2 Swans a Trumpeting! (video)

Year 4

Trumpeter Swans have their name for a good reason … they sound like trumpets!

This morning while enjoying the arrival of some early migrants, Killdeer and Red-Winged Blackbirds, over at the Roy Johnson Mitigation Wetlands, I heard some trumpeting behind me. Two swans had just arrived to stake their claim to a pond which had been ice free for less than 24 hours. I hope you enjoy the short video … with audio … which makes their name quite obvious!

If you’ve never visited the Roy Johnson Mitigation Wetlands and find yourself in the Northland, make the trip. The wetlands are located next to the Cloverland municipal building and garage, 18.5 miles along Wisconsin #13 from the first exit of the US Hwy 2/53 Expressway just out of Superior.

Finally, it was fun to watch a pair of Sandhill Cranes. It was only 2+ weeks ago I visited the Platte River in central Nebraska and saw 460,000+ cranes. Assuming these two were in Kearney, they have flown about 730 miles to reach my wetlands!

Trumpeter Swans

Killdeer

Red-Winged Blackbird

Transitions

Year 4,

Back to Minnesota … back to Winter, or is it Spring?

This morning I drove over to visit the Wisconsin State Hwy #13 grasslands near Cloverland and the Roy Johnson Mitigation Wetlands. Given none of the lakes or area ponds are ice free, and the fact that one could still find snow in the deep reaches of the forests, I had low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised to find an area that was thinking Spring might be around the corner.

Canada Geese and Trumpeter Swans were finding minuscule openings of water to stage, and a few early migrants … mainly red-winged blackbirds, robins and American Kestrels were present in reasonable numbers. Early arrivals of other grassland birds were not yet present.

Still lingering in the area were Rough-Legged Hawks like the one pictured below as it waited for more favorable weather and southerly winds to push northward. When I return home I found a few Goldfinches starting to wear their summer plumage.

Transitions …

Homecoming Aurora Borealis!

Year 4,

After driving over 4,000 miles during the past two weeks, and visiting some fantastic locations including Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, and Durango, Colorado deep in the Rocky Mountains, Molly and I arrived home yesterday afternoon. Although I was tired from all the driving, and looking forward to a night in my own bed, when the Northern Lights numbers popped I had to head to a frozen lake and hope Lady Aurora would dance. It was a fine performance. She did not disappoint. For ten minutes shortly after 10 pm the light show was spectacular. The refrozen melt water out on the lake ice made for cool reflections.

I then move over to NW Wisconsin to the Davidson Windmill, and hoped for a repeat performance. However, when the 2 am hour approached I realized it was to be a one dance night and I contented myself with a starscape “green glow” image at the windmill.

Lady Aurora Dancing Over Boulder Lake … 25 miles north of Duluth

A Few Minutes Later … more rays / spikes but less light

Ten Minutes Before Lady Aurora Came out to Dance … intense light

The Davidson Windmill Starscape Green Glow