Tundra Time...

                                                                                                                     

 Every November there's a loud noise resonating from above long before you see a thing and then  these white dots start appearing on the Mississippi.

 Making their way south  from the Arctic, the Tundra Swans arrive in thousands and land, resting and feeding on arrowroot tubers until they are ready to continue their trek eastward to Chesapeake Bay for the winter months.

The upper Mississippi has become an important staging area for this fall migration. Actually in the '70s only a small number consistently stopped but now those numbers surpass 30,000 and swan viewing has become a fall recreational activity.


Natureman and I make an annual 45 minute trek ourselves to view this magnificent sight Thanksgiving week to the other side of the Mississippi  actually directly opposite us.  There is a viewing station on the Minnesota side south of Brownsville where I snapped these pics.

A lot of birders, photographers with ginormous cameras and people just like us come to partake in the incredible sight. The noise resembles children playing on the playground.  Take a listen to these swans I video'ed this year ...

http://youtu.be/LBs_QOtWg4g

Actually a new viewing station was just completed this week on our side of the river   south of  Goose Island which even has its own Park Ranger equipped to answer questions regarding waterfowl using a spotting scope.

Swan facts: Tundra swans breed at 2-3 years old and mate for life in their Arctic home where they nest as spring thaws and give their offspring up to 6, brownish colored cygnets, over 2 months to mature. An adult swan is white weighs about 13-20 pounds with a wing span of about 6-7 ft.  The swans will eat 6.2 lbs of tubers per day... They certainly eat their veggies.

So eat up guys, it's Thanksgiving and you have a long flight ahead of you.  Just honk as you fly over  End of the Rainbow Valley...