Saturday, January 12, 2013

Tundra Swans

Each fall thousands of tundra swans migrate from their breeding grounds up on the north Arctic coasts of Alaska, Canada, Europe and Asia to a more hospitable climate for the winter. In North America the tundra swans migrate to locations along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the central United States. During this migration many of the swans that breed in north central Canada migrate here through Minnesota on their way to the Atlantic Coast. They usually congregate in a couple locations in the Mississippi river where they can find plant roots that they eat. They usually arrive here in Minnesota near the beginning of November and will stay until the river freezes up and they can no loner feed. This stop over is vital because these large birds burn a lot of energy during migration.  



7 comments:

Jackie said...

Oh my these are just beautiful and you got an awesome shot.

Are you from Minnesota? My husband works for ATS out of St. Cloud. I have been all over Minnesota and it is a beautiful state.

Thanks for sharing these wonderful pictures with us. I love your blog and am now following you.

I hope your weekend is going good and that you have a great week!

Gemma Wiseman said...

Dramatic photo of these birds on the wing! A fascinating post!

Lighthousegal said...

Wow, what a great shot of the Swans you captured. I love seeing the birds in flight and being able to capture them in photos.
Glad you shared these beautiful birds with us.

Anni said...

Incredibly beautiful....wow, what a sight to behold, I'm sure.

Thanks for linking up this week at the Bird D'Pot. Your post is a remarkable addition for all.

HansHB said...

Nice photo!
I have not seen these in Norway but I know the are in Denmark during wintertime.

Pat said...

What a wonderful shot of these swans!

DeniseinVA said...

Impressive photo of these beautiful swans.