The tundra swans have really been showing around Idaho in the past week. They'll stop for a bit before heading north to their breeding grounds on the Arctic and sub-arctic tundra.The calm waters provided by wetlands offer an excellent pit stop before continuing on a long journey.
While the tundra swan population is estimated at 170,000 birds, they seem to be in a slow decline in the western United States.
Polluted water--which causes declines in the aquatic vegetation on which they feed--is suspected as a major culprit in the decline.
If you want to see swans in Idaho, here are some suggestions:
The Nature Conservancy's Ball Creek Ranch Preserve, Bonners Ferry
The Nature Conservancy's Silver Creek Preserve, Picabo
Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area, Parma
Ted Trueblood Wildlife Area, Grandview
Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Nampa
Photos by mdw under a GNU Free Documentation License.
3 comments:
We are about a month away from them showing up at Camas National Wildlife Refuge and Mud Lake. Two years ago we had some "Bewicks" with them.
We have had Tundra Swans in Cascade the last two weeks. March 23, 2013.
We have had Tundra Swans in Cascade the last two weeks. March 23, 2013.
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