Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Monday, November 16, 2009

Ribbon Cutting



Several hundred people were gathered along a new overlook in Minnesota, near the Iowa border, south of Brownsville. Across the river, clouded in mist, lay Wisconsin.

A yellow ribbon lay across a corner of the turnout, behind which stood a number of dignitaries. They represented numerous conservation groups, government agencies and private corporations. All had been involved, one way or another, in the building of the overlook.. State Senator Sharon Ropes speaks of the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge and what it means for all of us.
As Mrs T, Loretta and I parked along the highway, under the direction of state troopers, we heard a rather loud and strange sound emanating from the river. I think it was some sort of excited yet friendly conversation among some visitors from the far north.
Here, we were to witness a world class event in the world of natures wonders. Coming from the arctic north, in their thousands, tundra swans had stopped to refuel and rest, before continuing their journey to Chesapeake Bay, far to the southeast.
With the construction of the lock and dam system on the river in the 1930's, many of the natural aspects of the river have changed. One of these is the wave action of the increased open spaces. Many islands have disappeared. Because of this, many of the plants and tubers the swans fed on also disappeared. Now man is undoing the damage and helping the birds, by using dredge material from the main channel to rebuild these islands. Here you can see one of the many artificial islands providing a resting place and shelter from the wind and renewed food supplies.

The new overlook provides a safe place for people to turn out to see and photograph the swans.

Mrs. T (a.k.a. Queen B) now successfully cruising around with a cane and camera.
Loretta spots some opportunistic eagles resting comfortably far out in the river on an artificial island.

Previously people would park along the shoulder endangering themselves and passing vehicles.
Way to go DNR and Army Corps of Engineers. We make an annual trip along the river to see this amazing sight. It never grows old.
Thanks Mother Nature!

14 comments:

  1. This is absolutely marvelous. I caught the Tundra Swans in their northward migration last spring here in northern Utah. There are wetlands preserved along the shores of the Great Salt Lake that provide important stop-over and feeding areas for many migrating waterfowl. We can't overstate how important it is to continue to preserve these areas. Development of urban areas, highways, etc., continue to threaten them. We have a constant fight here in Utah and we don't always win.

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  2. I do agree with Becky, what a wonderful thing to do. It looks fantastic TB and I hope the swans are going to have a great time. We have done the same thing here in places for the flamingoes.

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  3. THis is a swan I've never seen! What a great reason for a trip north! :-) I'll have to do a little more research on their flight patterns... Thanks for the great post!

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  4. Someone had a really great idea in developing that area. It must have been a nice adventure getting out to see the birds. They are fascinating to watch. We have a conservation area similar to this and it is a peaceful and tranquil place.

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  5. What a treat..I would love to have been there..I notice you are a fellow retired teacher.. Enjoy retirement and nature...I do..lol...

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  6. I'm heading over that way sometime in the next week.

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  7. Always glad to see people trying to fix some of the problems.
    Marnie

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  8. Becky says it is a fight in Utah to preserve our wild heritage. Same in Idaho. Lots of people here feel that environmentalists are the lowesst of the low and spending money on nature preserves is a waste. How sad! We have to lose it before we can start to appreciate it.

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  9. yes, how wonderful to see people working with nature instead of against..lovely.

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  10. People working together to make something good happen. Imagine that. What an amazing experience to see all those tundra swans gathered in one place.

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  11. I can't imagine seeing all these swans gathering in one place..you and Mrs. T were certainly lucky to witness this..I just a little jealous!! ;-)

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  12. I want to thank you for a wonderful day. I enjoyed every minute of it.

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  13. We live near a scenic byway..yet there are few and far between turn outs..discouraging. The Tundra Swans are beautiful! I had read something about this area recently..maybe next year a road trip is in order! I wonder if The Trumpeter Swans migrate through there too:)

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