Friday, April 3, 2009

Sheesh...


Close supervision of Hospital Volunteers is important... but, this close?!?

Day three at the wildlife hospital was a workout... on top of having to clean the koala enclosures in my building, "Burrenbong," on my own, I opened my big mouth and volunteered to do an afternoon feeding. This was my first time with these patients, so, of course, I needed close supervision. And my new supervisor, Lorie, was a stickler for detail, she road me pretty hard until I got everything just right. That'll teach me to speak up for a new project.... I've learned my lesson!


Are you cozy up there, Lorie? Let me know if this is
enough water for your bath, OK?


You know... that's a very good look on you, Lorie. 'Tie-dyed' is in right now!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lories_and_lorikeets

It was pretty dark in their enclosure and I didn't want to use a flash so the photos are grainy, but you get the picture... They are sooooo colorful and friendly and affectionate. During the Bird Show at the zoo, a group of lories is released into the stadium. They fly in unison, circling the crowd; darting around and flying inches from the audience's heads while making a complete racket. After a couple of laps of the crowd, they fly back into their cage. Smart birds.



These lories have a beak and feather disease which is contagious. They are part of a study being done at the hospital. They really are this bright; I have not saturated the color on these images. In fact, they look even richer in person.

2 comments:

Florence A. Dunbar said...

Hey Jeff,
I would love to see all of these animals in person but I would really love to see this lorie and the vivid tie dye coloring! What a beauty! and I was excited to see a cardinal the other day here in Maine! Have fun! We miss you!
PS >> You look a lot like your Dad in the photo w/the bird on your head!

Jeff said...

You know... Rainbow Lories are not endangered like some of the other Lorie species. And these little guys are so damn precocious! They come right up to your face and talk to you. I know I can fit them in my suitcase... but I don't think I can keep them quite... :-)
Man can they squawk! In fact, they are so loud, that if you're working in a small enclosure of they for a while, it's smart to wear ear plugs!

You think I look like my dad? (Sorry, Dad :-( )