Friday, April 7, 2017

I'm Running Out of Animal Puns: A Huge Cat-astrophe

Hello humans (I assume many of you are humans, that is).

This is kind of a creepy gif, but oh well.
YOU GUYS, THERE'S ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT. IT'S SO CRAZY; I FEEL LIKE TIME RAN AWAY TOO QUICKLY AND NOW I HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE.


So, to answer that life question in a short-term manner, I've realized that I loved my time at Liberty Wildlife and I didn't want to leave, so I've chosen to spend the rest of my Wednesdays as a volunteer, where I will probably be doing mostly intake and help around (so, basically the same as what I'm doing now).

I really don't have much to talk about in this post: my main task this week involved my final product, which I can't tell you about, so there's a bunch of curiosity for you. However, to keep you updated, it seems that studying and presenting about two different species is quite a lot, so for my presentation and the rest of my project, I've decided to focus on my work for the American Kestrels because I've found more studies related to them and their population is declining sharply (even though they are still considered least concern by EPA), so hopefully my research will be able to see why they're population is declining and what humans can do to fix that little problem there.

This will hopefully be me soon?
Okay, so now to my next topic: what did I do this week? Tuesday, I did the same old- intake and research. Wednesday: I was able to work with some more bunnies (seriously guys, we must have like 40 cottontails right now. 95% are infants or juveniles). I also worked more on my final product (hint: there was a lot of sketching and measuring involved). Let's see, and on Thursday, we got totally slammed with so many animals- there were rabbits, doves, a great horned owls infant, and a gila mockingbird that got stuck in its nest (which meant I had to carefully untangle its feet from the twigs so we could look at it).

Finally, time for our animal of the week: the bee hummingbird!

It's so pretty!
That is the hummingbird's nest. For comparison. 
So, a very fun fact: this is in fact the smallest bird in the world. The entire world.
Mass: 0.056 – 0.071 oz (Adult)
Length: 2 – 2.4 in. (Adult)
On average, the bee hummingbird beats it wings 80 times a second. However, during courtship rituals, it can go up to 200 beats a second.
Finally, because this bird is so small and has a very fast metabolism, this bird eats up to half its body mass in food each day, and consumes up to 8 times its body mass in water.

Well, that's it for now. One more week guys. Then I'll be done with life. I know mocks and work and college are killing most of you right now, so I will encourage you with statements of encouragement: you can do it, you got this, and don't die!

And for all you students out there:

Use this trick to make the teacher think
you are studying
when you are really eating spaghetti
Have a nice life!




11 comments:

  1. Hey Korina! I can't believe it's almost over either; I'm glad to hear that you'll still be volunteering there :D Shows some real commitment and love <3 Quick question: why are they shown not much concern from the EPA? Do certain species, aka kestrels, hold less importance in the food chain/environment? Thanks, and good luck with intake!!!

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  2. Hi Korina! Time really has flown. I am so glad you are going to stick around and keep helping at Liberty! That is awesome. What is the most common issue with baby cottontails that come in that you deal with? Just raising them since they are abandoned? Thanks!

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  3. Hello Korina! It's sad to see that your research is coming to an end, but i guess it just shows that you have progressed a lot in the past weeks. I'm glad you have made the choice to stick around at Liberty Wildlife! Now you have more time to spend with the bunnies and other cute animals in need! Also, the bee hummingbird looks really pretty and wow that nest is really small! Well, thank you and good luck with the remaining research!

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  4. Hey Korina! I'm glad your time at Liberty Wildlife has been so enjoyable! Its also so crazy that your research project is almost over... time definitely passes by quickly. Is there any particular reason why the baby cottontails are so abundant? Thanks!

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  5. Hi Korina! I think it's wonderful that you want to keep helping at Liberty Wildlife after your research project! And I think it's great that you're focusing in on the American Kestrel. Good luck with the rest of your research!

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  6. I still can't believe you get to work with bunnies!! I am glad you are enjoying your project so much you want to continue it. Do you think you will do something like this in the future?

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  7. Hey Korina! I can't believe your project is almost over, that went by super fast! However, I'm super excited to see your final presentation and I'm glad you chose to stay at Liberty Wildlife. What are some specific aspects you enjoyed about Liberty Wildlife aside from interacting with animals on a daily basis?

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  8. Hey Korina! It's awesome that you had a great time at Liberty Wildlife! It seems that you learned a ton, at least I certainly did. Anyways, I was wondering how hummingbirds keep away predators while being so small. If I had to guess, it might just be that the eggs are not large enough to warrant a predator that is massive, but it is definitely interesting. Great job on your project!

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  9. Hi Korina! It went by so quick! I thought the information about the bee hummingbird was fascinating; I never knew there were birds that small. Am I right in thinking that your final product is related to a map? Best of luck in finishing your research!

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  10. Hi Korina! Sorry I'm late. I'm glad to hear you had a great time with your project. Hopefully it turns out wonderful!!

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  11. Hi Korina! Sorry for the late comment. Good to hear that you will be continuing over the summer. The bee hummingbird is so small! Good to see how your work with the bunnies is coming along! Will there be a specific animal you want to focus on during the summer? Thank you! Can't wait to read more!

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