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Nov 30
2010
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Just this morning, driving by the Bay, I saw my first tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) of the season. Unlike the non-native, invasive mute swans (Cygnus olor), easily identified by their orange bills, the tundra swans migrate each year, and, believe it or not, they come to the Chesapeake in the winter for the warm weather. These majestic birds breed in the arctic and sub-arctic tundra and then fly south for the winter, into our relatively balmy Bay. Keep your eyes peeled for these winter visitors, and if you happen to spot them, listen closely for their eerily beautiful vocalizations.
