When I arrived at TRC, there was a package waiting for me from Annie’s! Look at the box full of tasty bunny goodness! I have my suspicion that this is meant for Cinnamon so that she will finally come around to Bernie’s (the alleged approving bunny) way of thinking.
I don’t know about Cinnamon, but I sure do approve. How can I not approve of a six pack of Shells and White Cheddar? MMMMMMM. One thing is for sure, the Stitelers will not go hungry this week.
We actually had a program scheduled for this morning at The Raptor Center. This surprised me because the MN State Fair happens right next to the U of M St Paul campus where TRC is located. Traffic and parking is very tricky if you aren’t used to it. I got to work with our education barn owl who is so light and dainty on the fist. I have mixed feelings about the barn owl–we don’t have them in Minnesota any more so it’s hard for me talk about them as well as I can about a great-horned. On the other hand, I have a soft spot for the movie Labyrinth and the 13 year old inside me likes to pretend that it’s actually David Bowie that is sitting on my fist…did I just reveal a little too much with that last sentence?
After my shift, I decided to do lunch at the Minnesota State Fair and see a few of the exhibits Non Birding Bill just will not do. First on the list: try the new fair food this year–Hot Dish on a Stick.
It’s a stick alternated with meatballs and tater tots covered in cornmeal and deep fat fried. It’s then served with a dipping sauce of cream of mushroom soup enhanced with hamburger and a few other herbs and spices. It reminded me of biscuits and gravy on a stick, only substitute the biscuits for corn muffins. Actually, pretty darned tasty and a nice alternative to the deep fried twinkie on a stick.
After lunch I went to the Miracle of Birth Barn where the U of M has all sorts of livestock ready to give birth every day at the state fair. Here we have a calf just born this morning. All readers should be very grateful that I’m only showing the front end of the cow with the adorable calf as opposed to the left overs lurking at the back end.
If you miss the live births, there is a camera crew on hand that “gets all up in that” and films each birth. The births are then shown on a rotating basis on several flat screen tvs around the barn. This video is of a sheep birthin’ a set of twins. There’s also video of piglets, calves and miniature horses too.
I took a sneak peak in the poultry barn. All the bunnies from the previous week have gone back to their homes. I love these tiny East Indian Ducks. One year someone had Indian Runners, but I didn’t see any this year. I would love to have one of these guys, but ducks are just way too stinky and way too unlitterbox friendly for my apartment.
Eeeep. Satanic chicken.
Ya’ know, if the feathers were a little darker on top, this chicken could be called Gaiman (or should that be Gaimhen–har har). The feathery top resembles his preferred “hair style“.
The things you get to see in your life, Sharon.
Pigs gettin’ birthed, devil chickens, and you guys have a barn owl! We had a chick last week who was moved on to another facility. ( I was hoping it would be a program bird )
But I can’t be too jealous of your birds…we have Isis, our leucistic red-tailed hawk.
Neener, neener, neener!
And may I add…”Uff Da!”
Watch those neeners, you. I may have to whip out the photos of the Krider’s red-tail we have for education. Plus, we also have a newer dark morph red-tail that we’re trianing in for education. Did I also mention we just started training a boreal owl?
Although, one thing you do have up on me–you are WAY closer to Chet Baker than I am. Also, I don’t get to work with our education turkey vulture as much anymore…he knows exactly where to stand in his mew so that shorty me cannot grab his jesses
Hey, now that I’m a free agent, maybe I could come give programs at your facility?
I’m sorry, but that “hot dish on a stick” just looks…um…yeah, I’m glad you tried it.
And I absolutely LOVE the chickens. I miss not being able to raise them. I had a good collection of fancy bantams and game chickens when I lived at home. I really miss the fresh eggs of the “raisers” (the larger egg and meat chickens).
Yeah, that hotdish on a stick reminds me of something…but your description of it sounds yummy!
Wouldn’t it really be GameHens. I’ve heard of those.
Stay away from Cinnamon’s treats they’re for Cinnamon. You go and have Hot Dish on a Stick. That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
okay, free agent: when do you tell us about a new job?
another question: I read recently that barn owls only live for 2 years, and therefore only ever mate/raise young once. Is this for real?
thanks for your time — I wish you the best in your new job!
I have heard that barn owls have a short life span, not short enough to have only one brood–two, maybe three and that is also the reason why there are so many chicks at a time.
I just did a quick scan of Birds of North America Online and found this:
“Most individuals have a short life span; mean age at death of 572 Barn Owls banded across North America and reported to the Bird Banding Laboratory was 20.9 mo.”
So that is less than two years, but barn owls are capable of two broods in a year. The oldest bird in one study was an eight year old female.
At the moment all I am doing is writing, being on tv and radio…and watching an adult robin feed ash berries to a fledgling–not a bad gig.
You are the luckiest woman alive. Not only does Annie’s send you free stuff, but you get comments from CEOs and you get to hold owls and bunnies and see babies being born. You are the coolest!
Those “dish on a stick” look very healthy. I can see that if that is what you serve at your fairs, then Minnesota will bypass Alabama as the “fattest” state.
My grandpa had some of these “Gaiman” chickens in his coop, and my little sister and I called them “Phyllis Diller chickens.”