't started eating on their own. The Great Kiskadee chicks are doing well - growing like crazy! Although, they've started making Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher squeaky toy vocalizations (did you click on the link? So not kidding about squeaky toys). Their coloration doesn't quite seem Great Kiskadee-esque either, but I guess I'll know for sure in a few days. Tuesday evening I received an egg. It had been rescued from the ground in Bullet Tree Falls about two weeks ago, set in a box with a night light as a heat source, and amazingly started hatching on Tuesday! The egg was a chalky color, smaller than a chicken egg, and it had a hole about the size of nickel in it. I could see a little beak; the chick was quite strong and peeping away. After a little persuasion (my peeping vocalizations, scratching on the egg), the little guy spun around and started chipping away at the rest of the egg. About an hour and a half after I received the egg, out popped a little Plain Chachalaca! What a privilege to see that little guy hatch. He's doing pretty well so far. Precocial species are a bit less demanding than the altricial species. Chachalaca parents still "hand" their kids food so I've been giving him little bites throughout the day in addition to him eating on his own. I don't have any literature on raising a Chachalaca chick so it's all guesswork. I'm offering all types of food and a lot of protein. Many precocial species easily imprint and to deter imprinting, I've been keeping myself hidden. I wear a sock on my hand when feeding and (get ready to laugh at the image in your head) a hijab made of pillowcases on my head/face. I've gotten laughed at several times and called a ninja but hopefully this little guy won't be human friendly. It's going to be tough since he's on his own.

On a sad note, I received a Great Blue Heron this evening from Caye Caulker. He died within 30 minutes of arrival. A post-mortem showed that he was extremely skinny and had an old open fracture to one of his legs. A old open fracture, especially on a species of bird that has to have both legs in order to survive, is a death sentence. I haven't seen one of these herons in hand before... what a beautiful bird!

Yesterday left me feeling extremely overwhelmed and frustrated, mostly because the woodpeckers weren't wanting to eat. This morning I woke up in a better mood and my devotion (thanks mom!) included Philippians 4:13. So after a fresh start, I started thinking about how I'm thankful that I, for some reason, made the insanely crazy decision to put my life on hold and move to a foreign country for a year.

Things I currently love about my job and my life in Belize:

1. The patients. The variety is amazing, as are the different personalities. Call it anthropomorphism, say they're just birds, but you really have no idea until you're working with them. The woodpeckers are feisty and hilarious. One naughty bird even jumped on my head today. After the spoiled flycatchers start getting full, they don't even beg - they just open their mouths for more... and I'm happy to oblige. I might just be raising some fatties.

2. The creativity. I don't have a lot to work with since most things available in the states aren't available here. Thank goodness a volunteer brought down reptariums... because with my one lonely cage, I wouldn't have had a place to put one of the woodpeckers after the other had started becoming aggressive. The ants are still a huge problem. The little crazy ants (something loco in Spanish) are wrecking havoc in the clinic with all the food available. I've run out of water trays and now I'm down to my last bits of tupperware to dissuade them. How does one even make a waterproof container with next to nothing? But facing these new-to-me issues makes me think outside the box and with it just being me here, I have to rely on my instincts, creativity, and knowledge. It's quite rewarding, really.

3. The freedom. Albeit, I am tied down to feeding every 30 minutes and, most of the time, one feeding bleeds into the other.. but hey, that's why I'm here! I do have the ability to do (mostly) whatever I want, however I want. Also, I can have a beer (or two) in the middle of a 15/16/17 hour work day. With the exception of the past two days, I had been able to fit in a twenty minute nap between feedings... on a sheet, in the surgery room of the clinic. It's the only way to deal sometimes. I don't have a uniform. Generally, I wear a scrub top and shorts. I could probably wear a bathing suit if I wanted. That would help with the sweltering heat (it finally stopped raining about 2 days ago) but I'm pretty sure it would make the rest of the staff feel awkward.

4. The sweating. Sure, it's gross but at the same time, it's kind of liberating. I no longer care that I look like a sweaty mess. The animals don't care, the people don't care, therefore... I don't care either. Really, there's no way to stop it or anything to do about it. The clinic gets so incredibly hot that I sometimes even have to turn off the heating pads for the babies so they don't fry. Everybody's a sweaty mess here and it's okay.

5. The people. Yes I get frustrated, but then there are days like today when all is forgiven and there's hope. Everybody at work was in good spirits even though we were all unbelievably busy. I also met a very promising young person from Pro-Belize this morning and that gives me hope for this country in which there are so many people who just don't care.

There are more things but after a super long day of work, that's all I have time to divulge. I do have to say that my favorite time of the day during baby season is after the 7:00 PM feed. Everybody has gone to bed and it's a bit of an accomplished feeling knowing that everybody is fat and happy and that I had a ridiculously full day of work.

I'm more or less completely exhausted (partially self-inflicted due to having somehow developed a social life) but it's a good feeling. I'm going on week three (or is it four?) without a day off. I'm averaging about 16 hours of work a day and I'm okay with it. For now anyway, who knows when I'll actually crack. Anybody reading this has my permission to punch me if I ever complain later in life about ridiculously long work hours. Seriously, I give you permission.

One of my favorite parts of today was when I was told "I like your enthusiasm" when I was talking about CASA, conservation, and birds. I take that as a compliment... probably one of the best I've had. Today was a good day and my heart is full.