My first week in the RECCS program was an amazing, informative, and overwhelming experience. Meeting my cohorts and mentors seemed a bit intimidating, however I was pleasantly surprised at how encouraging and supportive everybody was towards one another. The team building exercises helped put us at ease and provided opportunities to learn about each other as well as ourselves. The overnight stay at the Mountain Research Station (MRS) was such a fun time and supplied some of us with a preview of where we will be conducting field research. The RECCS mentors are very communicative and easily approachable, which only further aids in our success.
Our first full day with our research mentors, Friday, I traveled to the MRS with one of my mentors, Kathryn, and some other interns. We hiked around the area to check nest boxes but found no nests. I then joined their lab’s weekly meeting to learn more about what they are currently doing. It was also briefly discussed what some of my research options could be. On Saturday morning, I accompanied Kathryn and another intern to capture and band 2 black-capped chickadees that have a nest in one of the boxes on campus. We banded the male but were unable to capture the female. I was able to hold the male black-capped chickadee and help with taking some measurements.
