Thursday, February 25, 2010

See Hundreds of Tundra Swans

Photo courtesy Mdf, Creative Commons

Seeing and hearing just one tundra swan is enough to take your breath away. Imagine seeing and hearing hundreds of them. You can at Tundra Swan Day.


Tundra Swan Day – March 13

The Division of Wildlife Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host Utah’s annual Tundra Swan Day on March 13. Admission is free.

Viewing will take place at three sites—the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area west of Farmington, the Salt Creek WMA west of Corinne and the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge west of Brigham City.



Farmington Bay and Salt Creek

Viewing at the Farmington Bay and Salt Creek WMAs runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Spotting scopes will be available so you can get a close look at the swans.


Bear River

Viewing at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge runs from sunrise to sunset. You can watch swans from your vehicle as you drive along the refuge’s auto tour route.

Before heading to the refuge, stop by its Wildlife Education Center at 2155 W. Forest St. in Brigham City. The center has maps and more information about the refuge. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To reach the center, exit I-15 at Exit 363. After you’ve exited the freeway, turn west. The center is about one block west of the freeway.



More information

You can also call the DWR’s Northern Region office at (801) 476-2740 or the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge at (435) 723-5887.



Watching swans on your own

If you can’t attend the March 13 event, you can still get out and watch swans on your own.

The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is one of the best places to visit. You can see hundreds of swans along the refuge’s 12-mile auto tour loop.

As many as 35,000 swans are in Utah when the swan migration peaks in mid-March.

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