A week from now I leave for Texas. It’s hard to believe that it came so soon. The countdown begins….

I am looking forward to meeting and working with my three new team mates! I will have much to learn from each of them, therefore having a lot in common, I think that we will conduct our efforts with great collaboration and compliment each other well. Mary is from Michigan and is in her 3rd year of veterinary school. Sarah is from Seattle and is an apprentice falconer and computer engineer. Kristen is from New Mexico and has worked as a Hack Site Attendant in prior years so her expertise will help us newbies fit right in and show us the ropes!!

Peregrine Fund is still awaiting a donated flight through LightHawk and the falcons are expected to arrive on the 3rd of July but with the holiday weekend no certain flight plan has been made. We are all anxiously waiting for our instructions, maybe a day sooner or later, in which we will finally meet the first group of birds that we will be caring for.  It sounds as though our first group will consist of approximately 3 to 4 (15 total) birds placed in each of the towers, with the second group being 4-5 (23 total) birds; a total of 38 falcons being released throughout the entire season. The second group arrives only weeks later around July 15…it’s going to be busy!! I am looking forward to the experience and watching each bird mature each day into independence. A falcon is considered independent after 21 days of returning to the tower after release.

Anthropomorphism: making an animal seem human. It’s funny the preconceived ideas we have about animals and what they realistically are in the wild. Apart from caring for my own pets, I know these birds will be wild. It is also tough to think of any bird passing despite the huge effort to ensure their safety and survival. It’s hard not to think of these falcons as characters you would see in a movie and not want to recognize that a certain percentage of the birds will not reach adulthood because nature will take its course, but I am going try my best to ensure that they all do.

I have an array of emotions as the day in which I will depart becomes closer. As I pack up my apartment, I have become conscious of the friends and family I will leave behind temporarily, but a chapter in my life is ending while another is beginning. I am ecstatic for this opportunity and encouraged by what I will experience and gain from this. I try not to worry about what my future will hold two months from now because tomorrow will take care of itself.  I am looking forward to new friends and new possibilities that produce that many more goals and dreams.

I can’t wait to share my adventure with all of you… :)