I’ve been extremely busy. Sorry. I am swamped with school work and it’s very stressful. Not to mention I have to figure out what I’m doing with my life. I still haven’t heard from Purdue or Hunter. I got a call from a visiting vet who was interested in my resume on Monster. He called me, and ever since we’ve been playing phone tag. I’ve given him times to call me back and he hasn’t. I just hope he didn’t hire someone else.
I’m thinking if I really like this job offer but I get into school somewhere I might defer school for a year and work in CT where this visiting vet is. It depends on how much money the school is giving me and how much money the vet would give me.
On a lighter note I’ve been seeing these amazing birds. Harlequin Ducks, Great and Double Crested Cormorants, Piping Plovers, Killdeer, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, a Short Eared Owl (flies like a moth, that’s for sure), Eastern Bluebirds (my pride and joy), and a Pileated Woodpecker which was quite a find for eastern Mass. We saw a few Great Egrets and a Blue Heron the other day, as well as lots of Osprey, Turkey Vultures, and a Cooper’s Hawk. The most exciting were the Harlequin Ducks by far, I bet no artist could copy their intricate pattern perfectly. I took the pictures of the Harlequin Ducks and the Great Cormorant myself.
Two males on the right in full alternate (breeding) plumage and two females on the left.
A male Great Cormorant in full alternate plumage.
And here’s what a Pileated Woodpecker looks like.
A male Pileated
But these little birds blew me away. I couldn’t believe the beautiful sight I was seeing, and while we’ve all probably seen them before, their sad, sweet song drew me in like it had a rope tied around my waist and hand over hand dragging me along. My heart thumped as I watched them flit from branch to branch, responding to the tape that we played for them to come closer, but never too close. And when we stopped the tape as to not confuse it or torture it any longer, it puffed itself up with pride and flew to a lower branch, looking around and sticking its chest out, for it had thought it won, it thought it had chased off the territory stealing male. These creatures, full of story in just their flight patterns, in just their song, are none other than the Eastern Bluebirds. Little babies, teeny sweethearts that are so territorial they will take a House Sparrow’s home out from under its feet. My little loves, what I wait all winter for, to see these blue beauties, and to hear their song while the sun beams in on my face and chest. I love you, sweet creatures from the hands of God.
A male Eastern Bluebird in full alternate plumage.
This spring break I was in Portland with Caleb. It was amazing. I had so much fun. And now we have to go back on Sunday and I’m devastated. It’s going to be so hard to get back and start doing work. I wrote a genetics paper over break, but it’s kind of shyte. And I didn’t read nearly enough of the book I was assigned by Kricher. I really hope I don’t have to write anything on it…that might suck for real.
But it was worth putting my work aside. We got to cross country ski (something I’m getting good at!), go bird watching, go out to bars and hang out with lots of Caleb’s friends that I like very much, play poker for money (I came in second), and eat amazing yummy food that wasn’t the dining hall.
Now when I go back to Wheaton I have to write a 5 page paper about the Red-Bellied Woodpecker, a 283947529347 page paper on birdwatching with two other people, do a presentation on a journal on honest communication in birds, do 100 projects in genetics, and prepare a debate for drugs and behavior about whether weed should be legalized (for the 124723948723 time we have to debate this), and take 3 finals. Yeah, not looking forward to it.
But, I suppose I should just stick it out. I have just about 8 weeks left. I won’t miss Wheaton. It servd me quite well for four years, I’ve enjoyed my time there, but as I suppose I’d get tired of anywhere, I am tired of Wheaton. It’s small, it’s boring, the food is horrid, and i hate the sports cliques. It’s like high school all over again. Oh yah, and it’s up to $50,00 a year. Retarded.
On February 16th, Travis the Chimpanzee was shot in the head by police officers for atttacking a Stamford, Connecticut woman. Travis used to be in Old Navy and Coca Cola commercials, and his owner, Sandra Herold said that he was just as much a son to her as if she bore him herself.
Well, if he meant so much to you, Sandra Herold, why then, would you actually own a chimp in the first place?! Travis attacked a woman when he was 15 years old, the time at which chimps are becoming territorial, aggressive, and extremely protective of their female mates. Furthermore, Travis was given Xanax in his tea, a human medication in the benzodiazepine family given for severe anxiety and panic problems. Travis was also on an antibiotic being treated for Lyme’s disease, and benzodiazepines + antibiotics are not good; antibiotics intensify the effects of something like Xanax.
This lady obviously had no idea what she was doing, and now Travis was sacrificed because of her stupidity. You shouldn’t keep wild animals in your home period, even if you’ve hand raised them, they still have hardwiring for their behaviors associated with their own natural history. Yearly, exotic animals are put to death because people expect them to understand and comply with humans.
Humans need to understand that animals are different. I am in no way saying that it’s not possible for them to have a theory of mind (understanding another’s intentions), but the fact is is that we don’t know, we’ll never know, because we’re not animals, we can never really get into their heads. When we anthropormorphize, we get tragedies like Travis. Obviously his owner knew nothing of the chimp’s natural history and obviously she expected him to act just like a human, to understand her and have a theory of mind. Keep it simple people, there’s nothing wrong with that!
So sorry I haven’t posted in FOREVER. I’ve been pretty busy, plus I really haven’t had much to talk about. But now I do!!
I went on a field trip to Plum Island on Saturday, the 21st and it was amazing. I didn’t feel good and almost didn’t go, but the opportunity to ride with John Kricher in his Rav4 in the front and talk to him for 1.5 hours there and back while probably seeing a snowy owl there was TOO GOOD for me to pass up.
We saw White Winged Crossbills which is huge. They are only here for the winter, then in the summer they quickly fly back up north. Their beak is literally crossed in the front so they can get into pine cones and grab the seeds out. They chitter chat even as they eat in the trees to make sure they know where each other are. They are very used to people being there, mostly because they don’t give a shit about people.
Crossbill, White winged, female
And of course, the beautiful snowy owl. I saw one, with my own two eyes, the most beautiful female in her alternate plumage already (mating plumage, not winter plumage). The female isn’t as all white as the male is but she is still some sight to behold. As you watch her she turns her head 180 degrees to watch out for food, a seagull dives around her to try to get her away, she spreads her wings only once and the seagull flaps away quickly. You see her slits for eyes once, the next minute they’re gone. She is like God on the tree branch, looking over you, making sure you’re safe, if you’re not you feel that she might swoop in and take care of you. Or eat you.
So this semester I’m taking an Ornithology class, and it has made me more happy than I’ve felt all year so far, especially after last semester which was delivered to me hand wrapped by Satan himself. Besides having the most amazing, excellent, hilarious, and intelligent professor ever I have learned so much about animal behavior, evolution and behavior, and animals in their natural habitat. I was always more interested in mammals until I started really studying animal behavior in college where I realised birds really have so much to offer us. Many species of birds are incredibly intelligent, and if you’ve ever heard of Alex the African Grey parrot or of studies done using crows, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
I’m excited because we get to go out and do field studies with these birds. I have my very own binoculars and my little notebook that fits in my pocket. I know how to spish now. I can follow the little birds in the trees that flit from branch to branch better than I ever could before, or focus in on an owl having a lazy day (many owls do come out in the day, by the way!).
We all have to do a report on a specific bird as well, using the Audubon’s Birds of America and other good primary sources. If you are even slightly interested in birds or just want to know what was at your feeder the other day, I suggest using the site I’ve linked for you, or get the Peterson’s Guide to Birds by Roger Tory Peterson, one of the best ornithologists of his day. You can get it for like, $15 online. Anyway, we could only report on North American birds because then we could possibly have a chance to see them. And you didn’t get to pick, it was assigned to you randomly. I crossed my fingers not to get the Blue Jay (they’re so annoying, but dangerously smart!) and instead I got the Red-Bellied Woodpecker. How CUTE. Here’s a picture of one.
Woodpecker, Red-bellied, Male
Anyone know anything about these little birds? Let me know! Any good journals/publications/websites on them or even other birds you know about? Let me know about this too! Anything would be much appreciated. Or just leave comments about how you feel about birds! Like them? Don’t like them? Like to hunt them? Think some are annoying? Think some are breath taking? Share with me!! : )
Seriously. No qualms about it. I’d have a family that loved me to no end. If someone fucked with me I’d be protected to no end. I’d be rich. I’d pass on my Italian roots and my Italian blood to my children. I’d speak Italian. We’d go to Italy. Hey we might have to move away for a while, but so what? You get a taste of something new. Plus, the Sopranos don’t move away that much. Haven’t you seen their house in New Jersey?
Wouldn't YOU marry him too?
Say what you will. I am in love with Tony Soprano.
Tell your friends! Tell your family! Tell the press! Do it yourself! Please…
TAKE A STAND AGAINST THE NEW MOVIE HOTEL FOR DOGS!
This innane movie is about young teens opening an old house and taking in dogs that are apparantly homeless. Not only are all the dogs purebreds, but it gives a horrible message to the youth (and some of the retarded older people of America). We don’t want young people taking in dogs like this. I’ve seen in the previews that they set up a machine that works on its own and feeds canned dog food, as well as the house looking packed in, in bad shape, and the dogs not taken care of properly. This is a movie not real life, and teens need to understand that.
But with people like Don Cheedle and Lisa Kudrow staring in it, plus Pedigree putting their brand name all over the place in the movie, it’s hard for people to not take it seriously.
So don’t go buy a ticket, don’t let your friends and family, and take a stand against giant coporations and media brainwashing the American people. I’m serious; don’t even take your little cousin to it or niece or nephew or kid sibling!
Posted by tehlocalbrain 
Posted by tehlocalbrain 
Posted by tehlocalbrain 
