A few years ago, I heard about the annual migration of thousands of Tundra Swans along the Upper Mississippi River in early November. This year I got to see over 10,000 swans.
The River is a gorgeous place. Here's a view of it from Trempaleau National Wildlife Refuge. and yes, this is the Midwest...it's not flat everywhere. The power of water has done more than carve the Grand Canyon. The bluffs in the background were formed by this ancient flow.
This group consists of three adults (the whilte ones) and three juveniles (the grey ones). They were stopping near La Crosse, WI, from the breeding grounds in the high Arctic to their wintering grounds along the mid-Atlantic.
They feed on the tubers in the riverbed like arrowhead, wild celery, and sago pondweed. Those long necks make it easier for them to access the starchy bulbs.
Here's a video my sister and I took (most of it is from her).
