Migrating Tundra Swans

We drove north on the Great River Road along the Mississippi River in December to see the Tundra Swan flock which had lingered in the area because of a warm December. Normally the Tundra Swan flock heads east to the lower Chesapeake Bay area around Thanksgiving. This Mississippi Tundra Swan flock is one of three main flocks with an inter-mountain west flock and west coast flock. The Mississippi Tundra Swans fly non-stop from the Arctic to the Mississippi River about 100 miles north of the MN/IA border and then linger to rest and eat before then flying non-stop to the lower Chesapeake Bay area on the Atlantic coast. The Swans move from one feeding spot to another along the Mississippi but the Reno area is near their southern limit before heading east. North American Tundra Swans are also known as the Whistling Swan sub-specie. Folks from around the mid-west come to the area to see the fall Tundra Swan migration.

A small part of the swan flock near shore with Canadian Geese flying over and American Wigeons and Coots among the swans:



One Tundra Swan standing near shore:



My best effort to photograph the most Tundra Swans in one picture:



An expansive view of the Mississippi River Valley at Reno, MN, in early winter colors with the Wisconsin Mississippi River bluffs on the far side:



A muskrat swimming past several Tundra Swans visible left of the left swan:



Tundra Swans resting in shallow water:



View north up the Mississippi River Valley from the dam at Lock and Dam Number 8 with the Minnesota river bluffs on the left:

Thanks for the great shots. Interesting birds. We usually see some in Yellowstone in the fall.
Also viewed them on our trips into Alaska.
Are the Tundra swans the same as Trumpeter swans?
Are some of these shots in the Winona area?
Frank

Cool info on the migratory habits of the Tundra swans. They are beautiful birds and powerful flyers.

The swans show up in the Central Valley (CA) around Thanksgiving and hang out until late January.
I saw several hundred in the rice fields earlier this week near Marysville. From past experience, I know the farmers will drain the fields soon, and most of the migratory birds (white faced ibis, tundra swan, snow geese, white fronted geese, etc.) continue their migration.

Here's a cool gif that I recently stumbled across

Frank, Winona is around 30 miles north of Reno, MN, while Reno, MN, is around 10 miles north of the IA/MN border. The Tundra Swans arrive south of Red Wing, MN, but food is the primary concern of the Tundra Swans and so move around as needed when arriving and staying. Most of the Tundra Swan feeding zone is maintained as part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge. Most Trumpeter Swans nest in marshy areas of the Pacific Northwest (Alaska) instead of Tundra and only a few nest in the upper mid-west. We have seen Trumpeter Swans but only in small numbers and so far not among Tundra Swans. Larry

That's really interesting! Thanks for sharing!!!

iowahiker said:

Frank, Winona is around 30 miles north of Reno, MN, while Reno, MN, is around 10 miles north of the IA/MN border. The Tundra Swans arrive south of Red Wing, MN, but food is the primary concern of the Tundra Swans and so move around as needed when arriving and staying. Most of the Tundra Swan feeding zone is maintained as part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge. Most Trumpeter Swans nest in marshy areas of the Pacific Northwest (Alaska) instead of Tundra and only a few nest in the upper mid-west. We have seen Trumpeter Swans but only in small numbers and so far not among Tundra Swans. Larry

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Thanks Larry.
We have friends in Winona and last we visited (sept 2012) they took us to a wildlife area across the river from Winona. We enjoyed the walk through the area,didn't see many birds though.
Thanks again.
Frank

Lighthawk said:

Here's a cool gif that I recently stumbled across

Click to expand...

That gif is cool. You can really see the Mississippi River flyway by watching the dots. We are fortunate to live near it and see a wide variety of birds in the spring and fall as a result.

Nice-thanks for sharing this !

Snoke

Larry, Great post. Thanks for sharing. Not to far from Indiana, so will have to file away for a future trip. jd

Sent from my SM-G900V using Wander The West mobile app

Thanks. Another interesting tidbit we read was one radio-collared Tundra Swan flew with the west coast flock one year and flew with the Mississippi/east coast flock the next. Checking out the different cuisine or just wandering?

iowahiker said:

Checking out the different cuisine or just wandering?

Click to expand...

Probably got a girl on both coasts

Being close, I'll have to check this out next fall. Iowahiker, where do I learn when they are congregating?

Camping along the St. Croix east of Pine City, MN in late October, had the thrill of seeing hundreds of Sandhill Cranes flocking to migrate. Overflew us the two evenings we were there; pictures unfortunately are of little dots in the sky. Tried to find where they were staying (could hear them on the river) but the brush was too thick; never found them.

jim

Wonderful birds. I've seen and heard them flying over my mom's place in Sacramento this past week.

Alma, Wisconsin, has adopted the Tundra Swans as a local tourist theme. The web search "wings over alma tundra swans" is a good source to start. Wings Over Alma can give directions to see the swans and Alma is near the early arrival area so the weather is a little warmer. Alma went so far as to dredge silted over feeding grounds to keep the swans returning. We have seen the Tundra Swans just a few miles north of Reno, MN, every year 1-2 weeks before Thanksgiving unless the river has iced.

Thanks iowahiker. Now that I am retired and have better living accomidations than a tent, I'll be able to enjoy these events.

jim