Karl: St. Paul Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count has had between 15-25 Trumpeters in the middle of December for the last 6-8 years, probably way longer. I lead that section of the CBC pie, and they are a site to behold!! They hang out in the winter in the open water at the north and south ends of Sucker Lake, too, on the canal. This open water is a continuous channel that is mostly underground. It goes through Pleasant Lake and under the golf course on the north side of Hwy 96. It supplies Lake Vadnais, which is the water supply for the city of St. Paul.
On ID of swans: w/o getting into plumage and bills, the rule of thumb is if there are a small number of swans, like 1 or more family groups of 5-7, they are Trumpeters, which are almost always non-migratory. Tundra Swans nest in the Arctic and pass quite loudly overhead in the tens to hundreds to thousands, depending on where you are in the state, and they migrate totally out of MN for a couple of the winter months. They go to the Chesapeake Bay and points south of there. However, never say never. Tundras are smaller and thinner overall than Trumpeters, but there are very few chances to see them together, as Trumpeters like small, still backwaters, while Tundras, when they rest, do so on large, open bodies of water (for protection from predators.) It's great that you became a member of the MOU! Also consider joining a local Audubon Society chapter; there are 3 in the TC metro area. Holly Peirson Columbus, Anoka Co. -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Karl Bohnsack Sent: Friday, November 16, 2012 9:53 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [mou-net] Birding Hello Everyone, My name is Karl and I am new to birding and this site (last 6 mo with a LL of 65). Proud to say I just became a member and donated to the MOU yesterday. And as much as I have enjoyed the banter the last few days (not really), let's look forward to the beautiful weekend ahead. Reason for my post is in response to the post on Lake Vadnais. I headed over there and could not find the kinglets that I really wanted to, but was able to get some pictures of the swans they are still there and close to the road. They were posted as Trumpeters but I am concerned about their size and beak and think they might be Tundra (as much as I hope I am wrong). Is there anyone that could take a look at some pictures and let me know what they think? Happy Birding Karl [email protected] ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
