Winter wildlife

It's 9 degrees F in Chicago and it's the middle of winter. But it turns out you can still wildlife in these conditions! Today as I walked into work, I saw what looked like a lump of snow that had fallen off the roof. But as I got closer, it moved. I was startled to realize that the white lump was not snow, but a swan!

It had tucked its head into its side but looked up a little bit for a photo. This is a mute swan, Cygnus olor. You may be familiar with the trumpeter swan, but this is actually a different species that is native to Europe. It was introduced to the US and can sometimes be aggressive toward native birds. However, right now this guy or girl is not being aggressive; just cold. Apparently it lost its mate, so not only is it cold but it is single right before Valentine's Day. I was told that it was hanging out in the lagoon down the road, but seems to want to sleep near the building. It's probably warmer near the building, so if I were a swan I would want to sleep there too!