• Wednesday-What'sUP November 21 - 08:43 pm

Melanie Hakala Rossi, was recently rounding the waters of Keweenaw Bay and spotted two groups of Trumpeter Swans, she figures about 15 birds in total. I've gone by Keweenaw Bay and thought I was lucky when seeing one or two of these beautiful birds there, so I can only imagine how excited Melanie must have been to see so many. I wonder if they were flocked together in the process of migrating and were resting before journeying on from there?

Melanie also supplied me with a link to an article by the DNR, explaining the difference between a Trumpeter Swan and a Mute Swan, since they look quite similar. The article talks about the problems the Mute Swan is causing for the Trumpeter Swans, as they're threatening the breeding grounds of the Trumpeter Swans, who are a native species of Michigan. If you'd like to know more, you can read about it here: Mute Swans - Invading Michigan's Waters.

Thanks Melanie for your excellent pictures and the article on these Swans!

I've heard of all getting all your ducks in a row, I guess that applies to Swans as well.

Swans are a sight to behold!! Thank you so much for sharing these great pictures with us, Melanie!

When we lived in Charlevoix there were 2 swans that hung around our pier. They were very pretty but menaced the ducks when we would feed them. Needless to say the ducks didn't stand a chance against them.

my sweetie was almost attacked by a huge male swan because he did not get the bread out of the bag fast enough. i have some pictures of that. i can not post them because the pictures were not taken in the u.p., (which i understand.);O)

Good Morning. ...seven swans a swimming...

We had a swan experience on the Torch River near Traverse City once. A big male swan did try to attack our boat. He got a few bites in, but no one was hurt. We were just somewhat startled, to say the least.

I can remember one fall down at Errkila Garage in Hubbell there were 2 huge swans hung on the wall for all to see. A few of the locals had shot them out on Torch Lake. All went well until the conservation officers got hold of the story and came to town and I believe gave a stiff fine to the 2 "adventerous lads".

Here in Rockwoo/Gibraltar at the Lake Erie Metropark is also very good for waterfowl viewing. Hot water from the Trenton power plant keeps a portion of the waterfront open throughout the winter, and this area is popular for ducks, geese, and swans. Bald eagles may also be seen fishing in this open water during winter.

This park is often host to a number of exotic birds that happen by due to migration error, such as glossy ibis, Eurasian wigeon, brant, white pelicans, white-tailed eagle etc., so there are often surprises here during spring and fall migration.Bald eagle sightings are now a year-round event with several pairs nesting in the near vicinity (and presently one pair on park property). Hundreds of tundra swans are a highlight of the winter observation season as these arctic visitors over-winter offshore from late October through mid-March.

There is a very good chance we will be seeing those same birds
next month at the Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge in
northeast North Carolina.

I love Trumpter Swans! Thank you for the very lovely pictures Melanie. Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to everyone!

Hi
I'm pleased to see all the trumpter swans. I'd known about the mute swans being invasive...and aggressive. I'd heard of one attacking a jet ski.

Last week on PBS ducks were featured on an episode of the program Nature. Alex, I though of you when I saw the title: "A Duckumentary".

There are some swans at a pond near me. I thought they were pretty neat to watch. Now I know that they are mute swans I'm not so keen on them. I witnessed their aggressive behavior towards geese on ocassion. Didn't know what I was seeing at the time. Thought that was just how swans behaved. Boss swan even hissed at me a few times. The ones I was watching had that flap of whatever between the eyes and yellow bills. I'm wondering about the hissing though. Can mute swans do that?

Rowdy,
All I know is that the Mute Swans have an orange (yellow) bill, whereas the Trumpeter Swans, like in today's photos, have the black bill. I'm not sure on the hissing part, but the article does say that they're generally quieter, so I'm assuming they can hiss. :-)


The following is taken from the DNR link that I gave in my notes above:
How To Tell a Mute Swan from a Native Swan:
The most notable difference between mute swans and the two native swan species found in Michigan (trumpeter swan and tundra swan) is that adult mute swans have orange bills. The two native swans have black bills. Mute swans also have a black knob on the top of their bill, which is absent in the native swan species. Mute swans typically have an "S"-shaped curve to their neck, while trumpeter swans have a "C"-shaped curve. Mute swans are also generally quieter than trumpeter swans, which have a loud trumpet-like call.}

Traverse City has these swans, too. They can be seen on the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay when you drive along the Grandview Parkway.

A long time ago there was a beautiful swan pair that
lived in the Copper Harbor
'suburbs'. One of them got caught in some brush and
didn't survive. It's mate stayed
with it for several weeks, at least, before it was
forced to move on. Very sad, and very
touching. Impressive birds!

What amazing pictures today! I love swans! They are soooo beautiful!