{"id":74811,"date":"2020-10-21T05:44:17","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T11:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=74811"},"modified":"2025-05-18T18:24:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T23:24:53","slug":"tundra-swans-are-showing-up-in-northern-utah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/10\/21\/tundra-swans-are-showing-up-in-northern-utah\/","title":{"rendered":"Tundra Swans Are Showing Up In Northern Utah"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Twenty-fiveTwenty-five Tundra Swans in flight \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Two days ago two Tundra Swans were reported at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on eBird and that has made me feel excited. Cold weather fronts are happening more frequently now and that means more Tundra Swans will be following them. Soon I will see these large, white birds flying over the marshes that surround the Great Salt Lake in large numbers.<\/p>\n

The swans in the image above were photographed at Farmington Bay WMA in 2019.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult and immature Tundra Swan fly by \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/5000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I will also hear them calling<\/span><\/a> from the marshes as they wake up and take flight to head out to feed and as they fly overhead.<\/p>\n

Last winter I wasn’t able to take many photos of the Tundra Swans at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge because the phragmites mitigation that has been occurring over the past couple of years seemed to alter where the swans bedded down for the night. I hope that this year will be different and that I will be able to take high quality, frame-filling images of them again.<\/p>\n

In 2018 on my birthday I treated myself to a cold winter morning at the refuge that netted me hundreds of photos of the Tundra Swans lifting off from the marshes. The light was gorgeous and so were the swans. The photos above and below were taken on that day.<\/p>\n

\"TundraTundra Swan adult flying over some phrags \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/4000, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tundra Swans show up in northern Utah in the fall and will remain here until the water freezes over. Then the swans will head to where they can find open water and return here in late winter when the ice starts to break up.<\/p>\n

I can barely wait to hear and see my first of season Tundra Swans and to see them on the wing over the marshes that surround the Great Salt Lake. I wish that everyone could see and hear these swans in large numbers at least once in their life.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Tundra Swan photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I can barely wait to hear and see my first of season Tundra Swans and to see them on the wing over the marshes that surround the Great Salt Lake.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":144865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[124,27,1148,1022,697,158,26],"tags":[4004,4101,4431,4052,4247,8983,4122,4067,4094,4069,4059,6428,4018,4628,3122,2117,2994,2063,373],"class_list":["post-74811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-tundra-swans","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-clouds","tag-cygnus-columbianus","tag-flight","tag-flock","tag-fly-by","tag-flying","tag-immature","tag-marsh","tag-mountains","tag-phragmites","tag-phrags","tag-sky","tag-swan","tag-swans","tag-tundra-swan","tag-tundra-swans","tag-waterfowl","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swan-adult-and-immature-flight-mia-mcpherson-0178.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-jsD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":118007,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/11\/10\/time-to-see-and-hear-tundra-swans\/","url_meta":{"origin":74811,"position":0},"title":"Time To See And Hear Tundra Swans","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Now is a great time to see and hear Tundra Swans from the marshes at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. 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