I have now been interning at The National Aviary for three full weeks. There is so much to learn here at the aviary and I feel that during my time here I have just barely scratched the surface.

As you may already know, I am interning in the aviary hospital, caring for the sick, injured, invalid, and geriatric birds. In the main hospital building we currently have eighteen birds for whom we are responsible. My main purpose from 7am to 4pm is to make these birds’ lives as clean, comfortable, and interesting as I can.



To ensure a sanitary environment for these birds, I am required change my latex gloves and wash my hands countless times throughout the day. Not only do we not want to spread infections from one bird to another, but the fish eating birds have a bacteria in their digestive system that a fruit eating bird cannot handle. I have not counted how many gloves I burn through in a day, but I would wager that the number would shock you.

Each bird has its own unique needs. Some require vitamin supplements added to their food that would poison another bird, so it is important to be durn sure that you know who gets what. Why don’t I introduce you to a couple of our infirmary friends?



Stevie is a very old boat-billed heron that requires hand feeding due to his blindness. Cleaning his cage is an adventure because he will snap viciously at anything within striking distance. Getting mauled by a savage heron is a bit distressing at first but soon becomes tolerable when you learn that it doesn’t hurt and become adept at avoiding his blind strikes.



We have a little stilt named Skippy that is now in his mid-twenties. An ordinary wild stilt would count itself lucky to reach the ripe old age of twelve, but through the wonders of modern veterinary medicine Skippy has reached an extraordinary age in excellent health. Skippy came to live in the hospital a number of years ago after his wife of many years died of age-related complications. Skippy was utterly distraught with his loss. Becoming inconsolable and refusing to eat, his concerned keeper brought Skippy to the hospital for evaluation. A battery of tests were performed with inconclusive results; it appeared that poor Skippy was suffering from a broken heart. The hospital staff decided that Skippy should stay in sickbay rather than waste away in the public area and made him a more permanent and comfortable enclosure against one of the walls with a short gate to fence him in. Against that particular wall was a recently painted mural illustrating a number of lifelike birds, including a depiction of Skippy’s late wife. When Skippy saw the likeness of his beloved, he squeaked with joy and hastened to her side. Skippy spent the rest of the day strutting around the painting of his wife with obvious happiness. Immediately he began eating again and was brought back to health within a few days. Soon afterward the staff decided that his full recovery warranted a return to the general population. This however triggered a relapse into his depression and he was returned to the hospital and the image of his wife - this time for good.



Perhaps the most lively member of our gimpy menagerie is a blackbird hybrid named Hermie. There is nothing wrong with Hermie in the veterinary sense. He was the accidental spawn of forbidden interspecies love and grew up in the general population as a half-breed. Life was tough for Hermie with neither species accepting him as family. Routine brutalization led to his being removed from the exhibit and into the hospital where he made new friends, one of which is me. Being a young crow-like animal provides Hermie with enough curiosity to kill countless cats and because of this he requires plenty of enrichment. Today I threaded a paper towel through a Chinese finger-trap and secured one end through the bars of his cage with a zip-tie. I was pleased to see that Hermie found this simple contrivance the source of hours of puzzlement and activity. In the morning we usually let Hermie out of his cage to fly about and peer out the windows though he often gets stuffed back into his cage by noon because he is inclined to hide important articles and raid Skippy’s food dish (Skippy doesn’t hesitate to tattle shrilly when this happens).



To introduce every bird in the hospital in one blog would be a daunting undertaking so in subsequent writings I will continue to acquaint you with birds that I have come to know.

The supervising veterinarian at the aviary is a distinguished zoo vet named Dr. Pilar Fish. After a series of conversations designed to discover my interests and goals, Dr. Fish gave me several reading assignments and charged me with memorizing the animal families. This is something that I have meant to do for a long time but lacked the motivation that Pilar now gave me by lending me her expensive and rare zoo books to study. I will report more on this subject in the future.



As I continue this internship I am constantly reminded that I have much to learn in the coming years as a zoo keeper. One of the things that I love about working with wild animals is that you cannot learn all there is to know about them in a lifetime of learning. It has been, and will continue to be, a rewarding journey.