[Tweeters] Wintering swans

[Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters]

We birded on Rawlins Road on the Skagit Flats on Friday, Feb. 21st .There
were several thousand Snow Geese feeding in fields on both sides of the
road. One  muddy field also had swans mixed in with the geese and also
Mallards and Northern Pintail.I was able to pick two Tundra Swans out of
the Trumpeters. I suspected several others, which appeared smaller further
from the road, to be Tundra Swans. It was a miserable rainy day, despite
only showers in the forecast and I did not get out my scope. Well, I should
not have gotten out of the car anyway! There were groups of swans in
several locations in the Skagit - and Samish Flats.

Hans

On Fri, Feb 21, 2025 at 4:56 PM Martha Jordan via Tweeters <
tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:


> The latest information is that Tundra (Bewick's too), are wintering

> farther north all throughout the northern hemisphere.  And Tundra Swans in

> the Skagit (esp around the La Conner/Dodge valley area, are known to breed

> in the Izembek area of Alaska.) These swans have shown, through collar

> projects, that they do spend some winters there as well, not migrating

> south. Thus, we will see fewer of them in the Skagit and surrounds. Tundra

> Swans in the Pacific Flyway population (east of the Rockies), breed along

> coastal areas of Alaska, and depending on where that is, they will winter

> in different locations along the west coast. It is not one big group of

> swans, but fidelity to the breeding/wintering areas that seem tied together.

>     And the Tundra Swans that nest on the north slope (north of the Brooks

> Range) fly a long distance to winter on the east coast and are part of the

> Eastern population, mostly wintering in the Atlantic Flyway.

>      NOTE: if you want to know more come to my presentation tomorrow,

> "White Birds of Washington's Winter" Sat Feb 22, at the Stanwood Snow Goose

> Festival.  2pm is my talk on swans and snow geese.

>      I will also be presenting at the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival on

> Sat Mar 22 at 10:15 am.  That focus will include both swans and snow geese

> but with an eastern Washington focus.

>

> Martha

>

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-- 
*Hans Feddern*
Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA
thefedderns at gmail.com
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