December 21, 2003 - January 28, 2004: Albemarle - Pamlico Sound of North Carolina. Bypassing Virginia, the swan migrated to North Carolina. She is moving between the National Wildlife Refuges around Pungo Lake, Lake Mattamuskeet, and the Sounds of eastern North Carolina. This part of North Carolina is comprised of large, flat agricultural fields and broad expanses of tidal creeks and marshes. North Carolina winters the majority of the Eastern Tundra Swan Population and two of our radioed swans have gone to North Carolina this year.

December 9, 2003: Port Washington, Wisconsin north of Milwaukee. The swan appears to have moved nearly a hundred miles back to the north, but she is still on Lake Michigan. She is probably scouting out the general area looking for food in preparation for the last leg of her migration back to the East Coast.

December 5, 2003: Lake Michigan, Chicago, Illinois. With over three-fourths of her migration completed, the swan has made her way to the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes will be her last stopover area before returning the Atlantic Coast.

November 10 – December 1, 2003: Upper Mississippi River on the Wisconsin/Iowa border. The swan has left the prairies behind and now is staging on the Upper Mississippi River. She is replenishing energy reserves in the large agriculture fields along the Mississippi River floodplain and resting on marshes and large reservoirs of the upper Mississippi River.

October 12 – November 6, 2003: Jamestown, North Dakota. The Prairie Pothole Region is most noted as a waterfowl breeding area, however, to migrating swans it is an important staging area during both spring and fall. Swans stop here to rest and replenish energy reserves on the numerous small wetlands that dot the landscape.

September 30 – October 8, 2003: North Dakota/Manitoba Border. After leaving the boreal forest behind, the swan has stopped in the Prairie Pothole Region, about 200 miles south of her previous location. She is our first radio-equipped swan back in the United States this year.

September 26, 2003: Lake Winnipegosis, Manitoba. The swan has traveled an additional 500 miles south to Lake Winnipegosis in the boreal forest region of Canada. This is a large lake located in west-central Manitoba just west of Lake Winnipeg.

September 22, 2003: South Knife Lake in Northern Manitoba. The swan has started her southern migration at about the same time as in the fall of 2002 and has made her first stop in about the same location as she did last year. She made a large leap of over 800 miles from her nesting area in the arctic and is now located in Northern Manitoba.

June 10 – September 17, 2003: Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut. She has spent the summer on the Boothia Peninsula, hopefully nesting and raising a brood of cygnets. She has probably returned to the same nesting territory she used in the past and maybe even the same nest site.

June 1, 2003: Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut. She has moved 500 miles further north and is located above the arctic circle near the Inuit town of Taloyoak on the Boothia Peninsula. This peninsula extends north into the Arctic Ocean with the Gulf of Boothia to the east and Larsen Sound to the west. Like our other two swans, she has returned to the same location where she spent her previous summer.

May 28, 2003: Thaolintoa Lake in south-central Nunavut. The swan has made a stop in central Nanavut, probably waiting for warmer weather on the breeding grounds. She appears to be headed towards the Boothia Peninsula where she nested last year.

May 3, 2003 – May 24, 2003: Cedar Lake Manitoba. The swan has left the prairies and is now in the boreal forest region of Canada. This area is dotted with large lakes and coniferous forest. Cedar Lake is located in west-central Manitoba just west of Lake Winnipeg.

April 12, 2003 - April 26, 2003: Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota. She has stopped near Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Prairie Pothole Region is most noted as a waterfowl breeding area, however, it is also an important staging area for migrating swans. They are able to rest and replenish nutrient reserves on the numerous small wetlands that dot the landscape. She stopped in this same area on her spring migration last year.

April 4, 2003: Lake Huron - Saginaw Bay Michigan. The marshes of Saginaw Bay are known as a stopover area for migrating waterfowl. Last year, this swan stopped near Long Point, on Lake Ontario during her spring migration. This year, she seems to have bypassed Lake Ontario and gone on to Lake Huron.

March 19, 2003 - March 27, 2003: Lake Erie – Lake St. Claire – Lake Huron. The Great Lakes is the first major staging area for swans after leaving their wintering quarters. They gradually move through the Great Lakes Region while waiting for winter to clear further north. From here they shift their migration to a more westerly track.

March 14, 2003: Lake Erie near Long Point and Aylmer, Ontario. She has made a big jump this time, moving over 400 miles to the north shore of Lake Erie. Long Point is a well-know waterfowl migration area and a good proportion of the swans that winter on the East Coast stop here. They may stay for several weeks building up energy reserves and waiting for the weather further north to improve. Several of our radio-equipped swans have stopped here during migration both in the spring and in the fall. This swan stopped in this area during her spring migration last year but bypassed Long Point on her way back south last fall.

March 14, 2003: Lake Erie near Long Point and Aylmer, Ontario. She has made a big jump this time, moving over 400 miles to the north shore of Lake Erie. Long Point is a well-know waterfowl migration area and a good proportion of the swans that winter on the East Coast stop here. They may stay for several weeks building up energy reserves and waiting for the weather further north to improve. Several of our radio-equipped swans have stopped here during migration both in the spring and in the fall. This swan stopped in this area during her spring migration last year but bypassed Long Point on her way back south last fall.

March 10, 2003: Chesapeake Bay near Onemo, Virginia. The swan has begun its migration back to the artic starting with a small 100-mile hop from North Carolina to the Chesapeake Bay. There are several scattered flocks that use the Chesapeake Bay during the winter and on their migration. They feed of submerged aquatic vegetation such as wigeongrass or eelgrass, and invertebrates in the shallows of the bay.

December 13, 2002 – March 6, 2003: Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Another swan has bypassed Virginia and is wintering in coastal North Carolina. She traveled approximately 500 miles southeast from her last stop in the Midwest. This area of North Carolina is a well-know wintering area for tundra swans with some of the largest concentrations of birds along the east coast. This swan was caught on Popes Creek in Northern Virginia on March 14 of 2002. It’s possible that this was a swan that we caught while on its migration north from Carolina last year. However, there may be some swans that move to different wintering areas from year to year depending on weather conditions. One of the objectives of this study is to assess site-fidelity, that is, to see if the birds go to the same locations year after year.

December 13, 2002 – February 1, 2003: Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Another swan has bypassed Virginia and is wintering in coastal North Carolina. She traveled approximately 500 miles southeast from her last stop in the Midwest. This area of North Carolina is a well-know wintering area for tundra swans with some of the largest concentrations of birds along the east coast. This swan was caught on Popes Creek in Northern Virginia on March 14 of 2002. It’s possible that this was a swan that we caught while on it’s migration north from Carolina last year. However, there may be some swans that move to different wintering areas from year to year depending on weather conditions. One of the objectives of this study is to assess site-fidelity, that is, to see if the birds go to the same locations year after year. It will be interesting to monitor this bird’s movements throughout the winter.

December 9, 2002: Grand Lake – West-central Ohio, near St. Marys. Usually the Great Lakes region is the last stopover for swans returning Virginia. However, after traveling 400 miles, this swan has made a quick stop in west-central Ohio on a large lake near the town of St. Marys. Her next stop should be the east coast.

November 2 - December 5, 2002: Mississippi River- Minnesota -Wisconsin- Iowa Border. The swan did not spend as much time in the Prairie Pothole Region as it did on its spring migration. It has traveled to the Mississippi River Valley near the tri-state border. She is replenishing energy reserves in the large agriculture fields along the Mississippi floodplain and resting on marshes and large reservoirs of the upper Mississippi River.

November 19-23, 2002: Mississippi River – Iowa/Wisconsin Border. She has moved 40 miles further south down the river and is located south of the town of Lansing Iowa. She appears to be taking a more southerly route on fall migration than she took on her way north in the spring.

November 2 - November 15, 2002: Mississippi River-Minnesota-Wisconsin-Iowa Border. The swan did not spend as much time in the Prairie Pothole Region as it did on its spring migration. It has traveled to the Mississippi River Valley near the tri-state border. She is probably feeding in the large agriculture fields along the Mississippi floodplain and resting on marshes and large reservoirs of the upper Mississippi River.

October 29, 2002: Wheaton, Minnesota. She is now in the Red River Valley near the North Dakota-South Dakota-Minnesota border, near the location where she stopped back in April on her way north. This is about a 100-mile leap southeast from her last location.

October 25, 2002: Fredonia, North Dakota. Taking short hops across the Prairie Pothole Region, the swan moved 135 miles south into south-central North Dakota. She appears to be slowly making her way across the prairie region stopping to rest and feed on the plentiful marshes that dot the landscape.

October 17 - October 21, 2002: Willow Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota. She has moved 350 miles south near the town of Rolette, North Dakota just below the Canadian border in north central North Dakota. This is the first record we have of this swan stopping in the Prairie Pothole Region during the fall. This is an important staging area for migrating waterfowl that take advantage of the numerous wetlands and agricultural fields.

October 13, 2002: Grand Rapids, Manitoba. The swan is now in east central Manitoba near Lake Winnipeg. Still in the boreal forest, she had stopped in this same general area on her spring migration back in May.