Trumpeter swans make area appearance

Reader Ron Beltz reports seeing a group of trumpeter swans resting and feeding at his pond on Corduroy Rd. He said they are regular visitors each year on their migration route south from their summer grounds in Canada. Trumpeter swans are the largest of all native North American wildfowl, standing about four feet tall, with a wingspan of six to eight feet. Ron reported that the swans were spending a lot of time tipped in the feeding position, with their necks down in the water and their feathery behinds pointing straight up. They will stay in that position for more than a minute, feeding on submerged aquatic vegetation and tiny invertebrates.