'Birdchick' says she has 'good days, bad days' due to shutdown

Sharon Stiteler
Sharon Stiteler, better known as "Birdchick," uses a scope and camera to take close-ups of heron rookery and other birds.
Stephanie Hemphill | MPR file

One of the people who isn't working because of the partial government shutdown is someone who may be familiar to MPR listeners: Sharon Stiteler, better known as "the Birdchick," is a park ranger for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, who is an often called-upon bird expert.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with her about how she's holding up nearly four weeks after she was furloughed on Dec. 22, 2018.

"I have good days, and I have bad days," Stiteler said.

Stiteler has been furloughed several times before in her career but she says this time it's different.

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"This one has been unpredictable from the very beginning," Stiteler said. "In the 2013 shutdown we had a pretty good idea it was going to last [one] pay period, and we felt confident we were going to get back pay. Then the last two we thought, 'oh this is just a day or two.'"

Stiteler says she's been more fortunate than some of her colleagues. She doesn't have children or a mortgage. But it's still putting a strain on her finances and she's having to tap into her savings.

Does it make her want to go into a different line of work?

"The hilarious thing is I'm a theater major and my mom was super excited when I got the park ranger job because it's steady work," Stiteler said. "But I absolutely love what I do ... and I am willing to wait it out, so that I can do it again."

Click on the audio player above to hear their conversation.