Today was the 6th Annual Poker Run at Back to Nature. It ended right as I got there, so I didn't really get to see it. But I did see a few people walking around and laughing at poker stations around the property. I don't know how they did it, but it involved cards. And it was nice to hear guests enjoying themselves. We're always laughing, but we're all silly geeks.
Look what I saw when I came in. A WHIP-POOR-WILL! It's a member of the Nightjar family. Nightjars are known for having very large mouths. This guy didn't open his mouth for you to see, but aren't his feathers beautiful?
Grumpy but beautiful.
Because of the Poker Run, it was a slow day. Most everyone was out at the second location after the breakfast at BTN. But we still had a lot of people and everything was divided up so that there wasn't much to do. So... I goofed around a lot. HEY, there were tons of free leftovers! You'd be insane not to grab a few Cinnabons! What my point is that there won't be as many pictures or stuff to write about as normal. Sorry guys!
I started off with - GUESS WHAT? - baby squirrel feeding. Yep. But hey, I'm happy to help Debbie. She was running around getting ready to go to the second location (Harley Davidson shop) and she needed someone to feed her baby squirrels. I'm glad she trusts me to do that for her. And the babies are the perfect age, in my opinion. They're not too wriggly but they're less likely to aspirate and they're adorable when they latch onto the syringe with their hands!
What a cutie!
Of course feeding 6 babies took a while. Next was a whole lot of goofing around. A group of us went to go eat the breakfast leftovers and we had fun talking and joking around and reminiscing about the old days when childrens' shows were good and teen celebs weren't insane. But then again, I guess we all prefer what we grow up with. Today's children will be saying the same thing to kids 10 years from now. Anyway, I had a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice with a guava pastry (YAY!) and a Cinnabon. Then a Dr Pepper to refresh me after. I had meant to grab a Coke, but the cans looked so similar that by the time I started drinking it and noticed, it was too late. Still tasty, but no soda is as good as a Coke.
Now, it was time to be productive and make a WHOLE lotta food for the animals I was assigned! It took a while because we were chatting, but it was fun. :)
Mmmm.... Squirrel buffet!
Today was my first day in the Backrow, meaning the animals not open to the public. They're kept apart because they have to get ready to be released. So they have to fear and avoid humans. Thankfully Christi was there to help me. We have a lot of fun together, us crazy gals. I of course didn't go in with any large-threat rabies animals. I just had 3 squirrel cages to do and the 3 flight cages. It was difficult to get into the squirrel cages because they kept running up to the door looking for hand-outs. These guys were clearly not ready to be released yet. They're much too used to humans. But the few in the cage in the very back were quite fearful of me. It's sad but encouraging at the same time. The less I can cuddle with them, the better chance of surviving they have in the wild.
He kept trying to eat the end of my rake!
Anyway, next was Tarot (Red-Tailed Hawk), Russel (Great Horned Owl) and a songbird flight cage, though there was only a Brown Thrasher and a White Dove in there. Took a while and I left late, but it looked nice and clean! :)
Sullen Russel in his igloo
"Stop staring darling, it's rude."
And then I went home. It was a very fun day. Unfortunately, I will not be going to BTN next week. It's time for me to go visit someone special up in Atlanta. If I take any fun pictures at 6 Flags Over Georgia, I'll post a few just to entertain you. But before I go, here are some fun random pictures I took today at BTN:
Momma squirrel eating some nuts
Hyper youngsters climbing all over their cage
Part of the tree next to Zema's cage grows horizontally!
I'm wishing everyone a wonderful week(s)! I will see you and the amazing people at Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge again on the first of October. See ya!
The Wild Dimes has Fainted!
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