About
Autobiography
My name is Dia Krylova, and I completed this project as a junior day student at Emma Willard School. I have a love for ornithology and biology, so I knew that I wanted to make my Signature project related to birds and science! Since I have been volunteering at the Rensselaer Birds Center for quite some time, I decided to bring that part of my life into focus, and make my Signature project a behavioural study on birds at the rescue. After speaking to the owner, I was able to select two parakeets from an aviary in the store which holds a large number of "wild" parakeets. These birds became the participants of my study, and my goal was to transform them from hostile and scared animals, to gentle and loving companions. After getting bitten several times during the process of transferring the pair into a seperate cage, I instantly knew this was going to be a challenge, but I was still excited to start and couldn't wait for the next time I was able to see the birds and work with them. I am so glad I get to spend 6 hours every Saturday at this bird center, and am thrilled that I was able to turn this passion of working and training birds into my Signature project for junior year!Timeline of Project
Rensselaer Bird Center
The Rensselaer Bird Center is a family-owned business that offers a variety of avian related services like grooming and boarding. They function partly as a rescue by taking in abandoned birds and working to bring them back to full health before finding a new forever home for them. The center sells a variety of bird toys, food, treats, and cages, and is known for its amazing people and love of birds.
Address: 63 Washington St, Rensselaer, NY 12144
Phone Number: (518) 432-9674
Website: https://www.rensselaerbirdcenter.com
Interview
In the beginning of this year I was able to connect with Jacqui Sulek, an Emma Willard alumn who lives in Florida with her two pet birds and works for the National Audubon Association. We met on Zoom on Sunday, October 23rd, and talked about our love for birds, how Jacqui nurtured that love into a proffesion, and how my project was going to allow me to explore more into my personal love for the avian world. Throughout the year we have kept in touch through email, and she has been giving me suggestions on what to do with my birds and what type of things my project could become eventually. Our interview in the beginning of the year gave me an idea what kind of research is needed in the bird world, and how best to go about it, especially since Jacqui had lots of advice she learned through her own birds. This interview opened up my view of what I could do after highschool and even after college, and gave me a solid foundation for my project for the rest of the year. I also made a great friend through it! Thank You, Jacqui!