Hello there, its been a while. Obviously I'm not good with this whole blogging thing. I don't keep it up to date, and I apologize for that (If anyone is actually reading this). The last I wrote here was my plannings to go to the Peruvian Amazon. I have not changed in my determination to go there, but I believe it may take a while longer than I had hoped. I've been busy between college and work, and have only been able to gather a little under $500 for the trip. Hopefully, with continued saving, I will be able to finally make it in a few years from now. Fixing problems on my car have made a dent in the Amazon savings.
2015 ended well. In the spring I went with my family to California. I had a chance to see many new birds including White-headed Woodpecker, American Dipper, Hermit Warbler, Brandt's Cormorant, Heerrmann's Gull, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and many others. In the summer I was able to go on a mission trip to Russia. That was a really awesome experience. I even was able to get a dozen life birds as well. They included Eurasian Jay, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Eurasian Jackdaw, White Wagtail, European Robin, and a few others. In the fall I started my first full-time semester at Cornerstone University. The semester went pretty well, but I wasn't able to get much birding in.
Now that 2016 has come around, new opportunities have taken center stage. I was hoping this summer to start working in the field I was going to school for. I've been a line cook at a local restaurant for a couple years, and have been itching to start gaining experience in wildlife biology. Fortunately, an opportunity has come. This summer I will be a research associate at the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute. I will be spending the summer researching how vegetation affects grassland bird biodiversity and nesting success. The target species of study will be Henslow's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, and Upland Sandpiper. It won't be final until the grant proposal has been accepted, but chances are high that it will. I am looking forward to May, and am praying that this spring semester goes by quickly.
Once the summer research begins, I will try to make a post every week with photos and maps describing our work. It will be my first paid research position, and I will make the most of it.
