9 . When she was a kid, Danielle Belleny “was always outdoors, playing with plants and investigating the world on my own.” “I wanted to be a veterinarian (兽医), at first,” she says. “I always knew I wanted to work with animals, and as a kid that was the only job I knew where you could do that.”

But when Belleny reached her second year of college, her dad mentioned wildlife biology (生物学) a another choice. She hadn’t yet heard of it before, but that’s what she was learning about. While in college, Belleny started working on research projects. She spent a lot of time with animals in their natural environment. On one project, she studied the plants that animals eat. Another is about placing trackers on a bird called the northern bobwhite.

Belleny’s current job is at Plateau Land & Wildlife Management, in Hays County, Texas. “In the morning, I’m usually out the door by sunrise,” she says. She studies birds. She keeps track of different animals. And she searches for signs of what other animals in the area are doing. “I love that there’s always a sense of discovery. It allows me to keep learning,” she says.

Around lunchtime, she’ll return home and write up a report. In the afternoon, she leaves for another site visit. Landowners can request her services. She advises people on how to accommodate the wildlife that lives on their land. “It’s a lot of meeting new people, a lot of quick introductions, and then talking for long periods of time.” That’s all her work for a day.

Outside of work, Belleny has been bird-watching, for seven years. Her first book, This Is a Book for People Who Love Birds, was published in May. It allowed her to share her love of the activity. Now she’s working on a children’s book about bird-watching. It’s scheduled to come out in fall 2023.

Belleny has some advice for young people who are thinking about professional goals. “Try everything you’re interested in.” And if you’re interested in working with animals, “Go to a library and find some field guides.” There’s a lot of information about animals out there. Books are always a good place to start.