Subject birds viewed from the new viewing deck/pull-off area at Mile Marker 11, Hwy 26 south of Brownsville.
This facility is under construction. The plastic orange fence means DO NOT DRIVE ON THE AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION. YOU WILL GET STUCK! There is room to get off the pavement onto the shoulder. Some swans are within 100yards of the area. Do not get out of your car, slam the door, rattle your tripod, and march across the area. At least that's my advice. You may scare off the closest swans. These swans are stretched out for two miles mid-river. Some are packed so tightly they form a snowbank of white. Watch for those other big white birds: Am. White Pelicans, Am. Egrets, & Snow Geese. The latter least likely. Trumpeter Swans have been sighted south of Pool 8 along Hwy 26 on the ponds near Reno. Not today. The 117 Bald Eagles (BAEA) are by actual count. Most perched on snags like Halloween characters, draped like dark shrouds on brooms. Mostly immature birds. I presume this concentration of eagles is because waterfowl are a source of food. Over many years watching, I have witnessed two BAEA kill waterfowl, as recently as last week. This note makes no mention of the 10,000s+ other waterfowl seeking refuge currently on the River. Now is the time to see and hear swans along the Mississippi R. Hearing them howl & wail is an invitation to get out and dwell among them. This spectacle brought to you most noticeably by the USFWS and Migratory Bird Stamps. Owned by no one & everyone. Fred Lesher LaCrosse, Wis. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Access over 1 million songs - Yahoo! Music Unlimited (http://music.yahoo.com/unlimited)