Birdness

October 9, 2008

0930

Outside the Olin science building on the side facing away from campus toward the law school.

            Today I was leaving my environmental science class and about to go do a field notebook for that class when I ran into my colloquium professor out side Olin science building. Here he was catching some of the local birds from campus to do some sort of experiment that I don’t really understand that well. Anyway I was there with two other girls from my class and Professor Craig was releasing one of the netted birds and we were able to touch it. It was really interesting because the birds have a very rapid heartbeat that one can feel while touching the bird. The best part of this experience was that as I was about to leave two humming birds flew into the net and I was able to hold one! I was probably in like the top twenty coolest experiences of my life. I was so small and to keep it from flying away one must hold it on its wing joint. This was terrifying I was so scarred that I was going to squish it. Luckily I didn’t. But the whole holding of bird aspect was glorious. Humming birds are so small and their heartbeats are even fatter that the other slightly larger birds. Also it was interesting to see one of these birds up close since they are always like a blur when one see them flying about. So this bird was molting sadly this meant that its head was not as brightly colored as it usually is. Bit otherwise it was incredibly cool and something I would be interested in helping my professor out with another time.