Mid-winter is an interesting time at Greenwood.  While there are fewer animals needing assistance, staff and volunteers are still required to help the animals around the clock.  Not everyone can take a holiday and come back in the spring!  While many volunteers do cut back on their volunteer hours, winter is a regenerating time at Greenwood and the atmosphere is relaxed.  On my latest visit, the majority of the patients at Greenwood were birds.  I was lucky to be able to photograph a Cedar Waxwing, a Canada Goose and its smaller cousin, the Cackling Goose.  I wanted to get a picture of the Northern Flicker but because he was in a black netted enclosure I  needed him to fly into a sunny (lower) spot and he didn't want to do that while I was around!  He came to Greenwood after getting stuck in a window well.  He was a healthy eater, though, and reportedly ate 75 meal worms at the last feeding!  I also saw a Blue Jay but he was a bit too stressed for me to photograph him.  I heard about a squirrel that was also at Greenwood but he/she was in ICU so I didn't want to bother him/her.  Rehabilitating  animals at Greenwood involves practicing the delicate balance of caring for the animals (even though it can be stressful on them) and giving them a peaceful space and environment that they need to recover naturally.  At Greenwood, staff and volunteers go to great lengths to create a minimally stressful environment so that animals have the best opportunity for recovery and a second chance at independence. (Click on images below to enlarge).

Happy New Year!  I hope you and your friends and family had a good holiday season and that you are ready for the new year!  I wasn't able to visit Greenwood during the month of December and was thrilled to be able to visit again in January.  The animal species change throughout the seasons at Greenwood, but the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers do not.  On the day I visited, January 2nd, everyone was busy preparing for the patients and season ahead. After taking pictures, I even helped out by stacking paper products in the storeroom! 

Birds are often the most prevalent wildlife at Greenwood during the winter.  There were several Pine Grosbeaks and I was able to photograph one while it played with its food.  Here it is shown with a meal worm casing.  There were also several types of waterfowl at Greenwood.  Geese can become victims of errant buckshot during the hunting season and ducks often come in with feathers that have lost their water repellant properties.  Below are pictures of a Western Grebe,  a  Northern Shoveler (a duck with a wide brimmed bill) and a Canada Goose. The ducks had received a special bath to rid their feathers of toxic oils and other substances that harm their feathers and now they are waiting for their feathers to re-oil and become water resistant again so they can be released.  Look closely at the Northern Shoveler's feathers and you can see how useless they would be at staying warm and dry!