| Chapter 5
Big White Birds Flock Together, Swans and Snow Geese Visit the Skagit Valley .. © 2001 Sunny Walter and Janet O'Mara |
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| .. Sometimes you hear them before you see them, squawking, cackling, honking, chattering. When you do see them—flocks of huge white birds feeding in the fields and wetlands or flying overhead—you’ll be glad you came. Visit the Skagit Valley and find trumpeter and tundra swans and snow geese by the thousands. .. |
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| Site: Skagit Valley, near Conway, about 25 miles north of Everett.
Recommended time: Swans and geese begin arriving in the Skagit Valley in mid- to late October and can be seen throughout the valley. Waterfowl season runs through the third week in January, so best birding may be after that time. The swans leave the area by mid-March; snow geese often stay until mid-April. Other waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors also are abundant in winter (see chapter 46). Minimum time commitment: A few hours or a day. What to bring: Binoculars, spotting scope, rain gear, warm clothes, sturdy shoes, WDFW Access Stewardship Decal. Directions: From Interstate 5, take exit 221, Conway and drive west—turning right on Fir Island Road, left on Wylie Road, then left again into Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Skagit Wildlife Area headquarters. See the map for directions to the Hayton / Fir Island Farms Reserve; Johnson / DeBay Swan Reserve; and Jensen, North Fork, and Big Ditch accesses. |
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| The background:
The snow geese that winter in the Skagit Valley
nest and raise their young on Wrangel Island, off the northern coast of
Siberia. In normal years, 40,000 to 60,000 birds nest in the Russian colony,
with up to 50,000 wintering in Skagit Valley. Two huge protected areas in
British Columbia also attract the Wrangel Island snow goose flocks, the
George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary and Alakeen National Wildlife
Area. More than 4,000 swans join these thousands of snow geese, all here for the same reason, to rest and eat before they return north. Altogether, their presence is quite a sight. |
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| The fun: Begin looking in the fields as you drive along I-5, then visit the wildlife areas mentioned above. When you see white birds on the ground here in the winter, they are one or more of three species—gulls, snow geese or swans. Of course, it’s pretty easy to tell if the birds are gulls by their smaller size. Snow geese are all white, except for black wing tips that are most visible when they fly. The birds have a three-foot wing span and weigh about 6 pounds; bills and feet are pink. Swans are much larger than geese and have longer necks. | |
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At dawn, Jensen Access and the new Hayton / Fir Island Farms Reserve are
the most reliable places to view snow geese. Both have good parking. The
new reserve has a wheelchair- accessible path and viewing area at the mouth
of Brown Slough. (Note: the Hayton grain fields are cut in November to provide
food for the snow geese and hunting is not allowed on the reserve, so this
is an excellent early viewing location. We saw thousands of snow geese in
the fields in mid November.) ... |
Snow geese fatten up in the Skagit each winter for the long flight north and also to sustain them at their nesting grounds until food becomes plentiful. |
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Flocks of snow geese fly in from their nighttime roosts on the waters of
Skagit Bay to their daytime feeding areas in the Fir Island agricultural
fields. One morning before dawn, several photographers were getting their
equipment ready at Jensen Access when thousands of geese passed right over
their heads. No time for photos, but what a sight to see and hear!
Snow geese also fly back out to the bay in the evening, and if the tide is low, you can go up on the dike and watch them feeding in the mudflats. Watch the tides and bird accordingly—low tide, look in the mudflats; high tide, look in the fields. Walk the paths at Skagit WA headquarters and drive the Fir Island roads for more views of both geese and swans. Kayak the South Fork Skagit River to see snow geese, ducks and raptors— especially bald eagles. Use the headquarters boat launch and plan around the tides to avoid mud at low tide. Drive west on Rawlins Road to the North Fork Access, then walk up and along the dike to look for trumpeter swans, short-eared owls, and hawks. Watch for snow geese on their evening flight. Please show courtesy to the birds and the landowners. Swan/snow goose etiquette requires that you stay in your car or on designated trails and quietly observe from a distance. Keep pets in the car and do not flush the birds to “get a better picture.” Flushing uses up the birds’ critical winter energy. Stay on public roads and do not trespass on farmers’ private lands or block driveways. Please don’t stop on the roadways—it’s dangerous and, in some areas, illegal. |
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| Next best: Every winter, about 4,000 trumpeter and tundra swans are drawn to Skagit Valley fields. They dine on what is left of various crops after harvest, such as corn, carrots, and potatoes, or what has been specifically planted for them, such as barley and winter cover crops. In early to mid-March, rested and fortified, the birds begin their journey north to nest and raise their young. | |
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There are two native swans in North American. They are sometimes difficult to distinguish— tundra swans are the smaller of the two, with a weight of 15-20 pounds, wingspan of six to seven feet. The bill is black, smaller than a trumpeter’s, usually with a small, yellow spot in front of the eye. Trumpeter swans are larger, heavier-looking birds with a heavy, all-black bill. The trumpeters weigh 25-30 pounds, with a wingspan of seven to eight feet. Males and females look alike, at least to humans; they can live 20 years; and they mate for life. The swans that winter in Skagit Valley breed in Alaska. |
| The Johnson / DeBay Swan Reserve is owned and operated by
the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. It has interpretive signs
and plenty of parking, including some barrier-free. After hunting season
ends, WDFW knocks down the grain and there is good viewing of hundreds of
swans feeding in the fields, plus tens of thousands of ducks, and an abundance
of raptors, including bald eagles. Geese also visit the area. Plans are to
add trails and an elevated viewing platform. Gates close on March 31.
This wildlife area represents an innovative, partnered approach to wildlife conservation: part is a reserve habitat for swans; the other part, for seasonal waterfowl hunting and off-season birdwatching. The property was purchased using Pacific Coast Joint Venture funding for swan habitat management. Stewardship partners include Ducks Unlimited, Washington Waterfowl Association, The Trumpeter Swan Society, and Skagit Audubon Society. |
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| Directions: From I-5, take Mount Vernon exit 227 (College Road, State Route 538), drive 1.2 miles east and turn left on LaVenture Road. Drive 4.8 miles on LaVenture, which becomes Francis Road, then turn left on DeBay Isl. Road. | |
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Also look for swans in the fields north of SR 20—occasionally near Cook
Road to the east of I-5; more often west of I-5 in fields anywhere from SR
20 to Edison. If you spend the weekend, look for raptors in the Samish Flats (see chapter 46). If you are exploring the area north of SR 20, stop at the Breazeale Interpretive Center at 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, 360-428-1558, to pick up a birding location map. |
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| To receive a swan identification pamphlet, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Trumpeter Swan Society, MBO 272, Mill Creek, Washington 98012. | |
| Food and lodging: Mount Vernon
and LaConnor offer all services. For more information: Skagit Wildlife Area, 360-445-4441 or Skagit WA Washington Swan Coalition, 425-787-0258 or Swan Society Get Lost Magazine.com article: Winter Swanning in the Skagit |
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| Note: For more swan locations in western Washington, go to the
Bird Viewing Locations
page.
More Info on Swans and Cormorants: go to February Book Corrections and Additions Photographers note: All photographs on this page were taken with a 300 mm lens (camera on tripod); for the 2 swan images I added a 1.4 extender. |
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