The final countdown

In less than 12 hours I will be dressed and making coffee so we can hit the road for Texas! That still doesn't sound real. What's even weirder is I feel like I should be sad about leaving. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to miss everyone in Alabama and miss getting to see them whenever I want. But, I'm not sad. I was nervous this morning on the way to pick up the truck. So much so I wanted to hang out of the car and vomit. But I didn't and after we started loading the truck I felt better. So much better in fact we ate a huge lunch at the Sizzler with Grandma.

While at lunch Grandma said she was sad to see me leave, but she was happy for me and thought it was the best thing that has happened to me. I don't know about being THE best thing, cause that's pretty much my husband. But, it is pretty damn close.

When I moved back to Opelika from living on my own for almost 6 years my Grandaddy offered to help me pay off what I owed above and beyond my student loans so that I could get back to school. I told him that I had gotten myself into that mess and I was going to be the one to get myself out. And I did. I paid off some of my credit cards, my car loan, and what I owed two schools other than student loans and then I went back to school.

There has been a lot of crap happening lately in my family that I'm not going to get into here...I refuse to put dirty laundry out there for just anyone to see. But, I am supposed to be receiving money that my grandfather wanted his kids and grandkids to have after his death. When I was told the amount I about fell on the floor. When I wrote earlier that I was waiting on the other shoe to drop, I was not kidding. Usually that kind of crap happens to me all the time. But with this, it's almost like he is telling me from around the corner "I told you I would help."

So, less than 12 hours and our journey truly begins.

What will you be doing?

This is the question I got asked the most this past weekend. As I mentioned here, I have become accustomed to questions like this. My first answer is studying bird diversity in eucalyptus plantations in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. After that I get either confused looks, an "ok", or "Cool. What does that mean?". So I figured I would take the quiet moments I have before the big move to explain a little bit more for those I wasn't able to give an adequate answer to (reasons) or if anyone is curious.

A large paper company is looking into converting land that is currently or has previously been used as pine plantations or crop/pasture land into eucalyptus plantations. Why eucalyptus? Eucalyptus is a super fast growing tree. While most timber industries that use pine wait anywhere from 20-40 years to harvest (cut), eucalyptus can produce the same amount of mass (material) in 7-10 years. This would grant both the land owner (if the industry is buying directly from the land owner) and the industry the same yield (amount) or more in a shorter turn around time. This is great from an industry perspective; same amount of money and product in less time. What's not to like about that?

When you change how an area of land is used there are many factors that come into play that may have an affect on the wildlife in the area. For an example: think of what happens when you build a house. You have to make sure building equipment and the house its self can be put on the area. That entails clearing of vegetation such as trees, bushes, grass, and weeds. You need a foundation for the home which usually means you dig in a spot for this. Trucks and other equipment constantly coming back and forth clear paths and can change the contour or shape of the area you are placing the home. Once all is said and done and the home is built you can sod the area which has now become devoid of grass, let it come back naturally, or even landscape the area to your liking by planting trees and bushes or making flower gardens. What if you planted something that is not native to the area? Will the animals that previously used the area your home is in still use it? Does it still have plants that they like to eat? Does your land still have trees the animals used for homes?

That, in a nutshell, is what I'll be doing. I'll be going to a few places where this large paper industry has already converted pine plantations or crop/pasture areas to eucalyptus and other places where they have not been converted and compare the diversity of the two places. Diversity - what it is and why does it matter?

According to the World English Dictionary, diversity is the state or quality of being different or varied. What does that mean exactly? Think of it this way, what if everyone in the city you live in looked exactly like you did, liked the same kind of food you did, lived in the same kind of home you did...everything about you was multiplied throughout your city or town. Creepy right? There are many different types of habitats that support a multitude of different types of animals. Since I'll be working mainly on birds, I'll use them to extrapolate further. Some birds like to live in high canopies (think the tallest of limbs on a tree), some like to live in the middle, and some like to live on the ground. While this might be where they live they might hunt for food differently. Some, like woodpeckers, like to forage for insets in the bark of trees, some like to get insects off of leaves, some might like berries and seeds that fall to the ground. This is diversity. If you cut out part of the habitat, say you only have semi-tall trees of 10 feet or so, where do those birds go that liked to live in the canopy? Or say you have super tall trees and nothing on the forest floor. Where do those birds go that liked to live there? The short simple answer is they go to where their food is found and if their food is no longer there you loose diversity. But what if we change everything everywhere to where there are only high trees and nothing on the forest floor, then were do those ground loving birds go? This is why diversity matters.

So the next question is - why study birds and not the other animals? Good question! There are a lot of species that are considered indicator species of good quality habitat, meaning if these species are in an area and are thriving then the habitat type is thriving. Simply, birds are easy to monitor. Breeding season starts in early spring and can last until mid-summer. During this time birds are out and about right before the sun rises (dawn chorus) singing their little hearts out looking for a mate and defending their territories. Some are seriously hard to see and identify, but each species has a different song. Again, if their food source is not in the area, that bird most likely will not be heard in that area.

What I think is the most awesome thing about this project is that the large paper company wants to find out what changes would/could occur if they planted these large tracts of eucalyptus BEFORE they actually do it! It is more heard of for studies to do this afterwards once people realize what a big change has taken place or a species drops off the face of a map for good.

I hope this explanation helps and I even hope it gets some of you as excited as it gets me. Please feel free to comment with any questions if you have any and I'll do my best to answer.

The last hoorah in Alabama

This past Saturday our wonderful friends threw us a going away party. It wasn't anything huge or fancy, but there was lots of alcohol involved along with a few usual shenanigans. I, of course, drank way too much thanks to our lovely host Lori, but I regret nothing - including the horrific hangover the next day. The best part was being surrounded by our nearest and dearest all night, enjoying stories, crazy drunk talk, and each others company.

I am not a public crier whatsoever, but I did end the night in tears from the out pouring of generosity, love, and well being I experienced. All though I was extremely intoxicated when I finally broke down before going to bed it was only to my husband that I told, "I do not deserve this". In all of my 31 years I have never felt like I belonged more than I do with our group of friends. Sure, I had a small tight knit group of friends in high school, but sometimes I feel that wasn't me (except for the last half of my senior year when I didn't give a damn anymore). My family is not the closest. We love each other, but there are some parts about me that I can't be honest with my family about. I can only guess everyone else feels that way. But these guys, this group (new friends and old) - they are my family, they know me for all of my positives and negatives and I'm leaving their nest. I would say I'm leaving with no net to catch me if I fall, but I know that is not true. I know if I call any one of them, no matter what time of day, they will answer and help me anyway they can.

On the way home Sunday night, I felt a wave of calm wash over me. Usually with any of my difficult adult decisions I freak out more than just a little bit. But now maybe because I got to spend one more night with those who love me and my husband most, I feel at peace with this move. It may not be an easy road, but it is the one we have chosen and we will follow it to whatever end may come.

Wrapping up

The walls are now empty and today was Buddy's last day at work in Opelika. The electricity in our apartment is scheduled to be cut on the day we move, renter's insurance has been purchased, and the animals know something is going on. All that is left is packing up clothes, shoes, daily electronics and the pets' food and water bowls. 

I really, honestly don't think this change has hit me yet. Yes, it's pretty much all I talk about lately because it is such a big change and I understand that our lives will be different in a matter of days now. But, it just doesn't seem real. It's like I'm waiting on the other shoe to drop. 

This post is a short one in contrast to the last, I know. It just hasn't sunk in I guess. 

Last shift at the raptor center

Technically today was my last shift at the Southeastern Raptor Center, yet I said I would come back Wednesday to do some data entry, help out if need be, and have lunch with my "supervisor", Liz, because we were just too swamped to do it today. It may be because I just don't want to let go. This place has been almost a second home, a safe haven, a break in the monotony of school work, and quite honestly one of the best experiences I could have ever dreamed of. Disclaimer: this may be a long post. It is really hard to sum up 3 years in a short post.

When I quit my full time job as a lab gopher in 2010 I had every expectation to get my degree and work with wolves, big cats, or some type of large American wildlife. I never had a real love or passion for birds. As a kid I had a pair of zebra finches that lived for maybe a week and my mother had a cockatiel for the longest, but I was never attached to them like I were my furry pets.

During my first semester at Auburn one of the few friends I had at the time mentioned going to the raptor center after lab for her volunteer shift.  I was curious and I was starting to realize how valuable hands on experience in ANYTHING animal related was, so I contacted the center and arranged to start volunteering during Christmas break.

My first day was the day I was hooked. After I signed my name to pieces of paper that stated I would not sue the center if I was to be hurt, I went to look for another volunteer that was going to show me the ropes. The doorway to the treatment room is windowed so I could see that there was a hawk sitting on a high perch a few feet into the door. I walked in looking for the other volunteer only to have this large bird fly towards me. That should have been clue number one that this was not for the light hearted. I later learned that hawk was Meiko, one of our education birds, who is quite sassy. I took that moment to be Meiko testing me. What was going through my mind, however, was I really had no clue what I was doing here.

I then learned the boring task of cleaning cages in the critical care ward (CCW). After sweating like a man in the 80 degree room full of birds who could rip my eyes out of my face, one of the volunteers asked if I would like to help train the two red-tailed hawks. He explained how we put a small piece of food on our glove (these are special leather gloves folks), hold out our gloved arm, pat the glove and then call the bird to our glove. Simple. Kind of like calling a dog with a treat. That is if your dog has a 4 foot wingspan, sharp talons, and a sharp beak. The moment I felt the wind rush to my face as Foghorn flew to my glove was my Ah Ha moment. That was the coolest thing EVER! When I finished that shift I called both my parents and my grandparents. I don't think I stopped smiling all day.

I signed up for a volunteer shift every semester there after working my way up eventually to shift leader. During my three plus years at the center I learned how to do raptor physical therapy, draw and administer medications and fluids, handle every sized raptor from the smallest eastern screech owl to golden eagles!, assist in procedures such as surgery, eye exams, ECGs (which was so neat) and radiographs. I even got to push the red button to take the radiographs one day. I found a new found appreciation, curiosity, and awe of some of the smartest, most majestic animals that were ever created.

Granted there were bad days such as cleaning eagle cages (their poop is like concrete), having a great horned owl find a hole in my glove with it's talon, being bit, scratched, going home with who knows what on me, and the heartache of the death of a bird. There were some birds that you just knew would make it and then the radiographs would just look mangled or even those that died with out warning.

But the good far out weighs the bad. For example, I've seen just this year a red-tailed hawk that was on the cusp of being put down because of multiple issues that would not lend to an ideal quality of life. That bird is still alive today and they are looking for a educational facility to place it in! Or even nestling orphans that were brought in that had to be fed and cared for every hour on the hour that were released back in their natural habitat once they were old enough. I have been extremely lucky and honored to be able to be a part of this process, the beginning and the end, the bad and the good. That is the best feeling in the world.

I love this place so much I even asked to have my graduation pictures taken with Foghorn, my first raptor love. I have had people ask, "what are we going to do with out you?", but I think the real question is, "what am I going to do with out them?".

immature Mississippi kite

eastern screech owl

Graduation pictures with Foghorn the red-tailed hawk

great horned owls

The first bald eagle I ever got to handle! She was a beast!

barred owl scare tactics other than beak clacking

Second bald eagle handle! This one was just coming into maturity. 

bald eagle profile in flight

I just love barred owls

I just love this bird! 

We've got somewhere to live!!

We got confirmation on an apartment and paid the deposit today! It's not the one we originally wanted, but we have somewhere to live!

All this leaves is electricity, renters insurance (the pet deposit is cheaper if we go through their recommended company), possibly changing over our car insurance, finish packing the things that we may use in the next two weeks, and loading the truck!! That's only a handful of stuff to do!

I feel like a kid at Christmas. This will be our first real place together. When we were first married we lived in my mother's house and a lot of the stuff still there was hers. Currently we are living on top of each other at his parents house. In less than two weeks we will have our own place and be reunited with a lot of our stuff that has been in storage for almost 2 years! Sure it's a little more expensive than the one we wanted, on the second floor instead of ground, and has no washer or dryer hookups, but it's ours, we don't have to live out of the car, and there is a fireplace! (that is looking on the bright side!).

This is what our floor plan should look like:

courtesy of stonecreekapartments.net

So, despite being let down with the other place, I'm freaking excited. Two weeks from now, this will be our new home, our fresh start, our new adventure.  

Why I started another blog AKA here we go again

Once upon a time, not that long ago, I had another blog where I used to write/type/blog about general happenings and going ons in my life. I eventually became bored with it and it's occasional smattering of positivity amongst the negative, so I deleted it. 

However, I've decided to create another one to not only to share our lives with friends and family, but maybe even to help them understand what it is that I do. Sure there is facebook, google+, twitter, and instagram for small postings and pictures, but this way I don't swamp people's feed with pictures, incessant rambling, or boring sciencey things. 

See, I have accepted a graduate assistantship studying bird diversity in eucalyptus plantations in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.  Most people I tell that to politely nod their heads and have no clue what I mean. That's ok! If I was to say I was pursuing my masters in accounting, nursing, or even architecture people would understand what I mean. However, I didn't get into a very well known or understood profession. That's part of the reason I majored in wildlife ecology. Getting the confused look or being asked "So, you're going to be a park ranger, right?" has become part of my everyday life. To be honest, at first it was frustrating trying to explain what exactly someone with a degree in wildlife could do. But now, I get excited telling people what I will be doing and maybe it helps others understand that stuff like this does exist and does matter! 

So what I may blog about are ramblings of our day to day life in a new city, in a new state, at a new college, pictures from day to day or adventures in a new area, and ramblings about what it is that I do and what it is that I'm doing. I hope that whomever does read this enjoys and comments often (I love feedback!).