Today was a pretty sweet day. I woke up early and hightailed it over to CRC to cover the morning shift. After prepping meals for the birds kept inside and the outdoor diurnals, I was able to practice grabbing, since four birds outside needed to be weighed. The first was a red tailed hawk, which was easy because it was in a small enclosure, and the second was a Cooper's hawk, which I couldn't get even though it was a small enclosure. They jump up and down like popcorn kernels in a hot pan. I thought red-tails were crazy but Cooper's take the cake. Next up, a Black Vulture. This was, by far, the largest bird I've ever attempted. They weigh about 2000 grams, they're smart and they're strong, so they're hard to get and keep. I caught him but he flapped his wings wildly and got away. The more seasoned volunteer I was with caught him once more. The last bird was a red shoulder and I couldn't get him. Sweaty and tired, we walked back to the rehab center and talked about school. She goes to UNCC and has taken classes at CPCC. We're about the same age (she probably a couple of years younger) and we both are interested in becoming veterinarians. We clicked instantly. It's so nice to meet someone similar to me and I can't wait to learn more about her.
As I was leaving, Carly the volunteer coordinator asked if I wanted to release a bird today. Um, of course I do! I didn't even care what kind of bird, just a bird. Meeting up with my friend CJ for lunch will have to wait. So we picked up a Kestrel out of its enclosure, banded it, boxed it up and I drove to the McDowell Nature Preserve. I stopped at home first to grab my camera, then hoped I could get a shot of it flying off, which is no small feat since Kestrels are so fast. I was fairly certain when taking the pictures I wasn't getting anything because I was basically just pointing randomly and clicking as fast as I could. But guess what? I got a shot! I'm so excited to have captured my first release. Whoah, oxymoron! Behold:
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