If you travel down the back roads in the midst of Western New York you'll find
Gooseneck Hill Waterfowl Sanctuary.
Run by a dedicated couple, the sanctuary provides a home to over 540 birds and 2,000 koi! Notice the fencing-it goes over the sanctuary as well, protecting the residents from predators.
I'm here in the nursery. Babies are sometimes taken from their mothers in order to protect them. Many of the birds here are rare and endangered.
From the indoor nursery young birds transition to the outdoor nursery.
Soon they're released to the lower aviaries.
There are 3 ponds in the lower level and birds are free to fly up a flightpath to the huge upper pond.
Barns like this one provide shelter and warmth, along with many small dog houses.
Here we are at the upper pond. You can see
Nene geese and Barhead geese in front of me.
The Nene goose is the only endangered goose in the US. This bird originates in Hawaii, but was brought to the brink of extinction there, killed by hunters and now threatened by mongoose and feral dogs and cats.
I got to help feed these friendly birds.
Me and my friend.
The male Whistler or Tundra swan has cataracts, but his mate leads him around. This type of swan is the 2nd largest in the world weighing about 25 pounds with an 8 foot wingspan. They come from Alaska.
Look at all those koi. They help keep the pond clean.
These are Barhead geese. These amazing birds can fly over 35,000 feet at 100mph!!! They originate in India.
It's really beautiful here.
What a view! The sanctuary is only open to the public on Sundays during July and August, but if you have the opportunity, it's certainly worth a visit!
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