{"id":68429,"date":"2016-04-26T09:06:23","date_gmt":"2016-04-26T16:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/?p=68429"},"modified":"2016-04-26T09:06:23","modified_gmt":"2016-04-26T16:06:23","slug":"blm-and-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/?p=68429","title":{"rendered":"BLM and Birds"},"content":{"rendered":"

My first two weeks at the BLM in Prineville have been a whirlwind of activity. \u00a0The first day I entered, I was nervously waiting for somebody to guide me around the office and explain the ins and outs of the job. \u00a0However, by the time I left that day, I was confident and ready to face all of the challenges that the next days would bring. \u00a0My experience started out with lots of training and paperwork. \u00a0My training varied from four wheel drive training to First Aid and CPR. \u00a0Shortly after this training I was able to go out into the field to look at wildlife. \u00a0(I am a wildlife intern instead of the typically botanical intern). \u00a0We headed up to northern Oregon in search of the elusive Washington Ground Squirrel (yes they are found in Oregon as well, despite the name). \u00a0We managed to find the colonies easily and the burrows, but with great difficulty we managed to locate an individual. \u00a0Then we helped survey additional habitat for the Washington Ground Squirrel and stumbled upon a Short-eared Owl, a once in a lifetime experience for an avid birder such as myself.<\/p>\n

The next week started early at 4am in search of Greater Sage Grouse leks. \u00a0Instead of being tired, I was full of excitement and energy. \u00a0Seeing lekking birds has been on my birding bucket list, and I could not wait to finally see them. \u00a0We drove out in the pitch black, and after what seemed like an eternity we arrived as the sun was rising at the lek. \u00a0We got out the scope and started to count the birds and to watch their behavior. \u00a0Shortly after we arrived, a golden eagle flew over and flushed the grouse. \u00a0Four more individuals popped up that we could not see and they began to fly towards us. \u00a0Their wingbeats over out head captivated us and formed a memory that will last a lifetime. \u00a0Since then I have had the opportunity to view leks on other occasions, but every time the experience is as wonderful and new as the first time.<\/p>\n

\"Greater<\/a>

Greater Sage Grouse displaying at lek.<\/p><\/div>\n

Being from Ohio, Oregon is a very different atmosphere, but I find that I am adapting very well. \u00a0Although the abundance of pick-ups, country music, and conversations about hunting may take some time to adjust to, I feel that\u00a0I surely will. \u00a0I am so grateful to all of my coworkers for all of the time they have taken out of their busy schedule to answer questions and to make me feel included in the office. \u00a0I cannot wait to continue my work in Prineville and to explore all of the natural beauty in the course of my five months of work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My first two weeks at the BLM in Prineville have been a whirlwind of activity. \u00a0The first day I entered, I was nervously waiting for somebody to guide me around the office and explain the ins and outs of the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7262,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68429"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=68429"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68613,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68429\/revisions\/68613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=68429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=68429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=68429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}