Every year something nearly magical seems to happen. Swans start showing up in Buffalo County by the hundreds and sometimes by the thousands. They are Tundra Swans, and since 1992 volunteers in Alma have been making sure anyone who wants to can get up close.

In this Wandering Wisconsin, we go to Rieck's Lake Park where the Tundra Swan Watch Co-Director shows us these white wonders.

If you'd like to learn more about the Tundra Swan Watch, Click Here

Information from the Tundra Swan Watch website:

Formerly known as whistling swans, tundra swans are regular migrants through the Alma area. In the spring they arrive unpredictably in small flocks (early March through late May) but remain for only a brief rest. Large concentrations arrive in the fall starting in mid-October and linger in Riecks Lake until November or freeze-up. In the past with better habitat, they have reached peak population of 2,000 - 6,000 from mid to late November. In recent years, this has been around 1,000.

Appearance and Markings
In the all-white adult, black facial skin tapers to a point in front of the eye and cuts straight across the forehead; many adult swans have a yellow spot in front of the eye. The head is rounded with a slightly concave bill. Immature swans are grayish sometimes brownish white with darker heads. Tundra swans carry their necks erect when on the water.

Characteristics
Tundras vary in size from 4 to 4 1/2 ft. long, including a 4 inch bill and 8 1/2 inch tail. With a wingspread to about 7 feet males weigh around 20 lbs. Females are slightly smaller than males. Sometimes tundras are mistaken for snow geese which are much smaller birds with black wing tips and for pelicans, or egrets.

Where Found
Tundra swans nest in the tundra or sheltered marshes on the Alaskan and Canadian coast near the Arctic Circle. The swans which migrate through here winter in flocks on shallow ponds, lakes and estuaries along the east coast near the Chesapeake Bay and in the marshes of Virginia and North Carolina. Another population of swans uses the western flyway from the Arctic to California's San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys.

Life Cycle
Males are called cobs; females, pens; young, cygnets. The clutch varies from 2-8 rough shelled, pale yellow or creamy- white eggs which hatch in late June. Swans stay in families for about one year. They get adult plumage at about 15 months.

Nest
At their nesting grounds on the Arctic coastline, swans gather and pile up grass, sedges, and mosses within 100 yards of water. The resulting nests measure about 6 feet across and 12-18 inches high. This will support the eggs above water level and provide a lookout station from which the swans can guard against predators. During incubation, females alone care for the eggs while their mates stand guard nearby.

Food
Food for the tundra swans is largely vegetative - in this area wild celery and arrowhead tubers. Their long necks equip them to reach bulbous roots which they dislodge with their feet from the bottom of the shallow ponds. Occasionally they will feed on farm crops. While wintering on the east coast, they also feed on mollusks and crustaceans. While the flock is feeding one swan stands guard to warn of any approaching danger.

Behavior
To achieve flight, swans face the wind, run along the surface of the water for 15 to 20 feet, flap their wings, and beat the water with their feet alternately until they have gained sufficient headway to launch into the air. During flight in v-shaped formations, swans achieve speeds up to 100 miles an hour with a tail wind. They have been sighted at elevations of 6,000 to 8,000 feet where flocks have been struck by aircraft resulting in at least two fatal air crashes.

Family Behavior
Like some others in the geese (Anatidae) family, swans mate for life although if one of a pair dies the other will find a new mate. The young are precocious in that they enter the water soon after hatching.

During the fall migration, the observation platform at Rieck's Lake Park is staffed daily by volunteers. Tour groups can arrange for a guide by calling (608) 248-3499. Note: This phone number is only activated during the period from September to November.

You can also send e-mail messages to the swan watch. The address is: swanalma@mwt.net