By Katie Christman
VINS Education Intern
I’m typing this from my cubicle with a recycled corn husk desk, books on birds scattered everywhere and owl pellets to my left. From my window at VINS, I have the best view from any cubicle space that I have ever had. The meadow, full of asters, faded goldenrod and grasses, is a rolling sea of color in the wind.
I’ve only been here for about one month, but I’ve already fallen into the daily work routine. I have to tell you, though, as an education intern I don’t view what I do as “work.” What I “do” is a learning experience that not only enriches the lives of the people (and birds) that live and visit here, but greatly enriches my life, as well. This daily routine is not always routine, and is often full of surprises, new experiences and the excitement that bubbles from not just the staff members here, but from the visitors and the birds!
As an education intern, I work with our educational birds, presenting programs to the public. Some days are full of visitors from abroad intrigued about our local birds, while other visitors interested in Vermont’s autumn foliage decide to drop by our nature center. You’ll rarely find a day that our education harris’s hawk doesn’t like to chase his fake rabbit lure or that our education turkey vulture doesn’t like to be out basking in the sun. And if meet our great horned owl, you might get a chance to listen to him call to a wild great horned owl that often visits the woods at VINS.
If you’ve never been to VINS, I encourage you to come and take a look. Come and see what I am lucky enough to see every day — and expect the unexpected.