In 1933, fewer than 70 wild trumpeter swans were known to exist after being hunted to near extinction but with the discovery of the swans in Alaska in 1950s, the trumpeters have made a come back. The large native waterfowl, with a wingspan of 6 feet and weighing more than 25 pounds, they required a long 100 yard runway to get airborne.
In the fall, they begin to gather near open water and will feed on aquatic plants until winter locks away their food below a thick sheet of ice and then they migrate to an ice free location.
Fall Gathering of Trumpeter Swans
