2nd Week

Yo!

So, I'm here. I've been here about a week and a half now. Things are quite well! I'm going to bed at 830 and getting up at 430 so I can be out spying on cockaded woodpecker families at dawn. They are pretty awesome little birds. They're constantly talking to each other and get really excited when they find something to eat! Someday I may even remember to bring my camera out in the field to take pictures. I'll work on that...

So yeah, the woodpecker stuff is usually done by 8 am and then I've been scampering off (or rather driving off in my much beaten up but already much loved huge-ass pickup truck with a wench on the front to help me pull myself out if I have troubles- but so far no troubles-- I love you, 4WD!). Most of the ponds I've been visiting are dry, but because I'm near moist areas I'm seeing lots of herps! I've already caught two types of cricket frogs, a mud turtle, several box turtles, and a rat snake. Oh, and on my second day out a 5 foot alligator slid into one of the ponds I was about to survey. I decided to skip that one and haven't been back. Too scarey! I don't wanna get bitten!

The birds are pretty awesome here too! I won't go into it 'cause I already listed one set of animals. Or maybe I will... nope I'm lazy and I know you guys don't really care about the specifics. But lemme just say that they have flocks of robins and by flocks I mean hundreds of robins moving in one group. Its insane. Yesterday morning my neighbor's yard was covered in robins! I just sat there on our wonderful front porch (my favorite part of the house)and stared at them. It was awesome.

My living arrangements are kinda sketchy right now. I'm living in a house that is rented by two of the guys I work with. I'm not exactly sure how long I can stay there and, since Jaan informed me yesterday that he woke up one night with a cockroach on his face, I don't know how long I want to stay there. I like both of the guys though and its nice to have roommates. Jaan is particularly cool. He and I went birding yesterday and we tend to talk more than Jim and I do. Jim's quite the gamer, so I don't see that much of him.

So yeah, that's my life so far. Not terribley exciting, but not boring either. I like it. Plus its warm! Every day has been gorgeous!