Kara was kind enough to set me up with a tour of the KBS Bird Sanctuary with Lisa and Chelsea. The Bird Sanctuary was established by W.K. Kellogg originally as a place for waterfowl, but it has grown to include raptors, game birds, and song birds.
The property includes a privately owned lake, a museum, a game-bird enclosure, several raptor enclosures (red tailed hawks, eagles, and owls, oh my!), several educational facilities and many waterfowl enclosures.
On this particular day, the trumpeter swans were out in massive numbers. I learned that swans shed/replace all of their flight feathers at the same time, so they're unable to fly for an extended amount of time! The same thing happens with Canada geese... There was one goose that ended up landing in a pen he didn't want to be in, losing his last needed flight feather, and being stuck watching his friends walk around the outside trails without him... He looked like a very tormented soul.
Each of the raptor enclosures display the individual stories of the inhabitants, which a former employee we ran into said was a wonderful touch. I think things like this really help kids get interested in rehabilitation and conservation!
-R
The property includes a privately owned lake, a museum, a game-bird enclosure, several raptor enclosures (red tailed hawks, eagles, and owls, oh my!), several educational facilities and many waterfowl enclosures.
On this particular day, the trumpeter swans were out in massive numbers. I learned that swans shed/replace all of their flight feathers at the same time, so they're unable to fly for an extended amount of time! The same thing happens with Canada geese... There was one goose that ended up landing in a pen he didn't want to be in, losing his last needed flight feather, and being stuck watching his friends walk around the outside trails without him... He looked like a very tormented soul.
Each of the raptor enclosures display the individual stories of the inhabitants, which a former employee we ran into said was a wonderful touch. I think things like this really help kids get interested in rehabilitation and conservation!
-R