What is your favorite thing to do on the job?
Ask A Biologist Monday 1/13/25
Answers from Biologists:
Educate the public. I love seeing the “wow” moment on people’s faces about wildlife.
Lead tidepool tours on the North Oregon coast.
Nest searching and monitoring.
Making maps with field data. Gives a unique perspective on work accomplished.
Eating snacks and drinking water.
Enjoying a peaceful moment during field work when it’s just me and nature.
Seeing the fruits of my labor *seedling succession, successful prescribed burn).
Surveys and capture/fieldwork. All the hands-on aspect of the work.
Getting to hike in beautiful streams all day. Hidden gems of beauty you find at work.
Lollygagging during field work and looking at plants and critters.
Field burritos! Snapping photos of my lunch in beautiful lands. It’s a ritual of gratitude.
Driving around and gossiping in the work truck.
Prosecuting wildlife traffickers and preventing more invasive species establishing in Australia.
Connecting with other focuses in the field. I love to learn from senior biologists.
The painfully few times a year I actually get to work with animals.
Hearing from the public about a wildlife species historically.
Excitement of checking game cameras.
Working with communities and addressing their questions with a combination of science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
Watching interns grow their careers post-internship.
Seeing cool fish/nature, driving boats, and mentoring the next generation.
Days I get to work with my favorite coworkers.
Being outside. Office days/off season make me appreciate it more.
Training others. It helps show the imposter syndrome that I’m competent.
Hiring. I love giving new bios their “first time getting paid for it”.
Outreach. I love inspiring appreciation for the natural world.
Educating hunters. Many don’t know how we’re aging animals, what tissue we take for CWD testing, etc.
Being involved in policy development that will benefit my colleagues and wildlife.
Seeing the lightbulb go off with guests at the zoo.
Talking to the public. I love outreach events and going to school to talk about my work.
Watching the marsh wake up/go to sleep during early or long sampling days.
