I am concerned with the swans through winter time. We live near Sacramento Calif. and I am unsure if the swans need some type of warmth through the winter and shelter. We did put a island in the middle of the pond for them to go to during the summer, but they never used it. They swim around it and look at it, but have no idea what it is for.

They really do not have a safe place along side of the pond because we have a lot of animals that get in the backyard. No dogs, just wild life.

My main concern is winter. Are they ok with what type of grounds they have? I have inserted a pic of our pond. I have shown the pic before.

1- We do have a large pond, but I don't know if they need to be warm and out of the water?

2- Should we build something in the middle of the pond for them to get out of the rain?

3- Should we have something for them to climb into?

4- I do need to get their food somehow closer to the water. We have a lot of geese that fly in because they know we have food around. I did see other emails about the dog feeder (Blitz) but I need to figure out how to put it in the water so no other animals eat their food.

5- Does the Blitz feeder keep pretty dry through the winter?

6- Is there another item we should look at regarding their food storage?

7- We just recently found out we have a fresh water otter. He was spotted along the bank of the pond one morning and dove back in. He has been very busy eating all the fish we just stocked the pond with.

Anyway, I just want to make sure they have a place to go if they need it. I know the birds fly south for the winter, should we be doing something for the swans?