Mike Mikulich

Monticello is home to some 1,500 Trumpeter Swans in the winter months. The nuclear power plant here keeps the Mississippi River open. This and a few of the locals that started feeding them years ago, keep the swans coming back. The feeding has since been taken up by a partnership of government, private sector and the locals. This area along the Mississippi River resembles a busy airport with continuous arrivals and departures. Swans exude a sense of grace, but they are anything but graceful when they are taking off. They must run on top fo the water for long distances to get their bodies (weighing between 21 and 35 pounds) airborne.

In mid to late March the swans will begin to dispurse to look for nesting sites. The swans who have paired up will mate for life. Their nest will be as large as six feet. The females will have three to eight eggs to tend to.

The baby swans are called cygnets. They will be ready to fly in fifteen weeks. They are grey in color but turn while after one year. Watching this many swans together is always entertaining. Their actions and interactions including some large scale disagreements kept us there for hours and helped fill a little "down time" in the photography world.


Michael Mikulich