It was quite the sight, and sounds, at Spring Meadow Lake in Helena on Friday, October 27, 2023, as an orchestra of trumpeter swans and snow geese flew in.
The air echoed with the distinctive call of the swans as hundreds of birds landed at the state park to take refuge from the morning snowstorm during their migration.
MTN spoke with Dan and Mary Ann Fiehrer who were delighted to see the event on their daily walk at the park. The two often travel to Freeze Out Lake to see the migration there.
“This here at Spring Meadow Lake is as good to watch in the migration pattern as you see up there. Matter of fact, it's better because you're closer,” noted Dan.
Mary Ann echoed the sentiment, “This is spectacular. We did not know this was going to happen today. We almost didn't come because of the temperature and are we glad we did!”
Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl in North America, on average weighing over 20 pounds, measuring 5 feet in length, and have a wingspan of almost 7 feet.
Snow geese are some of the most abundant waterfowl in the world. They breed in the Arctic each year and migrate to warmer climates like California, Louisiana and Mexico.
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