A COMEBACK STORY
Two Trumpeter Swans enjoy each others company in the fading winter light.
The trumpeter swan was a widespread and relatively common breeder throughout the prairies and parkland regions of Minnesota until the mid-1800s. As central and western Minnesota were settled, this large, conspicuous bird quickly became over-hunted. When the first official species status review by the state was conducted in 1984, the last record of a wild breeding population in Minnesota was found to be from about 1885. As a result, the trumpeter swan was considered extirpated in the state. Subsequent recovery efforts have resulted in more than 2,400 free-flying birds in Minnesota. Read more about the trumpeter swan recover efforts here: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action=elementDetail&selectedElement=ABNJB02030
Minnesota River Valley, Minnesota
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