EASTERN NECK — Warmer weather this week has helped to break up the ice at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, making it easier for tundra swans to feed in shallow water. They use their feet to dislodge clams and vegetation from the mud.
To get their food from underwater, the swans tip their bodies and extend their long neck and head into the water. They’re “dabbling birds,” and rarely ever dive all the way in.
It is estimated that more than 1,000 tundra swans visit the refuge near Rock Hall annually, with a resident population of 300 to 400 frequently reported.
They arrive in late November and stay through the winter until March.
The plumage of adult tundra swans is completely white. Their legs, feet and beak are black. Both sexes are identical in appearance, but males typically are larger.
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, there are two populations of tundra swans recognized in North America: eastern and western.
The eastern population winters on the Atlantic Coast in North Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland. These swans later travel to the Arctic tundra areas from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska, east to Hudson Bay and Baffin Island to nest.
In contrast, the western population winters on the Pacific Slope, mainly in California.
— Photo by Trish McGee
