Hello again, all you readers. Well it’s my second full week here at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary and I am settling into a daily routine as the avian care intern (at least as routine as can be when everyday is slightly unique). With the recent snowfall new responsibilities are necessary to maintain the birds’ enclosures. I placed more pine boughs in some of the upland game bird display pens for additional protection during the winter weather. So if you’re having trouble finding the northern bobwhites, that’s my fault. They’re probably huddling together under the boughs in a rosette shape to keep warm.

Even though I’m not sure how the birds feel I personally love winter, the snow covered trees and glistening white ground. It’s a different world full of new discoveries. In the morning after the first real snow (at least since I’ve been here) I could see all the duck and goose footprints on Wintergreen Lake. Hundreds of tiny tracks scattered across the snow covered ice creates a charming scene.

Two Trumpeter Swans coming in for a landing on frozen Wintergreen Lake

Watching the waterfowl come in for a landing is also an entertaining sight to see.  The ducks almost make the descent look graceful. The way they slide to a stop on the ice, as if they were skating. The geese and Trumpeter Swans don’t have it so easy. As they circle over the lake looking for a place to land, they attempt to slow their momentum by gliding in. Even that doesn’t completely work so they have to use their wings as brakes making their entry appear clumsy. However for a lucky few the entry is all about a splash as they land in the small pools of open water created by the bubblers. Whether its geese prints in the snow or ice skating ducks, the bird sanctuary truly is a winter wonderland.