News From The Mews

  One of my favorite things about sub-zero mornings is seeing Otto's frosted eyebrows. Moisture from his breath condenses on his brows and freezes. It had started to melt away by the time I took this photo, but you can still see some droplets frozen above his eyes.  Sometimes I feel bad for the birds sitting out in the cold all night. But Otto's many layers of feathers are so good at insulating that not enough heat can escape to melt the frozen droplets. Great Horned Owls really are built to live all seasons in the Northwoods! 

Christmas came early for the birds! We got crafty at our staff holiday party this week and made fun enrichment toys for our raptors. With just a stack of newspapers, cardboard tubes, and markers, Museum staff creatively concocted wreaths, a snowman, a gingerbread man, a Christmas tree, and a red-nosed reindeer. Carson the Red-tailed Hawk showed lots of interest in her festive Rudolph!

Aldo the American Kestrel made the most of his time inside this week by splashing in his water pan and drying off in the sun! 

On my first day back to work after maternity leave, I wondered how the birds would respond to me after an 11-week hiatus. It turned out to be business as usual. Aldo the kestrel trilled and eagerly took mouse tidbits; Otto the owl leapt to the scale; and Carson the hawk didn't hesitate to step on my glove. As I felt Carson's weight on my hand, I thought back to July (29 weeks into my pregnancy) when baby presumably weighed the same as this Red-tailed Hawk. I snapped a picture of me with my 3-pound girls: Now my 3-month old daughter Lucy weighs significantly more than Carson and I can't wait for them to meet face-to-face!