I had a big surprise at the Sonoma County Wildlife Volunteer Appreciation party this afternoon – I received an AWARD!

I had no idea this was going to happen, and in fact I was really, really surprised. Apparently, though, Nicole knew about it, and insisted that I attend the party (otherwise I probably would have stayed home).

I received the Avian Team Award, for the work I’ve done at the Songbird Hospital. I was really excited and pleased about this – I did put in a lot of hours at the Songbird Hospital (although it’s possible that I put in even more feeding the animals at the main site). In any case, it was lovely to be recognized this way, considering that there are a lot of volunteers who do really excellent work for the center.

It turned out to be a good event all the way around. In addition to the award, I got to chat with some good friends, and I got to see Wiley (the Coyote), who lost a leg in late December to some wild coyotes who attacked him through the enclosure to his fence. He was hopping around like crazy (he even gave me some kisses, as usual), and seemed perfectly fine, except for the missing leg and the fact that one third of his fur was shaved off. He’s alive, though, and recovering well, which made me so very happy. So, I’m really glad that I went to the party. And YAY! I received the Avian Team Award!