The Halfway Point

I am halfway through my internship on Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and I must admit I have had more opportunities to expand my knowledge and experience here on Corkscrew than any other places I have worked. I have learned about many different invasive species of plants, performed wading bird surveys, fish sampling for their food supply, and trail-cam maintenance. A typical day is to never expect, only to embrace a new lesson and become more fascinated with the wildlife living in the swamp.

Butterfly Surveying- Only seven Viceroy Butterflies (Limenitis archippus) were spotted this year, while the White Peacock was more prevalent at a count of 354.

If you follow all my weekly Friday post you get an insight into all the cool insects, plants and animals I run into, such as this one the Common Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristate).

This year I had the pleasure of leading a team for the Christmas Bird Count. I am not the best at bird identification, but I surprised myself by the amount of birds I knew. My favorite parts of this new experience was learning how to distinguish the difference between songbirds and taking a long look around Lost Creek Lake and seeing the amount of birds that use this hidden treasure.

The Christmas Bird Count has been going on for 120 years to get people involved in counting birds over hunting them. Over the years, Audubon has seen the trends in bird populations all over the world. I am living to take part in the little things that can make a bigger impact as the world around us evolves. 

-Ayanna