As ice crystals form on the cattails in the marshes that surround Big Babe Lake in northernmost Minnesota, silent wings sail southerly through the crisp and cool blue skies lit by the Aurora Borealis. It's the Christmas season, the jolliest time of year, and Buck Peterson, master-guide-to-all-that-is-wild, breaks open the breech that brings bounty to the table and calls his feathered friends home for the holidays. One of the pleasures of staying at Buck's Lodge (conveniently located on the northwesterly tip of Big Babe Lake) during this time of year is sitting on the festooned log deck with a frosty mug of spiked egg nog and listening to Buck's Ducks, a traditional seasonal gathering of the master naturalist's little duck billed buddies.