The birds at the raptor center live outside, even in the well-below-zero temps we had last week. They're wild animals, they're evolved for it! Not the Swainson's hawks, though. The ones we're overwintering were not happy about missing their deadline for the trip to Argentina. They are very well-nourished right now, though, because they exhibit hyperphagia in spring and fall to prepare for their 14,000 mile migration, so they have the calories to burn.
One of the American kestrels got the first stage of frostbite in her armpit. That area doesn't have good feather coverage, since it can normally be covered by the wing, but this bird has some nerve damage that makes her right wing droop. She's inside now, in one of the hospital cages, to recover, and we're trying to figure out how to keep her warm at night when she moves back out.
Aiko is shedding his summer coat, so I got to use my new Furminator. It was very windy today. Literalized the metaphor of "blowing coat".
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