Trumpeters on the Mississippi
"Cygnus buccinator"

In the early 1800’s Trumpeter Swans were fairly common throughout most of the Northern United States and Canada, but market hunting and millinery trade had drastically depleted the nesting population. In the late 1800’s it was believed that the species had become extinct.

In 1932 a non-migratory population of 69 was found in the mountain valleys of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. From that population the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding Yellowstone National Park began the process of improving habitat and protecting those remaining Trumpeters. By the late 1950’s that population of 69 had increased to 640 birds.

In 1966 Hennepin Parks of Minnesota began a reintroduction of Trumpeters which had been extinct from the state since the late 1800’s. A nesting pair and 40 cygnets were received from the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. After much effort Minnesota now has over 1000 Trumpeters Swans with many breeding pairs in many parts of the state.

Trumpeter Swans mate for life and are generally solitary birds requiring a large body of water with large shallow wetlands with a diverse mix of vegetation. But come winter some of the birds will migrate to warmer climates.  Many of them, however, will winter on the Mississippi River near Monticello, MN. The sub freezing cold weather that regularly occurs in Minnesota does not bother them. Their down feathers will protect them from this harsh environment. The Monticello Power Plant keeps the water warm which allows the birds to feed on the shallow river bottom. Also of course some the home owners on the Mississippi help the birds out by providing some corn.

This of course will make for some great winter photography because maybe 700 to 1000 Trumpeters will gather for the winter. They will usually begin to gather around Christmas time and stay until around the first week of March. Cold mornings and the warm water create some mist that comes off the river and early morning sunrise with birds amongst the mist makes for a great photo opportunity.  During the day the birds will begin to fly to other areas to look for fields of corn or grain. About an hour before sunset the birds will fly back to the river and this is a great time for some flight photography.

When photographing the Trumpeters on a misty river you must be careful as the mist can make you underexpose your image. It is usually necessary to open up 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop. If using matrix/evaluative metering for flying Trumpeters against a blue sky background I generally will stop down 1/3 stop so as not to over expose the white feathers of the Trumpeters. When photographing the birds on the river it is very easy to accidentally tilt the camera causing the birds to look as if they are swimming uphill or downhill. To prevent this I always use a bubble level on my camera and always check it to keep the birds swimming on the level.

Trumpeters Swans are mainly loners preferring to stay in their family groups. The food source forces them to gather in these large numbers but they still don’t like it.  This will, however, allow for some great behavior photos of the birds interacting with each other.

Of course besides the Trumpeters many other waterfowl will be looking for food handouts. Canada geese and many members of the duck family will be present to offer photo ops for the photographer as well.

Why not enjoy a day or two on the Mississippi River photographing these very photogenic and magnificent birds. Just dress warm, have fresh batteries, a good thermos of hot chocolate or coffee and enjoy a great winter day on the river.

Image Technical Data
Camera: Nikon D100
Lens: Nikon 500mm S
ISO: 200
White Balance: Auto
Metering: Matrix
Aperture Priority
Exposure: F-16 @ 1/40 second
Exposure Value: + 1/3
Flash Card: Lexar

Note: Resource for some information, The Trumpeter Swan Society of Minnesota.

Contact: John Pennoyer
Business Phone: 763-416-4134
Cell Phone: 763-913-8651
E-mail: info@impressionsofnature.net