The Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, north of St. Louis, does not occupy pristine natural landscape; transmission lines, with their huge metal towers, stretch along the west boundary of the 1200 acre preserve, homes and buildings of Alton, Illinois, cover the ridge to the east, power plant chimneys rise in various directions and the massive, concrete bulk of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam looms at its southeast corner. Nevertheless, the fields, ponds, lakes and wetlands of this refuge are magnets for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, waders and songbirds as they travel along the Mississippi River and provide winter habitat for a variety of species.
Over the past decade or so, trumpeter swans have joined those migrants as this species has been re-established across the Upper Midwest. Last winter, 500 trumpeters wintered at Riverlands, the largest seasonal flock to date; according to refuge personnel, approximately 700 of these swans were in the vicinity just before the Holidays but most have dispersed to other areas and some 200 remain on the refuge at present. Indeed, on my visit this morning, they were the most common bird at Riverlands, gathering in loose flocks on the shallow pools west of the roadway; they were joined by a small number of tundra swans, difficult to distinguish at a distance but betrayed by their high-pitched whoops, contrasting with the nasal honks of the trumpeters.
Among the other winter residents and visitors were two flocks of greater white-fronted geese, a dozen or so bald eagles, a large flock of ruddy ducks, numerous common goldeneyes and a fair number of canvasbacks. Northern harriers patrolled the grasslands and small flocks of Canada geese moved among the wetlands. Surprise visitors were three American white pelicans and a handful of double-crested cormorants, still up north due to our mild early winter. But the trumpeters had prompted my visit and I was not disappointed; as usual, their wild chatter and majestic flights were the highlight of my morning.
