A Summer to Remember

I only have 7 weeks left to be an intern at Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge for this summer, and I'm already certain that this is a summer to remember. I've gotten to experience and be a part of so many opportunities already, and there are so many more in the near future. I haven't been documenting my days in anyway lately, but I wanted to make a blogpost with some of the photos taken over the past week or so. 

I've been successfully leading guided walks at Holgate beach, and the busiest day so far has been Friday, July, 5th, interacting with 204 people in all. There's been rain, sun, wind, and fog. A beach is susceptible to many different kinds of weather, so I have to keep an eye on the radar every time I go out. I was able to go out with the biology interns yesterday, and we took down water salinity at the refuge and pulled invasive plants out. It's exciting that I get to have a chance at a new experience every week, but I do wish it occurred more often. I just know that I want to make the most of what time I have left!  

Findings on one beachcombing walk: crab claw, jingle shell, and cow vertebra.

I was so excited to find a jingle shell!

Photo of Holgate beach during one of my walks, originally posted on Friends of Forsythe Facebook.

A foggy day at the beach.

Box turtle seen sunbathing in the road. 

Lily Lake during a bird walk I attended.

Fowler's toad. I love these guys, but I wish they weren't so small and all over the roads!

Another Fowler's toad I'm holding. Different color morph. Originally posted on Forsythe NWR Facebook.

The Process of Banding Geese

Today proved to be quite an adventure as I experienced the process of banding geese. Before actually learning how to go about doing it, I kept imagining a giant net and each of us attempting to wrestle a goose to the ground. Luckily, I was way off. I'm going to be honest. The idea of getting anyway near a goose terrified me. They're the birds that hiss and seemingly have no problem squawking and chasing after you. I didn't think I'd be able to handle the geese at all, but I'm happy to say that I did fairly well after a little bit of practice.

Our first task was to locate an area where there would be geese. The FWS employees we worked with did this on a regular basis, so they knew exactly where to go. Once we arrived at the sight, it was time to lay out the capture area. A couple of people went out in kayaks to herd the geese onto land where the rest of us were hiding. The plan for each encounter was to first let the geese group together on land, providing them with the assumption that they were safe. We would then show ourselves, making no fast movements towards them until we were close enough to a large piece of fence we used to form a fenced in area. As we held the fencing and moved closer in, it became fairly easy to keep them contained. The time before all of this involved a lot of waiting and the real fun didn't start until after. Below is a picture from my view of the clearing and the fencing I would be using to contain the geese, followed by a gathering of geese herded in.  

There were some of us who wrote down recaptures, birds that had previously been banded, and some who actually handled the birds. The FWS employees, and some fellow interns, took care of the actual banding, which involved sexing the bird and recording the number of the band put on the bird's leg. I ended up handling birds for most of the day. I didn't do well my first time, but I conquered the nerves and got the hang of it, braving the angry geese at 3 locations throughout the day. Overall, the day went fairly well, and I learned a lot. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Below are pictures of myself holding a goose and the make-shift stand holding the bands before they were placed on the geese.