a Gathering of Eagles

A Gathering of Eagles - and Swans By T.R. Michels On an early December morning, we drove south out of St. Paul, Minnesota, down Hwy. 61 to Colville Lake in Redwing, where we saw an adult Bald eagle near its nest in the marina. Three more Bald eagles and three Red-tailed Hawks were seen along the way farther south. And then we saw about 3000 Ring-necked Gulls on Lake Pepin, along with a raft of about 500 Common Mergansers, and another raft of about 500 Common Goldeneyes, including at least 1 Redhead and 1 Bullfehead. Further south of the river we spotted about 300 Tundra Swans, and then we got to Brownsville where the river was literally covered in white with about 15,000 Tundra Swans on their way to the east coast for the winter. It was an amazing site. You can see a video of these swans on You Tube by searching for videos by Naturpro, and looking for 20,000 Tundra Swans. November to late February is when you can begin looking for the Bald Eagles that spend the winter along the Mississippi River in southern Minnesota. Along the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers in the Twin Cities Metro area, they usually begin arriving from the north by October (dependent on frozen water in the more northerly areas), and they often stay through March (dependent on open water up north). One of the largest wintering populations of these birds in the lower 48 States can be found along the Mississippi River from southern Minnesota to northern Iowa. In some years hundreds of Bald Eagle can be seen along the river, but numbers depend to a large extent on the weather. More eagles are seen during years with intense cold, which freezes up rivers and lakes that give the birds access to the fish they eat. There were 697 bald eagles seen along a 15-mile stretch of the Mississippi River, between Lake City and Wabasha, on a single day in 2000. And,. lf you are there, you can stop off at the beautiful, newly built National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota, where you can view and photograph one of the four captive eagles, and learn about eagle biology and behavior from one of the center's interpreters. Because fish are one of the major food sources of bald eagles, they need open water where they can catch fish or find carrion. When lakes, rivers and streams freeze up in many areas, hundreds of eagles may be seen on the upper Mississippi from December through February. One of the largest bodies of water to stay partially open in the Twin Cities Metro Area is Black Dog Lake, in Burnsville, Minnesota, just across Black Dog Road from the Minnesota River. As a result of the open water in the rivers, Bald Eagles that migrate from the north, follow the Red River of the North, south along the Minnesota North Dakota state line, until they come to the headwaters of the Minnesota River, and follow it south to Mankato, Minnesota, and then northeast to St, Paul, where it flows into the Mississippi River. As of December 17, 2010 the Minnesota River was about 100 percent frozen. It has not been that way in several years - there have always been some open spots for the Bald Eagles, Common, Hooded and Red-breasted Mergansers, Common and Barrow's Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Ring-billed Gulls and Belted Kingfishers that feed in the open waters, to catch fish. However, nearby Black Dog Lake was still about 1/4 open this last fall, from the hot water discharge of the power plant. And there ere dozens of Glaucous Gulls and Common Mergansers on the lake. Early in the morning (generally prior to 10:00 AM ) you may see as may as 50 eagles soaring over the lake, perched in the nearby giant cottonwood trees, and sitting on the ice at the water's edge. Minnesota's Returning Trumpeter Swans. Trumpeter Swans were once common throughout North America, but due to market hunting for down and feathers, plus subsistence hunting and egg collecting, they were presumed to be exterminated by the 1880's. In 1919 two nests were found in Yellowstone Park. Minnesota swan restoration began in 1996 by the Hennepin County Parks commission. In 1982 the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources began a recovery program. By 1994 the project had released 215 swans, and there was an estimated free-flying flock of 250 birds in Minnesota. Both the Minnesota and the mid-western populations have been growing ever since. And many of them have been wintering in the warm water discharge of the Mississippi River from the power plant in Monticello, Minnesota. When the swans began first showing up, a local resident known as the "Swan Lady" began feeding them. As the flock swelled to several hundred birds, she had trouble carrying the heavy buckets of corn to the river. Plus, she was going through several bushels of corn each year. So she had a gravity-feed grain trailer and a grain auger placed on her driveway, and run about 50 yards to the river, so she would not have to carry the corn down to the river. In recent years the MN DNR has been trying to get the re-introduced Trumpeter Swans to migrate further south, by stopping the feeding program that had been go ing on. at their aproval. They decided not to feed the swans until January first one year, in the hopes that the swans would migrate farther south. After talking to the Monticello Chamber of Commerce, it seems the DNR's plan did not work. The swans gathered in Monticello for the next several years, just as in past years, beginning in mid-November, until January, when she started feeding them again. But, you can see by the video I took on You Tube by searching for videos by Naturpro), and looking for Trumpeter Swan Mating Dances. As of December 21, 2010 there were also twenty-five Trumpeter Swans (12 adults and 13 young) wintering at Black Dog Lake in Burnsville, Minnesota, just off I-35E. Trumpeter Swans have been spotted on Black Dog Lake every year for the last three years (13 in 2008), because in some parts of the lake the swans can get at underwater vegetation. The Interior Population (IP) of Trumpeter swans, which the Central area of Canada and the Upper Midwest swans belong to, have increased more than 150% since 1995 and now number over 2,400 individuals. As many as 1,500 of them have been wintering on the Mississippi River in Monticello, Minnesota, in the last few years, because the hot water discharge from the NSP Power Plant which keeps the river from freezing. These birds can be seen in many states of the Upper Midwest from November through February each year; wherever this is open water. November is also when you may see as many as 20,000 Tundra Swans on the Mississippi River in southeast Minnesota, as they stop off on their way from the Canadian Arctic to the eastern shores of Delaware and Maryland, where they spend the winter. This migration stop-off comprises about 20 percent of the eastern population of Tundra Swans in North America (about 110,000 birds). Formerly known as "whistling swans", Tundra Swans nest in the Arctic, and they stay there during the spring and summer. Birds of the western population of Tundra Swans winter along the west coast, from southern British Columbia to California, and into southern Idaho and northern Nevada. Birds of the eastern population winter from Chesapeake Bay to North Carolina. They often stop along the Mississippi River in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin before they continue on to their eastern wintering grounds. Pairs and flocks of these large beautiful birds can often be seen along the lakes and back waters of the Mississippi River from Read's Landing, Minnesota and Alma, Wisconsin .to northern Iowa, from mid-October to February, with peaks of up to 20,000 birds in November. This migration stop-of comprises about 20percent of the eastern population of Tundra Swans in North America (about 110,000). In recent years, as many as 15,000 Tundra Swans have been sighted near Brownsville, Minnesota in the fall. Other Eagel Festivals In Illinois, the Pere Marquette State Park is fortunate to play host to Bald Eagles every year. Eagles may be spotted in the treetops along the Illinois River from December through March. They are also plentiful between late December and early March in the Alton-Grafton area, which is approximately 245 miles southwest of Chicago. Several community's host bald eagle festivals in teh winter months In January, you can attend the Quad Cities Bald Eagle Days in the Quad Cities, and the Dubuque Bald Eagle Watch in Dubuque, the Keokuk Bald Eagle Days in Keokuk and the Muscatine Bald Eagle Watch in Muscatine, Iowa. If you go looking for eagles or swans , or other winter birds, you may want to bring along a pair of binoculars of 8x or better magnification binoculars, a spotting scope of 20-60 by 40X strength, a digital camera with a 12x or 200mm capability, or a camera with video power equal to that. Although the newer cameras with both camera and video capability can keep things compact, unless you get a camera with quality lenses, your photographs will not be as good as they can be; and your video will suffer. I compromise by taking along a Canon XTi with a 80-300 mm lens, and a Canon PowerShot S3IS. The mice thing about Canon's PowerShot series is that they have Image Stabilization (IS) which keeps your photos from turning out blurry, due to hand shake or shaking from the wind For a list of recent Bald Eagle sightings across North America log on to http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle1.html For a list of sightings of Bald and Golden Eagles, Trumpeter and Tundra Swans, as well as other wintering or migrating birds across North America log on to http://www.trmichels.com/TMOAEagle&SwanSightings.htm. If you see eagles, swans or rare birds, you can e-mail me at TRMichels@yahoo.com, and I will put them on that list. If you are interested in trip so see or photograph eagles or swans or eagles, or birds or mammals, in Minnesota or Colorado and Wyoming, give us a call. We are available year round, For information on Natural History Eco-Tours for game animal, birding, wildflower and scenic photography trips contact: Website Trinity Mountain Outdoor Adventures- Natural History Eco-Tours at www.TRMichels.com, E-mail T.R. Michels@yahoo.com. T.R. has just completed his latest book; Birding Minnesota - Birding, Bird Feeding, Bird & Habitat Conservation, Bird Photography, When and Where to Bird in Minnesota ($10). It includes over 40 of the best birding areas in Minnesota and the greater Minneapolis / St. Paul Area, with links to bird photos and the sounds, calls, songs they make on the Trinity Mountain Outdoors website. For an e-mail copy of this book log on to the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products catalog.