May 30, 2003 - June 6, 2003: Prince Albert Sound, Queen Victoria Island, Nunavut, Canada. She has completed the last 600-mile leg of her migration back to the artic. Like our other 2 radio-equipped swans, she has made the return journey to nest at the same location where she nested in 2002. Swan #33892 also came here to Victoria Island to nest in 2002. Unfortunately, the radio on swan #33892 is no longer working and we don't know if she has returned.

May 13, 2003 - May 26, 2003: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The swan has moved about 250 miles north to Great Slave Lake. This glaciated lake is also a major staging area for swans returning to their tundra nesting grounds. Great Slave lake is the largest lake in the Northwest Territories and one of the deepest in North America. This area also marks the transition zone between the boreal forest to the south and the tundra habitat to the north.

May 5, 2003 - May 9, 2003: Northwest Saskatchewan - Northeast Alberta. She has made a big jump traveling nearly 600 miles northwest to the south end of Lake Athabasca. This has been a common staging area for a number of our radio-equipped swans. This bird stopped here last year on May 21, 2002. Like swan #888, the timing of her migration appears to be about a week or more ahead of her migration from last year.

May 1, 2003: Southeast Saskatchewan near Algrove. The swan has moved another 250 miles northwest and crossed into the Canadian prairies. Still in the Prairie Pothole Region, the marshes of this area provide a smorgasbord of aquatic vegetation and invertebrate foods.

April 14, 2003 - April 27, 2003: Devil's Lake, North Dakota. A large marsh complex situated in the heart of the "duck factory", Devil's Lake is important for both nesting and staging waterfowl. A number of state and federal wildlife refuges and management areas are located in this vicinity, an indication of the importance of this habitat to waterfowl.

April 2, 2003 - April 11, 2003: Minnesota - South Dakota - North Dakota Border. She is continuing to move west into the prairie pothole area. Many of our swans stop here along the Red River Valley in the fall to feed in the large agricultural fields. In the spring, swans stop in these nutrient rich wetlands to obtain energy for migration and protein and nutrient reserves for egg laying and nesting.

March 29, 2003: Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. She has made a short hop to the west and stopped near Saginaw Bay, Michigan. Other radio-equipped swans have also stopped here on their northward migration. In her migration last year, however, this swan stopped on the eastern side of Lake Huron and did not appear to make a stop on the western side where she is currently located.

March 17, 2003 - March 25, 2003: Lake Erie. She was located on the south side of Lake Erie along the NY-PA border and then crossed over to the north side along the Ontario, Canada shoreline. The marshes and shallow water areas along the Great Lake are important to many species of waterfowl. Swans and diving ducks such as Canvasback and Scaup take advantage of the aquatic vegetation and invertebrate foods that can be found in these areas.

March 13, 2003: Near Erie, Pennsylvania and Lake Erie. This swan has moved 300 miles northwest to the south shore of Lake Erie, and is located near the New York/Pennsylvania border. One of our other radio-equipped swans is located just southwest of here near Pymatuning, PA, and another swan is located across Lake Erie from here at Long Point, Ontario. From here, this swan should shift its migration track westward to the Prairie Pothole Region.

March 13, 2003: Pope’s Creek -Northern Neck of Virginia. The swan was captured last year on this same creek. This year fewer swans wintered on Popes Creek; however, this area seems to be a staging area before swans start heading north.

March 3, 2003 – March 9, 2003: Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck of Virginia.  The swan has returned to the Rappahannock River, near Occupacia Creek where she has spent much of this winter.

February 20, 2003:  Cobb Island, Maryland. Our swan made a brief trip across the Potomac River to Maryland. There are small scatter flocks of tundra swans along Maryland’s Potomac River.

December 23, 2002 – February 19, 2003: Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck of Virginia.  The swan is spending most of its time on the Rappahannock River between Tappahannock and Port Royal.  However, she is also spending some time between Popes Creek, were she was captured, and Nomini Creek on the Northern Neck.  Our radio telemetry work has shown that swans wintering in this part Virginia often move back and forth between the Potomac and Rappahannock River drainages.  They use the large open-water rivers to roost, and feed in the agricultural fields on the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.

October 13, 2002: Bismarck, North Dakota. She has followed the Missouri River Valley 100 miles southeast to the area near Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, about 25 miles east of Bismarck, ND. From here she will probably start heading east toward Minnesota and the Great Lakes.

October 9, 2002: Makati, North Dakota. The swan traveled approximately 100 miles southeast crossing the U.S./ Canada border to an area southeast of Minot, ND. She is located along the Missouri River Valley near Lake Sakakwea. She appeared to make a series of short flights through the Prairie Pothole regions stopping for a few days here and there. These stops should have given her and her cygnets a chance to feed on the nutrient rich wetlands and agricultural fields in this region.

October 4, 2002: Colgate, Saskatchewan. She moved an additional 200 miles southeast and is located south of Weyburn, Sask. about 30 miles north of the Montana/North Dakota border. This swan is taking a more westerly migration route than she took on her migration north to the nesting ground.

September 26 - September 30 2002: West of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The next good location we received from this swan was in south-central Saskatchewan, 1,200 miles south of its nesting grounds. The swan left the tundra, passed through the boreal forest and now is moving through the Prairie Pothole Region. This area of small wetlands and small grain agricultural fields is not only important as a stop over area for migrating waterfowl but is also called the "Duck Factory" as many of North America's ducks are produced here.

June 11 - September 18, 2002: Victoria Island, Northwest Territories. She has remained in the same area for the entire nesting season. We assume that she, and all our other radio equipped swans, nested and now have broods. Another one of our radio equipped swans (#33892), and a swan that was radioed in North Carolina, have spent the nesting season on the eastern side of Victoria Island. None of these birds has started their migration south yet.

June 3-11, 2002: Victoria Island, Northwest Territories. She moved 650 miles due north and crossed Coronation Gulf onto Victoria Island. She is located on the west side of the island on the edge of Prince Albert Sound. Another swan (#33892) is located on the east side of Victoria Island. Interior areas of Victoria Island may remain covered with ice and snow for another couple weeks but the coastal areas where the swans are should have nesting sites available by now.

May 30, 2002: Nunavut (Northwest Territories). She moved 200 miles due north and is located on the east side of Great Slave Lake in the southern portion of Nunavut. Swan #33420 also stopped at Great Slave Lake but moved further north a week or so ago.

May 21-25, 2002: Northeastern Alberta. The swan has made her way up to the west side of Lake Athabasca, 150 miles northwest of her location on May 17. Lake Athabasca is an important staging area as several of our other swans (#33887, 33888, 33892) are here or have stopped here on their migration north. The lake is 208 miles long by 32 miles wide with a maximum depth of 407 feet. Wood Buffalo National Park is located along the west side of the lake and is known for it's nesting population of the endangered whooping crane.

May 13-17, 2002: Northwestern Saskatchewan. The next location received from this swan is 400 miles to the northwest near the town of Pine River, Saskatchewan. She has moved out of the Prairie Pothole Region and into the Temperate Forest. Her migration route is tracking similar to several other radio-equipped swans but she does not appear to be traveling with any of them.

May 1-9, 2002: Central Saskatchewan, Canada. She moved another 220 miles northwest across the Canadian border and into Saskatchewan. She is located in the transition zone between the Prairie Pothole Region and the Temperate Forest zone where the grasslands are interspersed with aspen thickets. Wetlands in this area include both prairie potholes and larger permanent lakes.

April 27: Northern North Dakota. She moved another 60 miles north and is located near Rock Lake, just south of the Manitoba border. She has moved slowly north through North Dakota probably in response to weather and ice conditions.

April 14-23: Eastern North Dakota. The swan moved 120 miles northwest into North Dakota and is located about 20 miles west of Fargo. She is 20-30 miles west of some of our other swans that are using the Red River Valley. She is in the Prairie Pothole Region and has moved between Fargo and the Devils Lake area during the past week.

April 10, 2002: Western Minnesota. She moved 675 miles west and is located in western Minnesota near the town of Willmar.

March 21 – April 6, 2002: Lake Huron. She moved 100 miles northwest and is now located on the east side of Lake Huron near the town of Bayfield, Ontario. Swan #33892 is also located in the same general vicinity. The two swans both stopped at Lake Erie and then moved on to Lake Huron. They do not appear to be traveling together, however, as their arrival and departure times have been different.

March 13, 2002: Long Point, Ontario. The swan has left its wintering quarters in Virginia and has started on its northern migration. Similar to swans 33888 and 33892, this swan has moved 350 miles northwest and stopped near Long Point, Ontario. Swans that winter in other states along the East Coast follow this same route, and many stop here at Long Point on the north side of Lake Erie.

March 9, 2002: Popes Creek, Virginia. The swan has remained in the Potomac River region near the place it was captured, feeding in shallow tidal-water flats and roosting on the open water in the creek and in the Potomac River.

February 28, 2002: Captured on Popes Creek, Virginia. This swan was caught near George Washington’s Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County. Over 600 tundra swans have spent the winter in this small inlet off the Potomac River, feeding on submerged aquatic plants and invertebrates in this tidal creek.