Odd packages in the freezer
Sep. 23rd, 2021 02:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tiggymalvern
The Burke Museum in Seattle collects dead birds for their research. They want to know where and when it was found, how it died (if known) and they assess them and store them and then they have a fine collection of species from over the years. So when I find a freshly dead bird, I label it, wrap it in paper and then seal it in a plastic bag and freeze it as per instructions.
I've been doing this for quite a few years (not that I find a lot of dead birds, but when I do) and I used to hand them in to the local Audubon chapter, who would pass them on to the Burke. But the last time I did that was pre-covid, so with the latest dead bird, I emailed to find out if they were still doing that and they weren't. Then I had to contact the Burke directly, and find time to go into Seattle; all this took time, which meant the bird package spent rather longer in the freezer than was traditional.
After about a week of moving a bulky but surprisingly light plastic bag around whenever he wanted to get at the frozen veggies, the SO finally got around to asking.
SO: What's in this?
Me: It's a pileated woodpecker. I found it dead on the balcony, I assume it hit the windows.
And then I explained about the Burke, and the SO just said, 'Oh, okay,' and carried on working around the dead bird.
I'm very glad I married such a laid-back and reasonable spouse. Though to be fair, he knew from the start he was getting a nerdy animal scientist when he met me...
I've been doing this for quite a few years (not that I find a lot of dead birds, but when I do) and I used to hand them in to the local Audubon chapter, who would pass them on to the Burke. But the last time I did that was pre-covid, so with the latest dead bird, I emailed to find out if they were still doing that and they weren't. Then I had to contact the Burke directly, and find time to go into Seattle; all this took time, which meant the bird package spent rather longer in the freezer than was traditional.
After about a week of moving a bulky but surprisingly light plastic bag around whenever he wanted to get at the frozen veggies, the SO finally got around to asking.
SO: What's in this?
Me: It's a pileated woodpecker. I found it dead on the balcony, I assume it hit the windows.
And then I explained about the Burke, and the SO just said, 'Oh, okay,' and carried on working around the dead bird.
I'm very glad I married such a laid-back and reasonable spouse. Though to be fair, he knew from the start he was getting a nerdy animal scientist when he met me...
no subject
Date: 2021-09-23 02:26 am (UTC)https://twitter.com/larkinhayes/status/1430701944595615746
Congrats to SO on his composure :)
So was the corpse sent on to the Burke Museum, or to the traditional stomping grounds of Burk and Hare, so to speak? :)
no subject
Date: 2021-09-23 04:01 am (UTC)