Mariel Ortega
Ecologist Storyteller Adventurer
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LATEST STORIES
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The Time I Accidentally Crashed a Wedding in California…I Blame the Catholic Church
It’s 2018 and I am smack-dab in the middle of my first-ever internship: The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program. Essentially, it’s a boot camp in field biology. A group of 20 freshman/sophomore college students, we travel around California learning the ropes of conservation research. I don’t call it a boot camp lightly. Early mornings, late…
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Traveling Sans Reception – 5 Lessons This GenZ’er has learned
If you’re an older generation, then you’ve probably been decrying the danger of social media for years. As a GenZ’er, I’ve heard your warnings. I have also dismissed them as over-exaggerated . It’s become a cultural norm to wind down after a busy day with a couple hours of Youtube, maybe some scrolls through Instagram.…
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Top 5 Coolest Birds Around the World – An Avian Ecologist Spills
At 12-years-old, I found my first love. A love as much handsome as intelligent…Birds. To them I would dedicate my career, working diligently in conservation research and education. Though not all my work as an ecologist has been bird-specific, it has all aimed to conserve the planet for birds and all of us who call…
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3 Reasons Birds are Important Enough to Dedicate Your Career to Them
As an avian ecologist, birds are near and dear to my heart. But how did I discover birds? And what’s so important about birds that I would dedicate my career to their protection? Let’s go back in time 11 years. My 12-year-old self is kneeling in the backyard’s damp grass, a large cardboard box over…
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5 Amazing Facts About the Woodpeckers: Birds of Central Texas
“I’ve got a surprise for you!” A fieldmate holds out a small bag. It safely contains a bird (all birds are handled with permitting and training). I reach my hand into the bag and pull out a woodpecker. Whoa. A rare catch and one of my favorite birds. It was day 10 or 11 of…
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10 Things All First-time Campers Must Know — What I Failed to Tell my Siblings
February. Midnight. I woke up from a dream, trying to pinpoint where I was. Had my sister and I fallen asleep while watching a movie? But then, why was she pressed up against my back and shivering? Come to think of it, why was my nose a block of ice? I blinked a couple times…
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Bird Lover's Musings 