Snowdon Wildlife Sanctuary

Day 1: May 19
Begin the day by feeding the resident birds and cleaning their cages. Once the birds are fed, the
wood duck is fed and cleaned. Prepare mice by chopping up into small pieces and feed to owlet
and magpie. Begin cleaning the clinic and organizing for the summer. Admit a Mule Deer fawn
whose mother was hit by a car. The fawn is about two days old. Feed the fawn and prepare a stall
for her. Go on a call to receive another magpie. Magpie is about two weeks old and fell out of the
nest due to a storm the night before. Feed resident birds, bear, deer, and baby birds again in the
afternoon. Today I learned how to properly admit animals into the facility, where items are
located within the facility, and how to prepare and feed baby birds and resident birds.
Day 2: May 20
Feed resident birds at 7:00am and clean cages. Feces are sprayed with simple green and then
hosed down. Newspaper and perches are changed, food is given. Feed baby birds pinkies.
Prepare a bottle for the fawn and feed. Continue cleaning and organizing facility. Fawn and baby
magpie are fed four times a day. Fawn is placed in a crate in the clinic at night since it is still
cold out and electric fence is not set up yet. Fawn is stimulated to go to the bathroom at every
feeding. Supplies are picked up (mice, game birds, duck weed, mealworms).
Day 3: May 21
Feed baby animals first thing in the morning. Owlet and Magpie are gaining weight steadily.
Splint big magpies leg using an L splint. There is a vet appointment at 4:00 pm for the bird.
By examining the bird and looking at skeleton pictures, there appears to be protruding jagged
bones around the right hip. We are trying to keep its movement as minimal as possible to avoid
further injury. Picked up more game birds (pheasant and chucker) to process for the resident
birds. Went around town to see where materials like produce will be picked up. Fawn (who we
now refer to each other as Willow) is becoming more mobile and is starting to explore more and
move/jump around. Jeff Rohlman who used to be a regional biologist came out to check on bear
cub since it will be released on June 1 2015. Medications were injected (ivermectin) into an
apple which will be fed to the bear tonight. Got to go in the enclosure with Jeff and was able to
see the bear cub for the first time since arriving at Snowdon. The vet determined that the
magpies knee was broken and was going to have to be put down. The bird was killed humanly
and was fed to the resident peregrine falcon. Today I learned how to splint a birds leg and where
the vet clinic is that we bring injured animals too.
Day 4: May 22
Feed baby animals first thing in the morning. Chores are being spread out and are being done
separately to reduce stress and human interaction with the animals. At 10 am we left to go to
camp Ida-haven to do an educational program on Owl Pellets. During this presentation,
Maegan and I presented. The presentation took a total of about one hour. The audience was 36,
8-12 year olds and chaperones. After late morning feedings, we learned how to process game
birds and prepare them for the resident birds to eat. A call came into Snowdon about an orphaned
robin. As met up with our supervisor who already had the bird which was actually a nuthatch.
Inspected nuthatch upon arrival, everything seems normal. Owlet is starting to perch on his own
but will not eat on his own yet (a pinky was left with him over night and was untouched in the

morning). Inspected adult drake wood duck. We tested his long distance walking and his flight.
He is unable to successfully walk around without the use of his wings (he will use his wings to
push himself up and around), he is also unable to fly at all. Upon inspection we have determined
that he is malnourished. I began researching and calling other facilities such as the Portland
Audubon Society to get some advice about the best way to proceed with his care.
Day 5: May 23
Nuthatch died, mid-morning he was hunched in the corner and not eating. We began tube feeding
the duck. He will be fed 4x a day every day. He is being fed Mazuri floating duck food that is
mushed up and has vitamins, and pediolite added to it for extra vitamins and liquids to keep him
hydrated. Wood duck weighs .36kg when he should be about .70kg.Today I learned how to
properly tube feed a bird.
Day 6: May 24
Practice tub feeding wood duck more. This morning I got to try tube feeding him. He is still the
same weight as yesterday but seems to be a bit more responsive when we feed. He is starting to
swallow more when the tube is inserted into his throat. He has been gradually eating more at
each feeding. He went from eating 15 ccs yesterday to 30 ccs this morning. We will continue to
tube feed him for about another 4 or 5 days. If he continues to make improvement then we will
continue with the feedings. If he makes no improvement within 4 or 5 days (no weight gain,
increased mobility, etc.) then we will stop with the feedings and reassess the situation.
Day 7: May 25
Woke up and did morning chores by myself. Everything was routine and there were no
complications with anything. Met Diane who is a board member and also works for Idaho Fish
and game as a non-game biologist who is currently running a ground squirrel project. Duck is
gaining weight (almost .30 kg since May 23).

Week 2
Day 8: May 26- Today was routine,
Day 9: May 27- Today was routine,
Day 10: May 28- Today we processed game birds and cleaned tangos old cage (bobcat) and
prepared it for the wood duck to go in. Since the wood duck is gaining weight steadily, he will
soon be moved outside so that he can practice walking and flying. Tonight I also went to the
board meeting and was able to meet all of the board members and talk about plans that the
facility has for the future. While at the board meeting we got a call about orphaned baby
squirrels. After the meeting we met up with the gentleman to obtain the squirrels. There were
three baby squirrels that I researched and found out that they are about 5 weeks old and are red
squirrels.
Day 11: May 29- Day Off, went to Hells Canyon in Oregon came back early because we got a
call about a fawn with an injured leg. When I arrived back at the facility, the fawn actually

turned out to be an elk calf. The elk had a severe compound fracture with part of the bone
sticking out of his leg. Unfortunately there was nothing that we could do for the calf and he had
to be euthanized by Idaho Fish and Game. Today I learned to prepare for situations that you
may not be expecting. I also learned about Idaho Fish and Game and how to work with them.
Day 12: May 30- Day off- Today we admitted a Grosbeak.
Day 13: May 31- Day Off- Went to Boise. Grosbeak died. Jeff Rohlman came by to set up the
catch pen for the bear. Got a call about a fox with a broken leg who four kits.

Week 3

Day 14: June 1- President of the board set out a trap to try and catch the foxes. We did not catch
any today. The bear tricked the catch cage and did not trip the wire so it had to be reset. Today I
learned how to set up a catch cage when trying to catch a bear.
Day 15: June 2- Bear did not trip the wire again and had to be reset. Jeff came back out to set up
a more advanced system. One of the fox kits was caught in the trap. We got the fox situated in a
small pen until we catch the others, at that time they will be moved into a larger pen together.
Day 16: June 3- Found the bear in the catch pen at 6 am this morning (finally!). Went out to do
feedings and found the three baby red frozen but still alive. Had to warm them up immediately.
We did this by warming water bags and rice packs. We wrapped the squirrels up in individual
blankets and put them on the water bag with the rice pack on top of them. We also had to rub
them quickly to try and keep their hearts and organs from stopping. During this time Jeff
Rohlman showed up to process the bear for release in Oregon. I got to watch the process of the
bear being anesthetized, inspected, tagged, and caged for release. I was not able to go on this
release since it was being done in Oregon. Once Jeff had processed the bear, we went back to
warming the squirrels. While we were doing this, we got a call from Diane (one of
the board members who also works for Idaho Fish and Game) about two pronghorn

antelope fawns that we will be receiving within the next few days. The mother was poached and
the female fawn was shot through two of her legs (soft tissue wounds). A little while later we
also received a call about someone who had six mallards that they wanted to bring by for us (a
mother and 5 ducklings). When we received the ducks the mothers leg was badly injured. The
people said that a women had the ducks before them and she tried to splint the leg. When she no
longer had time for the ducks because of work she handed them off to the gentleman who
brought them to us. He stated that the reason he wanted to take them was to give his three year
old daughter a lesson on giving back and how to help. The mother duck had to go to the vet to
be euthanized due to the severity of her leg. The vet stated that the woman who tried to splint the
leg, splinted it crooked and it would not be able to function properly. One of the female squirrels
ended up dying at the end of the day. We think that this is also because she aspirated. Today I
learned how to process a bear for release, how important education to the public is to raise
awareness about not trying to raise wildlife in your house but rather to bring it to a professional

who can give the animal a better chance at survival, and what to do in an emergency situation
like the freezing squirrels.
Day 17: June 4- Today we admitted a black bear cub. We also got a call about four ducklings that
were being admitted. When we received them we identified them as Common Goldeneye and
that they were about a week old. Before the black bear arrived, Jeff, his wife Erin and the
employees fixed the bear catch cage in preparation for future cubs. Today we also went through
the bear shed where we keep all of the dog food that we have for the bear. We got rid of any that
had expired or was moldy or unusable.
Day 18: June 5- Day off. Admitted mother fox
Day 19: June 6- Day off. Admitted a young white tail fawn who was being held around the neck
by a dog. Gave the fawn 60cc of fluids Sub Q and warmed it up using rice bags. We also got the
fawn to eat a little bit of formula through an eye dropper and some colostrum gel.
Day 20: June 7- Day off. Admitted a pronghorn fawn.
The information that I learned this week will help me in my future career as a wildlife
rehabilitator because a lot of times you will run into emergency situations and not know what to
do such as with the squirrels freezing. Also, setting up the catch pen for the bear was valuable
information because I will need to be able to set up catch pens so that I can release animals in the
future. Bears are one of the primary animals admitted into facilities, so working with the bear
biologist allowed me the opportunity to gain knowledge about the process that animals leaving
the facility to be released have to go through.
Day 21: June 8- Made an appointment and brought the white tail fawn into the vet. Upon
inspection of the fawn, the vet decided the best solution for it would be euthanasia. The right side
of the fawns face had become paralyzed and would be unable to be released.
Day 22: June 9- This morning we got a call from Idaho Fish and Game about a baby mule deer
that had been picked up. It was wondering by the highway alone, the people who got it figured
that the mother had been hit by a car. When we received the deer, he was very wheezy and had
discharge coming from his eyes. We put him in the barn with the other mule deer but locked her
outside so that they could not interact. We were unable to quarantine the buck because the
pronghorn was in the other stall. We thought that he may have been wheezing from the stress that
he had been through. Later in the day we received a call about an injured grosbeak. The bird was
found in a pond by a young boy who helped it out of the water. He placed it on the ground and
watched it for a little bit but it appeared injured. Upon inspection the bird had some open skin on
her wing. Tried to get Luta on the glove since she is going to the program this Saturday. Our
attempts were unsuccessful. When Luta started to become stressed we decided we would stop for
the day to avoid causing too much stress.
Day 23: June 10- bring mother fox to the vet to get her leg amputated. Unfortunately during the
recovering process something happened and the fox passed away. Foxes are very touchy with
anesthesia and will often not come out of it. The mule deer fawn that we admitted yesterday also
passed away, We contacted Dory (deer specialist in Northern Idaho) to see if she had any idea

about what it could have been and she suggested pneumonia. Also, this morning when I went
into the clinic to start morning chores, the grosbeak was dead. Instead of feeding it to Indy the
peregrine falcon we disposed of it since there has been an unusually high number of grosbeaks
dyeing for no apparent reason. We suspect that there may be some sort of bird flu going around
so we opted out of giving it to Indy just to be safe. Got Luta out of her cage today. She would not
get on the glove so she had to be blanketed. Once she was in the blanket, we attached her jess
that had fallen off. We allowed her to sit on a table stand for about five minutes before putting
her back in her cage.

This week I learned what to do when we do not have a quarantine stall for an arriving animal. I
also learned how to handle raptors and how to put on a jess.
This is important in my field because a lot of times you will be put into situations where you do
not have an area that you can use for quarantine. Also, handling raptors is useful since raptors
and birds are the most commonly admitted animals in rehabilitation facilities.
Some of the challenges I faced this week were primarily emotional. When you get in an animal
and try everything that you possibly can for the end result to be euthanasia it is hard to deal with
at first.
Week 4
Day 24: June 11- Got a call about a Colombian ground squirrel that had been stuck in a pipe.
When I met with the woman to get the squirrel, it was severely emaciated and was laying on its
side. Since squirrels do not do well with subcutaneous fluids we gave him three ccs of fluid
orally. Once we gave him fluids, he became more attentive and started to perk up more. He
would grab the syringe and when we would give him fluids and was starting to walk around in
his cage. This morning the other intern and I cleaned out the educational dome in preparation for
its opening next Thursday.
Day 25: June 12- Gave the Colombian ground squirrel more fluids, he had eaten some seeds that
were left in with him over night. This morning I got to meet Stacy and her husband who are both
professional photographers. They come out a few times during the summers to get pictures of the
animals that they then donate to us so that we can sell them or use them on our website. Today
the other intern was asked to leave the facility as there have been ongoing issues with her.
Day 26: June 13- Went to the Winchester Wolf Education and Research Center and did two
educational presentations on Luta the Red-tailed Hawk. I also got the honor of meeting Casey
Anderson and was able to listen to his talk about what he does and about a new tv show
documentary that he has been filming that will air on National Geographic in November 2015. I
learned how to hold a raptor during a presentation and what to do if they bait.
Day 27: June 14- Day off, spent time with Richard Lee
Day 28: June 15- Today we received 7 chickadee fledglings, whose mother was killed by the
owners cat.

Day 29: June 16- Set up the educational center. Gave a tour to Erin Rohlman and her friends who
made and donated goods such as zipper pulls to Snowdon. Got to go on the Mallard release.
They were released onto Little Payette Lake. Today when I went to check on the chickadees
they were dead. Today I learned that your hard work and long hours really do pay off when you
get to see animals that you have raised go into the wild again.
Day 30: June 17- Today was routine. The younger of the two squirrels passed away with no
known reason as to why. He had sporadic breathing and was laying on his side. Meaghan and I
looked him over and we think that it was delayed aspiration or pneumonia.
Day 31- June 18- Today was the opening day of the Educational dome. No visitors came today
so Meaghan and I spent the time organizing the filing cabinets and the rest of the dome. The
schedule of feedings changed from five times a day to four times a day as the ungulates are
getting bigger and do not need to be bottle fed five times a day.
Day 32- June 19- Today we released the bear from the catch cage into the two acre enclosure
where she will live until she is released in the wild. Today I also got to release the Red-tailed
hawk, Magpie, and squirrel. Today I learned how to do a release. Stacy the photographer came
out and photographed the releases of the animals. This was a very emotional experience for me
as I got to see my hard work pay off for the first real time. We received the Magpie when he did
not have all of his feathers and would not have even had a chance on his own. With hard work
and time, we taught him how to forage and fend for himself. It was a very exciting moment when
he flew out of his crate and around the property at which we released him. At this moment I was
proud, emotional, and very excited. I also learned how patient you have to be when waiting for a
bear to on their own terms go out into a bigger world. Stacy and I sat there until she came out to
make sure that she didnt get stuck under the hot wire. After the releases we got a call about a
baby robin that was orphaned. We picked up the robin and identified it at a sparrow.
Unfortunately, it died before we made it back to the clinic.
Day 33- June 20- Day off, go to Fogglifter Caf to do work.
Day 34: June 21- Day off
Day 35: June 22Day 36: June 23Day 37: June 24Day 38: June 25- Worked the educational center. No visitors came in. Admitted two swallow
fledglings.
Day 39: June 26- Day off, admitted baby swallow
Day 40: June 27- Day off
Day 41: June 28-admitted baby swallow
Day 42: June 29- Went out to do morning chores and two of the swallows were dead.

Day 43: June 30- Got a call about a baby bird found on a golf course. When I arrived back at the
clinic and identified it as Goldfinch. I researched its natural behavior and background
information to find out what it should be eating, nesting in, etc. This is a useful skill to have as
you have to research every animal that you receive to make sure to do the correct thing and treat
and raise it properly.
Day 44: July1- This morning I did not have to work but was awoken by my manager pounding
on my door. She said that Willow (mule deer fawn) was dying and that she needed my help. I ran
out to get the fawn as Maeghan set up the clinic with fluids to give her and heat packs. When I
got her into the clinic we gave her 120 cc's of fluids sub Q and a hot water enema and warmed
her with heat packs. She was unresponsive, bloated, and frothing at the mouth. We called a few
vet clinics and rushed her into one. When we got to the clinic the vet looked her over and
determined that she had contracted severe pneumonia, he allowed me to listen to her heart rate
which was at about 60bpm and her breathing which was barely audible. Her lungs were filled
with fluids and we had to make the choice to euthanize her as it would have been to much stress
to do anything else and would most likely still result in her not making it due to the severity. This
was a very upsetting moment and I learned that no matter what animals may not make it no
matter how hard you try or what you do. This moment was also very upsetting for me as she had
been my first mammal admitted into the facility. We got her at three days old and she had been
fully dependent upon us as her care-takers. She had known us as the ones who fed her and as a
mother figure. Maeghan and I both discussed the situation and what we could do next time at the
first possible sign. This was a very sad learning experience that I will have to deal with as a
wildlife rehabilitator.
Day 45: July 2- Got a call about two baby starlings that fell out of their nest. While I was
working the educational center the lady brought in the starlings. There were no visible injuries to
them. When I brought them back to the facility I correctly identified them as crows or ravens.
Since they are so difficult to tell the difference between when they are that young we could not
further identify them. Today we had seven visitors at the educational center. This was exciting
because I got to interact with the public and inform them about wildlife rehabilitation and
Snowdons internship opportunity.
Day 46: July 3- since we have a number of small birds we changed the feeding schedule to every
other hour for baby birds and the same feeding schedule for the other animals. One of the baby
crows/ ravens passed away today.
Day 47: July 4- Today while in town we got a call about a baby swallow that had fallen from its
nest. With all of the people in town for the weekend I decided it would be best to immediately
take the bird instead of having them look for a nest. Today we had a booth set up at the craft fair.
A decent number of people stopped by to interact with Snowdon and interact with an activity that
we had set up.
Day 48: July 5- Today was routine. The other baby crow/raven passed away during the night.
Day 49: July 6-Day off

Day 50: July 7- Day off- Today while I was in town, Maeghan sent a text saying that she needed
me at the facility because the Gold Finch ripped off his leg. When I arrived back at the facility,
the bird had completely ripped his leg off. There was only one vein hanging from where his leg
was. Maeghan and I cleaned the wound and wrapped him up and put him into the indoor cage so
that we can monitor him more carefully. Today I learned how to sterilely clean a deep wound
which is important in wildlife rehab since many animals arrive with deep injuries, or injuries that
need to be sterile. I also learned to be ready for any situation even if you are not expecting it.
Unfortunately, the gold finch ended up passing away.
Day 51: July 8- Day off- Went up north adventuring. While I was up there I picked up game
birds at Flying B Ranch.
Day 51: July 8- Day off- Went to the coffee shop.
Day 52: July 9- Day off
Day 53: July 10- Admitted a baby bird at 9:00 pm. I also went to a be bear aware training in
order to learn how to protect oneself from encountering bears and what to do if you do encounter
them. I learned how to properly use bear spray at this program.
Day 54: July 11- Worked the educational dome. Had 10 visitors today. By working the dome, I
am learning valuable information about interacting with the public which is very important when
working a job in wildlife rehabilitation. Today we have a Hawk Talk educational program at
Ponderosa State Park.
Day 55: July 12- Today has been pretty routine. This morning when I went into the clinic for
morning feedings the baby bird had passed away. Maeghan and I went out into the town to look
for supplies for our volunteer work day that will be taking place this upcoming Saturday.
Day 56: July 13- Today was routine for the most part. I got a call in the early morning about an
injured Magpie. The lady believed he hit a car or was run over. When I picked him up there was
blood all over the blanket he was on, I was unable to get a good look at him since he was in so
much pain. When I returned to the facility Maeghan and I looked at him better and determined
that he had an injured wing whereas the lady thought he had a hurt foot. We got him into the vet
to be looked at. When the vet was looking at him he determined that it was most likely a gunshot
wound. He had a very bad compound fracture and had to be euthanized. The rest of the day,
Maeghan and I did errands and gathered materials for our community volunteer work day that is
coming up this Saturday. Today we also released our Colombian Ground Squirrel. We drove to a
place far from the road and from the public. Today I learned the proper conditions needed to
release a ground squirrel. This will be useful as a wildlife rehabilitator because it is very
important where you release your animals to ensure that you give them the best chance of
surviving in the wild.
Day 57: July 14- Day off
Day 58: July 15- Day off
Day 59: July 16- Day off- Went to the Snake River Stampede Rodeo in Nampa

Day 60: July 17- Today Maeghan and I prepared for the work day. We went and bought materials
and supplies such as mesh, wood, paint and supplies, and refreshments.
Day 61: July 18- Today was our volunteer work day. We re-did Ollies cage, fixed an enclosure,
mowed the grass, took down dead trees, cleaned up the property and hauled garbage, cleaned up
the one acre enclosure, and set fence postings for our elk enclosure. We had about 14 people
come out to help with the volunteer day, overall it was a very successful day. A couple from
Lowman who came up to help out also donated a new lawnmower to the facility. Today I learned
how important the community is to our facility and to non-profits in general. This will apply to
my career as a wildlife rehabilitator because community is one of the most important parts to
running a successful rehabilitation facility.
Day 62: July 19- Today was routine. The pronghorn has had very loose stools, we have reduced
his formula amount and feedings to try and get it under control. We are taking precautions to
ensure that he does not develop pneumonia like the mule deer fawn did.
Day 63: July 20- Today was routine. I got a call from Diane (our treasurer, and a fish and game
biologist) about a baby bird that was dropped off at Fish and Game who needed some attention.
When I picked up the bird it was fine. The people who had dropped it off did not leave much
information about it besides their phone number and that they live in Donnelly. When I got the
bird back to the facility I identified it as far as I could and determined it was some sort of finch.
Since most finches look the same as fledglings, we will have to wait some time until its colors
start to come in. Maeghan and I also started to paint the clinic and organize. At night we got a
call about and injured baby bird. Maeghan went to pick it up and when she got back to the
facility I went out to help her. The chick was holding its head to the side and down and had a bit
of a tic. After looking the chick over, I determined that he had a broken neck. Since this is such a
serious injury he had to be euthanized. The chick had gotten run over by a bike and was being
handled by children. Today I learned how important it is to keep wildlife that you find and
believe to be injured in a quiet, cool, low stress environment.
Day 64: July 21- Day off
Day 65: July 22- Day off
Day 66: July 23- Today was a routine day. I worked the education center today and had 15
people come in that I got to interact with and inform them about animal rehabilitation.
Day 67: July 24- Today started Lutas transfer to West Yellowstone, I had to prepare her and her
materials for the ride. Once she had left, I had to deep clean her cage. This involves picking up
any newspaper, bones, pellets, etc. Then the entire cage had to be sprayed down with a
disinfectant and scrubbed. The perches and beams and attic also had to be cleaned out. Today I
learned the process required to transfer a bird of prey, and how to properly clean an education
animals enclosure once they are gone. This will be important as a wildlife rehabilitator because
education animals are frequently coming and going. It is also important to know because deep is
done very often when working in wildlife rehabilitation whether it be because an animal was
sick, had open wounds, etc. that requires the cage to be deep cleaned.

Day 68: July 25- Day off

Day 69: July 26- Day off
Day 70: July 27-Day off
Day 71: July 28- Today was a very busy day, we received many phone calls about animals. Out
of these phone calls, we admitted an adult evening grosbeak who had struck a window. When we
received her, her eyes were bulging and had blood in them. I called the vet who said that she
most likely had a hematoma which was causing the bulging and bleeding. We also admitted a
duckling which I determined to be a mallard duckling. The duckling had no obvious injuries and
was found by himself. Unfortunately, the duckling ended up passing away later on in the day. We
also got a call about an orphaned goose. When I went to pick it up, I properly identified it as a
common merganser duckling. Upon inspection, I had determined that he had a broken
neck/clavicle. With such a serious injury, he did not end up surviving. We also got a call about a
Pileated Woodpecker who had fallen from his nest and was unable to get back in. Today I learned
that when you think the summer is winding down, you will have very busy days. I also learned
how important education is to the public so that they know about the wildlife that inhabits the
area in which they live. As a wildlife rehabilitator, education is very important for this exact
reason. Education is a very large part of wildlife rehabilitation which you use all of the time
whether you are at education programs, or simply just answering phone calls.
Day 72: July 29- Today was a routine day, the grosbeaks swelling has gone down some and she
is being more active (flying around the cage, pushing her food bowl around, etc.) Unfortunately
she is still not well enough to be released. The woodpecker was moved into an outdoor enclosure
today. Today I got to make enrichment for the woodpecker. I found pieces of bark and poured
karo syrup in the little crevices of the bark and placed dried bugs on the syrup. This is to ensure
that the woodpecker is getting plenty of food and to stimulate her natural foraging behaviors.
Day 73: July 30- Day off
Day 74: July 31-Day off
Day 75: August 1- Worked the educational center, had 7 visitors within the five hours.
Day 76: August 2- Today I got a call about an injured osprey fledgling. When I met with the
people to pick it up, they had told me that I was sitting on the side of the road and seemed as
though it had a broken leg. When I got back to the facility I performed a full body inspection,
primarily focusing on his legs since thats where the alleged injury way. I was able to diagnose
the osprey with a severely broken leg. Later in the day, when I was feeding him, I noticed a dark
spot on his chest. I toweled him so that I could get a better look and to give more SQ fluids. After
looking at the dark spot, I noticed that it was actually a hole in his chest with a bone sticking out
of it. Unfortunately since it was such a serious injury, he had to be euthanized. Today I learned
that I is very easy to overlook an injury unless you are giving the animal your undivided
attention. I also learned how working with wildlife makes you appreciate them so much more.
Today I felt sad that there was nothing I was able to do for the osprey but felt very fortunate for
being able to work with such an incredible creature.

Day 77: August 3- Day off. Today I had to respond to a call about an injured bird. When I got to
the call, I identified the bird as a juvenile male pileated woodpecker. He was very fussy and I
was unable to get a good look at him so I brought him to the vets. The vet did a full body look
over and some sort of test. When the test results came back he explained to me that the bird had
severe electrolyte imbalances and would have to be given medication orally for the next 3 days
along with fluids orally for the next 3 days. Today I also have my intern exiting meeting with
Diane and Carolyn.
Day 78: August 4- Day off
Day 79: August 5- Day off, went horseback riding in Garden Valley.
Day 80: August 6- Today I got a call about a Finch with a broken wing. When I obtained the bird
I properly identified it as an evening grosbeak. While I was responding to this call, I got a call
about an Osprey with a broken leg. After getting possession of the Osprey I brought the birds to
the vet, the broken leg was very severe. When I was helping the vet inspect the osprey we found
a hole in his chest similar to the hole in the previous Ospreys chest. This raised concern for us
since it could be a possible shooting since all of the Ospreys have had a broken right leg and hole
in the chest. The vet informed me that the hole on this bird was in a different location that the
other bird. Since his leg was so severely broken he had to be euthanized. The vet also took a
quick look at the grosbeak and said that there was nothing wrong with him. He is a little on the
skinny side and just needs some fluids and food.
Day 81: August 7- Today was routine.
Day 82: August 8- This morning while working the education center I got a call about an injured
chipmunk. He had a previous puncture wound on his neck but was completely healthy and
active. Today we had a fundraiser selling hand painted pint glasses at Salmon River Brewery to
raise money for the facility. The fundraiser was very successful and we sold all 52 glasses and
made over $1,300! At the fundraiser there were some problems with management. Maeghan
failed to show up the set up and arrived 45 minutes after the fundraiser had started. When she
finally made it to the fundraiser she failed to do anything except socialize with her friend that she
brought to it.
Day 83: August 9- Today was a routine day. I opened the door to the cage that the chipmunk was
in so that he could be released. I got a call about an injured evening grosbeak that struck a
window. Upon inspection of the bird, there was nothing found wrong with him. He will be kept
at the facility for a few days for observations and to ensure that he is fully capable of flying
before being released back into the wild.
Day 84: August 10- Day off
Day 85: August 11- Day off
Day 86: August 12- Today was routine.
Day 87: August 13- Today was my last day here at Snowdon. I worked the educational facility
today but had to close early due to a call. I went to pick up a baby red squirrel who was at

someones front door crying since its nest was in the houses wall. Today was a very hot day and
the squirrel was close to a busy road so I met up with the person to obtain the squirrel.
Everything else was very routine today. Today I learned that not all calls are about injured or
orphaned animals and that sometimes they could be presented in a dangerous situation which
they have to be removed from.

This summer I have learned a lot of skills and have gained a lot of experience that will help me
when I am placed into different wildlife rehabilitation situations.