Ed Weiner, wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the only blackened birds dumb enough to hang around during the winter are crows and starlings. To catch these birds, build a live trap laced with corn. The birds are free. And if you're building the cage yourself, then it's a labor of love. Blaine Gunderson says he bets the carol's author used five golden rings to symbolize five fingers on a hand.
Gold is one of the precious metals.
Geese this time of year are hard to find unless you're looking for the dressed kind that hang in a butcher shop window. But Brian Harpenau of Le Mars Hatchery and Feed says he may be able to help you out. The geese are the storybook kind - snow white with golden yellow feet, he says. This white swan, he says, is typically what people picture when they think of a swan. As for the swimming part of the carol, Scholten says any type of open water works fine.