Wildlife Sanctuary: Winter Edition

Yes, it's still winter. Although many of us are sighing for spring, it just doesn't seem to be coming any time soon.

With another arctic blast scheduled for next week, we took advantage of the sunny weather and 19 degree day. We visited the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, planning to spend our time indoors rather than outside.

A massive welcoming committee greeted us in the parking lot.

And when we went towards the building, they followed behind.

We left them behind at the doors. I don't think the staff would have 

appreciated us letting them in to warm their beaks.



Once inside, we got to see some unique and interesting critters while staying warm at the same time. As we sipped our coffees (and Grace snacked on string cheese), we wandered through the building and met some great new friends.

Northern Saw Whet Owl

Eastern Screech Owl.

He looked perfectly healthy until he turned his head...

...and then it was obvious why he was there.

A staring contest with a toad.

Eastern blue bird

Green heron- 

Though they are common in Northeast Wisconsin,

 this was the first time I'd seen one.

After finishing our coffee, we  braved the cold for a while and fed the birds. We saw several species of ducks, as well as a few particularly sociable geese. Grace had the time of her life feeding the birds, and they were VERY happy for every corn kernel they received.

A single, solitary goldeneye duck.

A black duck. You can differentiate this from a female (hen) mallard by its beak and head. It has a plain yellow beak and a sharp black stripe across its head. Its color is darker as well.

A hen mallard. Note the darker bill, lighter feather color, and blue stripe by its wings.

A beautiful drake mallard.

If you're brave, the ducks and geese will eat right out of your hand.

Don't worry- it doesn't hurt a bit. :)

We also visited snakes, frogs, guinea pigs, bats, pigeons, mice, boas, bass, and sunfish- all without visiting the wolf/animal building or the birds of prey section. It's such a great (and free!) resource for indoor and outdoor nature experiences.

Plus, it's so great to see the injured animals that are being helped, healed, and cared for by volunteers. You can't help but feel sympathy for these animals, being nurtured during the lowest point in their lives. Without human intervention, they would most likely have died in the wild. If they hadn't been brought to the sanctuary, they would have stayed hurt, alone, and hopelessly lost.

Without God's intervention in our lives, we are in that same position. Sin has crippled us, maimed us- scarred us in some way. There isn't a person alive who doesn't look back on their past without some level of regret or pain. We all make mistakes, but those mistakes don't have to be our downfall.

You may feel God has forgotten you. Perhaps this is the lowest point in your life, or you're at a point that is beyond fixing. But you were created by a God that is far wiser and more knowledgeable than you; He can heal your broken leg or injured wing. Or, you can stay alone in the woods, trying to cure the situation yourself. Help is available for you- it's just a matter of whether or not you will choose to access the resource you need.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with stripes we are healed. -Isaiah 53:5

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. -Jeremiah 17:14



Healed by Him,

Jen

Early Spring Adventures

Wow! What amazing weather we've had all week! I cannot believe that most of the temperatures have been in the 60's. We're having June weather in mid-March! Luke and I have been trying to take advantage of the nice weather to go on some adventures.

Since the weather has been so warm, Luke had a hunch that fish would start their spawning earlier in the year as well. On Tuesday evening, we went up to Footbridge and got to see the start of the steelhead spawning. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend visiting the  C.D. "Buzz" Besadny Anadromous Fisheries Facility in Footbridge. If you go within the next week or two, you'll get to see some of the biggest steelhead in Wisconsin. It's breathtaking to see these gigantic fish jumping inches away from your nose. They also have great hiking trails that take you alongside the Kewaunee River. Plus, it's free!

Last weekend, Luke, Kristen, and I went to the wildlife sanctuary, or, as we like to call it, "a city version of nature." We meandered through the buildings and came to the place where you can buy corn for the birds. Normally, Luke and I would just share 1 bag of corn (since they're $1 a bag, it makes for a cheap date). However, this time Luke only had a $5 bill, so we ended up schlepping 5 bags of corn out to where the geese lazily stared at us.


Now, starting off, we were very well behaved corn-throwers. A few sprinkles here, a light toss there, having a nice time. From a distance, I'm sure we looked like 80-year-olds. As such, I got quite a few pictures of geese lazily eating. Some of the geese were just pretending to be "too cool" for corn, but in the end they all wanted some.

Let me show you how little I care about this corn

by waving my bottom in the air.

However, Luke realized that if we kept throwing corn at a snail's pace, we would be there all day. He decided a better method would be to empty the bags in less than 20 seconds. Now, I don't think the ducks and geese were used to this approach. Chaos ensued.

Our version of an early bird special.

 This did have the other undesired side effect of stealing all the ducks from the other people, as the birds came racing to see if they could cash in on the event. However, the weather was so nice that no one was too upset.

The turtles at the Wildlife Sanctuary were also surprisingly friendly. My sister snapped this picture of a painted turtle with her iPhone:

Well, hello there.

I also got a nice one of a turtle grabbing some air. I'm not sure what species this was, but his neck is super long!

I'm just a turtle, pretending to be a snake.

So, overall, it was a very nice trip. We're going to Oconto this weekend, so hopefully I'll have some nice walleye pics to share with you soon.

Enjoy the weather! And don't forget to thank the Creator who gave it to us!

Jen