Swan song renewed for trumpeters

The big birds aren’t just on Sesame Street. About 70 trumpeter swans are spending the winter in Iowa, and large numbers are congregating in three areas of the state. Ron Andrews, the D-N-R’s swan restoration coordinator, says he’s very encouraged the large birds are being lured back to the Hawkeye State every year.Andrews says they’re called trumpeter swans because their distinctive call sounds much like a trumpet or French horn. He says they’re magnificent birds to see in person, especially in flight.They’re the largest North American waterfowl, weighing up to 35 pounds and with a wingspan up to eight feet. Andrews says Iowans are flocking to see and feed the birds, but he offers a few words of caution to swan seekers.The best places to see the big birds in Iowa include: the Schildberg (sheeld’-berg) Rock Quarry near Atlantic, between Woolstock and Webster City at Beemer’s Pond, and near Mason City along the Winnebago River.