Some Trumpeter Swans are also marked, with neck collars, wing tags, and/or leg bands. It is also recognized as the heaviest flying bird in the world. Tundra swans, while our smallest swan, are still very large birds. The male defends the nest during this time. weekends through the third week of November. MISSISSIPPI RIVER HOME | Mute Swans feed on aquatic vegetation, mussels, worms, small fish, frogs, and other small vertebrates. Advertising onwww.greatriver.computs Once, as many as 6,000 tundra swans came to Rieck's Lake in Alma, Wis. You can see the curvature of the tundra bill from two angles in the second picturedepending on how they are facing you, that curve can be very pronounced or very hard to see, which is why its best to pair it with other field marks. Reintroduction was started and managed by the DNR in the early 1980s. Two trumpeter swans are pictured on the left, and two tundra swans on the right. The female lays four to five eggs which she incubates for up to forty days until they hatch. ), This is a nice, easy stop right off of Hwy 51 in McFarland. Krogman came to Alma to photograph the swans and had been volunteering Most people only get the pleasure of seeing this abundant goose in Wisconsinwhen they migrate south in fall and winter. The top surface of this tundra swan's beak shows its concave shape. For swans around Alma, call Wings Over Alma at 608-685-3303. 61 near Weaver. These birds of the arctic tundra are | River Books, Note Cards Trumpeter Swans feed mostly on aquatic vegetation such as roots and stems of aquatic plants. While you might not always find swans here, you can find a lot of other waterfowl variety. Adult Tundra Swans are bright white birds with a black bill extending to the eyes. If you have a manicured lawn that is maintained all the way to the waters edge, you have an open invitation for these birds to visit. Next stop: the sloughs of the Mississippi. Trumpeters earned their name because of their deep sonorous voice, likened to a brass instrument. This weeks Entryway to Birding blog is going to focus on two of those species that can be notoriously difficult to tell apartthe tundra swan and the trumpeter swan. What differences can you spot between these swans? For swans around Alma, call Wings Over Juvenile Trumpeter and Tundra Swans . Getting there: Alma (pronounced EL-ma by locals) is an hour upriver For information about swan-watching at Rieck's Park in Wisconsin visit wingsoveralma.org. related The Upper Mississippi River Refuge provides the pools of slack water that enables these plants to flourish and nourish millions of birds as they migrate. Their flight call is relatively easy to identify. Tundra swans are big birds. DOOR TO NATURE: Tundra Swans - Door County Pulse MAPS | River watching the antics of more than 400 swans. Horicon Marsh is indeed a great spot! Tundra swans are likely to be seen in large groups, flocks or flock remnants; they migrate in flocks. And as you can probably hear from the video above, Snow Geese are one of the noisiest waterfowl you will encounter in Wisconsin. They may also forage for food on land, feeding on grass and agricultural crops.
