Went out this morning to check birds. The snow was softly falling and there was a real "snap" of cold in the air. As usual, instead of being inside her shed and out of the weather, Icarus was out on her high perch. She never looks amused, but this morning she really looked irritated. Thats just me projecting human attibutes to her based on the way she "looks", she actually was content and relaxed.
I stood next to her and chatted with her quietly. She, as usual, just listened. I wanted to see if she was shivering, or if the snow was melting down into her feathers, or any other sign of discomfort. As you can see, the snow rests on her head completely unmelted. That tells me she is well insulated by her feathers and down underneath she is dry and warm.
And for those of you thinking the worst, let me just remind you that it is a complete coincidence that she is missing a right wing and my fletching jig is RW! But that is why she is with us, she is a non-releasable wild bird. Instead, she does 125+ classroom presentations per year teaching kids about wildlife and the natural world around them.
Happy Holidays from me and the rest of the bird brains at the Black Hills Raptor Center. (like us on Facebook and/or sign up for our e-newsletter!)
