What was your favorite moment from work this year?
Answers from Biologists:
Seeing Eastern Diamondbacks in NC
Catching 9 bobcats in under 2 weeks
Teaching undergraduate volunteers how to age and collect CWD samples off deer
Leaving a toxic PhD advisor and joining a wonderful lab
Seeing rare species of birds on nest sweeps like the Sora and Common nighthawk
When the animal ambassador kestrel perched on command with no mice given
Capturing my first armadillo in a live trap successfully after finally getting funds and IACUC approval
Awarded NAF GRFP and started grad school with the best lab and advisor
Being recognized for my contributions and input being valued by my PI
Contracted 24 miles of woven wire fencing to be removed and replaced it with wildlife friendly fencing
Spotting a CA condor chick and a peregrine falcon flying by me in the same day
Learning more about bobcats and what amazing and elusive creatures they are
Getting a grant for my dream field research on red eyed tree frogs
Getting hired as the youngest tech in my division by 10 years
Got a neotrop grant to start a Caribbean land bird monitoring program
Got a whole municipality to make nature including building for any new buildings (bat boxes)
Being part of a team to get Canadian migratory bats listed as endangered
Getting my first full time job
Getting my first job where I get to focus on wildlife protection and not damage management
Trapped the highest number of prairie dogs my PI has ever seen
Getting to recreate the monarch exhibit, education program and rear over 100 healthy individuals
When my students thanked me for a good semester. I was wicked stressed and want’t expecting it at all
Published my first paper as lead author about the Western bluebirds I work with
Found 4 nesting birds in one massive oak tree
Restored 1200’ of shoreline and 9 oyster reefs in just under 4 months and they're thriving
Seeing a bunch of crocodiles basking
Bred 20,000 endangered tadpoles. Previously our record was 2000
A series of small triumphs getting R code to work properly.
Swabbing hundreds of bats for white nose syndrome and having all results come back negative
Collaring bison in northern British Columbia
Finally starting a project that was suppose to start in 2020
Graduated with a BS in Wildlife Bio
Getting my first pub in a magazine
Finding the first documented leatherback nest on South Padre Island
Had my first author manuscript accepted into a journal
Got headhunted for a junior wildlife bio job before starting my last semester of undergrad
Supervising some undergrads and teaching them the ins and outs of catching bats
Trapping swift foxes to be reintroduced to Ft. Belknap in MT
Doing nest bird surveys in CA hearing hermit thrush calls throughout the forest
Finding 9 Rusty patch bumblebees during one day of surveys
Found an elusive state threatened mudpuppy in western Iowa
Heli-darting 20 caribou while 5 months pregnant
My step daughter was voted best project in her class based on her help with the monarchs this season
Getting paid to work on O'ahu
Getting a new job with a raise and much better benefits and more compelling work
Catching a baby Goliath grooper (under 50mm) in a seagrass trawl
Actually seeing the animal I'd been tracking (red wolf)
Finally getting a permanent, salaried position with great benefits
Finally finished my Master's and looks like I landed a great job
Starting my first field season of grad school
Learning to tube and pit tag rattlesnakes
Getting my BS in Biology
Getting an illegal party that’s been happening at my park for 10+ years shut down for the first time
We found 2 pairs of Northern spotted owls in a place they hadn’t been in years
Getting to ride in a helicopter to our field sites
