Bay Photos by Donna

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“We’re here!”  Yes, the Tundra Swans have arrived to the Chesapeake Bay region!

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Tundra Swans

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Typically, you would find them in the surrounding waterways and estuaries, but several weeks ago, I continued to find this small flock resting each day in a farm field for a few weeks before moving on.

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Tundra Swans

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Tundra Swans breed in the remote arctic tundra of North America and visit the U.S. during migration and winter. The majority of the Tundra Swan population that breeds in eastern Alaska (east of Point Hope) migrates 4,000 miles to winter here in the Chesapeake Bay and coastal mid-Atlantic region.

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Tundra Swans ‘on alert’ stance as a farm tractor begins to pass between them and me

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I captured these two pairs coming in for a landing one of my days’ stops alongside the road.

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Watch Out!

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Incoming!

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No one on the ground cares 😅

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Steady…..steady…..

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Landing gear down…..

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Touchdown!

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Another days’ stop I witnessed and photographed a squabble between two pairs.  That post forthcoming!

Our local Eastern Neck NWR hosts over a thousand Tundra Swans each winter, and they’ve been continuously arriving for weeks.  They come to feed almost exclusively on the delicacy of our clams that they dislodge from the mud.  The swans can be found throughout the refuge’s waters, but the best place to view them is at the Tundra Swan Boardwalk.  After the holidays, I’ll be making some trips over there!

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