Tundra swans return

Return of the Tundra Swans
March 14 to April 5
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Lambton Heritage Museum
www.returnoftheswans.com

If you’re a fan of birds or awesome spectacles, you should visit the Thedford Bog east of the Lambton Heritage Museum this month as the tundra swans return. Every spring, thousands of tundra swans leave the eastern U.S. seaboard en route to the Canadian arctic. There’s no specific date to predict when they will first arrive, but the museum’s website can keep you up to date on their progress.
“It’s just part of their migration habit,” says director and curator John Tremain. “They’ve been raised with that route. It’s a nice 24 trip for them from Chesapeake Bay. They arrive tired and rest and feed here for about two weeks.”
The birds return in the fall, but don’t rest for long because it’s not as safe; spring thaw waters on fields give them space from predators and plenty to eat in the form of corn left over from the harvest.
The best place to find the birds is off Greenway Road, on the road east of Highway 21 just before the road curves north. Bring binoculars and a camera with a telephoto lens (perhaps even a tripod or monopod), and dress appropriately. Pinery naturalists and Friends of the Pinery make regular trips to the area with spotting scopes for visitors to view the swans.