A new self-guided tour is highlighting optimal areas to view the return of the Tundra Swans.
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority Healthy Watersheds Coordinator Rosalind Chang said the tour includes an interactive story map of the stops.
"We know that the Tundra Swan migration is one of the most magnificent sights to behold in the Carolinian zone and we're so lucky to witness it every single year," said Chang. "Because their arrival dates change with the weather, a scheduled guided tour is hard to coordinate."
The self-guided tour features nine sites of interest in the Lambton County area, to view the majestic birds and stewardship project sites which are helping restore habitat for wildlife species.
"It's really a chance for us to show that a healthy watershed doesn't just happen," Chang said. "It's the result of dedicated people working on wetland restoration, habitat protection, stewardship, and invasive species removal."
Chang said many of the sites are near Tundra Swan staging areas.
"Since thousands of visitors are already coming to the area to see the swans, it's the perfect opportunity to showcase the important land stewardship projects that are happening on the same landscape," she said. "So, the idea grew from really wanting to recognize our fantastic watershed partners and -- while people are looking at the swans in these flooded fields -- we want them to also see the work being done to steward the land and water in the Ausable Bayfield watershed."
The tour, viewed through this link, also includes a migration probability calendar (based on years of local data) to find the best time to visit birdwatching and project sites.
"You can explore it from your couch, use it as a map to visit the sites in person -- which are all open to the public -- or save it for later in the year when the landscape looks completely different and come back in the summer and still see the stewardship sites," said Chang.
Thousands of Tundra Swans land in Lambton County each year to rest and refuel before the next leg of their journey to their breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic.
Depending on the year, as many as 15,000 birds have appeared for two or three weeks in the Thedford bog area, behind the Lambton Heritage Museum in Grand Bend.
Daily updates on the number of Tundra Swans in the bog are posted to the migration calendar at www.returnoftheswans.com.
The first scouts have started to arrive.
The museum's website said on Friday, March 6, a small group of about 150 swans had been spotted off River Road.
On Monday morning the museum reported that the numbers were still low.
"There were no swans this morning along Greenway Road, but a few flocks were spotted in the air," the update read. "A couple hundred were enjoying the flooded fields off Lakeshore Road near Outer Drive. Along with the warmer weather and sunshine this is a wonderful sign of spring. Hopefully there are more swans still to come!"
