Hometowns: Mandeville, LA and Harrison, OH
Internship: Cape Parrot Project Research Intern
Location: South Africa
Hello one last time from Eileen and Mallory! We've been back in the States for a while now but we have a few more updates that we thought you'd be interested in. Our last month in Hogsback was very busy but so, so fun. Practically every morning we were heading out to various field sites to observe parrots, and during the day we were taking turns working on call analysis and going out into the field for nest box surveys. So for instance, one morning Eileen would walk to the Arboretum, Mallory would walk to Oak Avenue, and Cassie would drive....somewhere... to count parrots flying over. Then, we would all meet up again in the office. Eileen would set up to work on the lexicon for Dr. Young's research and Mallory would pack up into the bakkie with Cassie to go survey nest boxes. The next day, we'd be at new observation sites in the morning, Mallory would work on recording analysis for Cassie, and Eileen would go out to do nest box surveys.
It was always fun to do morning observations but some mornings were harder than others! For instance, if we had to walk to a site in the middle of the forest, we'd have to head out super early and march through almost complete darkness. Or if it was in the negatives, we'd still have to go out and observe until our extremities were numb. Seriously, look at that photo- it SNOWED! Happy summer internship, are we right? It was still worth it though, because we got to watch these goofy parrots. Eileen sat right under a tree that they flew into one morning and got to watch them fly around and squawk. Mallory got to be witness to Cape parrot mating, something very few others have ever seen, and we all got to visit Baddaford Farm to see a flock of 50 or more juveniles playing, flying, and eating.
One of the coolest things we got to experience was a day with students from the Claremont High School birding club in Cape Town. They were on a big birding excursion and they came to volunteer with the Cape Parrot Project after reaching out to Kate to see if they could help! With their creative eyes and hard work, we painted the whole aviary, which will hopefully be used in the future to rehabilitate injured birds for release. The students were super passionate about birding, so it was really awesome when a pair of Capes flew over and landed in a tree right above their heads. It was also a really cool experience for us to have a small cultural exchange with the kids; they were incredibly curious about America and more than willing to answer questions about South Africa. We sent them off after lots of pictures and promises to follow all of them back on Instagram!
Eventually, though, we did have to go home. It was hard to say goodbye to Hogsback, especially for Eileen, who's spent two summers in a row there, but we left with so many amazing memories, new skills, and lasting friendships.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
After getting back from South Africa, Eileen only had about a week at home before hopping right back on a plane to London (on purpose this time). She met Dr. Young, Dr. Esson, and Dr. Burk to head to Tring, England, to work on data collection for her honors thesis about parrot morphometics. It was a really fun week in one of the most amazing museums ever! Their ornithology collection takes up a whole additional building and we were lucky enough to meet several curators and learn about their work. We also made time to go check out the museum and its centuries-old collection. If you're ever in the area, it's definitely high recommendation from us!
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| Eileen, Dr. Young, and Dr. Esson at the SeaLife Aquarium in London- thanks to Dr. Chris Andrews, Otterbein friend, for the tickets! |
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| The whole research crew at our usual bench at Tring! |
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| Eileen taking measurements on a specimen of Poicephalus gulielmi |
Thanks for following our adventures this summer! We hope you enjoyed learning all about field work, and that we peaked your interest in the wonderful Otterbein Zoo and Conservation Science Program :)
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