We see swans on White Rock Shoal most of the winter. Some are tame, or mute swans that move up and down the shoal seasonally.
We also see tundra swans which migrate through the Saginaw Bay area. Tundra swans have a yellow dot on their bills near the eye. The Tundra swans come in large flocks during spring and fall.
Michigan has also reestablished the Trumpeter swan. Trumpeters, a protected species, are are the world's largest waterfowl. During the winter of 2009-2010 we thought we had a 35-40 bird contingent of Trumpeters at White Rock Shoal. Because of the heavy ice cover on the shoal we were unble to identify swans which we saw occasionally on the shoal during the winter of 2010-2011.
The photo in today's post is of migrating birds that I spotted in a wet field along Ruth Road on the east side of Huron County several days ago. There were about 15 swans pecking at the stubble in the field along with lots of gulls. Although I couldn't make out the characteristic yellow dot on the bill, it is my guess that these few birds are Tundra swans that paused their migration to rest and feed in Huron County.
Copyright 2011
Wanda Hayes Eichler
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