Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peoples'Friendship University of Russia –
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A student of the RUDN Institute of Ecology, Daria Dobrova (major: "Energy and Resource-Saving Processes in Chemical Technology, Petrochemistry and Biotechnology", 2nd year) spent a week in the summer as a volunteer at the Voronye Gnezdo wild bird rehabilitation center in the Vladimir region.
Daria talked about the funny habits of the center's inhabitants, what amazed her on the first day, and what new skills she acquired during her stay at the center.
How did you hear about the opportunity to volunteer at the Crow's Nest?
I learned about the center in one of the Telegram channels, I often take information about volunteering or conferences from there and share it with others. I really like volunteering; as a rule, I get more benefit from it than the organization itself. It is not difficult for me to help with basic things, while gaining new experience, acquaintances and having fun.
Describe your very first feelings and impressions when you first arrived in the center. What struck you most: the birds, the people, the place?
I was amazed by everything about this place, especially by the fact that some birds walked around the territory calmly, without any control or fear, and sometimes even tried to scare the volunteers. The rehabilitation center has a fairly large territory and many enclosures with a lot of birds. I was very surprised how the girls cope with all this, but the workers were very calm and kind.
Tell us about your responsibilities. What was the most difficult and how did you cope with it?
The immersion into the work began from the first day. I was met by both the permanent inhabitants of the center: geese, peacocks, guinea fowl, and its temporary residents – wild birds undergoing rehabilitation before being released back into the wild. I looked after the chicks and fed the birds of prey. The work itself is not too hard: if you needed to drag a lot of pieces of meat or frozen chickens, you could take a wheelbarrow and make your life easier. The hardest part was waking up at seven in the morning and delivering food in the scorching sun. However, after finishing all the routine, you could take a nap for a couple of hours before the next feeding of the chicks.
What funny stories involving the center's feathered inhabitants can you share?
From such situations I can remember how in the first days I stroked all the birds that were not against it. So, together with another volunteer girl, I came across a Muscovy duck that was not afraid of people and did not run away when we approached. We stroked her neck and back, and in response she began to make funny sounds and somehow pleasantly pinch the skin. It seemed to us that she liked it, and this is how she showed her love. However, at the end of the day, another girl read information about these birds, and it turned out that the duck was very angry and tried to drive us away.
When I came to feed the crows, who could not yet feed themselves, some adult birds happily pretended to be chicks in order to get food from the tweezers. Other birds of prey did not like my visits very much, but I still managed to hold a long-eared owl and a kestrel on my hand. And the storks showed great interest in the keychains on the phones. I was also surprised and a little scared by one of the magpies. I came to feed these birds, and at some point it seemed to me that one magpie was croaking something in response, I even began to make out the words. The bird asked: "Who is there?", "Who came?", "How are you?" and "Did you see?" In shock, I found another volunteer and went to show the talking magpie to make sure that my head was not on fire. I bring a witness – the magpie is silent. And only after some time the bird got completely used to me and it turned out that she really could talk, I even recorded her conversations on video.
What did you do in your free time from working at the center?
In our free time, other volunteers and I could relax, swim in the river, or play board games. It was fun!
What was the most emotional moment of the whole week for you?
Perhaps the most emotional moments have always been the deaths of birds. Unfortunately, with so many wards and released birds, deaths are inevitable. Once I came to feed the crows and found in their enclosure not even a dead bird, but the remains of a skeleton and wings. It had been completely eaten by its own relatives.
What knowledge about birds and working with them, their rehabilitation did you gain during your volunteer work?
At first, I didn't even know half of these birds, and there was no talk of the intricacies of handling them! But volunteering opened up a whole world for me. I learned to distinguish not only the species – from predators to waterfowl – but also their ages – from fledglings (I didn't even know such a word existed) to adult birds. The most valuable thing was the understanding that each bird requires its own approach. For example, you can't hand-feed a predator like a duck – this is both dangerous and can make it tame, and our main goal is to preserve its wild instincts so that it can return to the wild.
After working at the center, did your view of your future profession change? Did you have a clearer understanding of your path?
I love animals, and after volunteering at the Crow's Nest, I thought about the direction of my future activities and became more determined to work in the field of nature conservation. Even before entering, like any inspired student, I wanted to work in my profession, but nevertheless, I was worried about whether my education would be useful. After volunteering at the center, I am thinking of moving further in the agricultural direction, so I entered the evening department of the direction "Zootechnics" of the Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after K.I. Skryabin.
What would you say to other RUDN students who would like to try this kind of volunteering? Why should they do it and how can they get this opportunity?
I would advise not to miss such opportunities, life can always take an unexpected turn. Some of the rehabilitation center workers who were with me on shift also came as volunteers, even without an education in the required field, and simply became attached to the work. It is worth trying such an unusual business at least for personal experience. Perhaps they will also spend time usefully and enjoy the work, and if not, this experience will become an interesting story for a group of friends. As for how to get such an opportunity… I have no experience in handling wild birds, only with a pet parrot, so all that is needed here is the desire of a student and regular monitoring of volunteer programs. I am involved in the volunteer department of our university student scientific community Greenlab, I constantly monitor the social networks of green organizations and send the guys the most interesting things, and also agitate them to go with me. And I myself plan to repeat the trip to the "Crow's Nest" next year.
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