BIRD IS THE WORD.

                                       We're now up to four pairs of Trumpeter Swans on the mill pond.
Built circa 1845, this two story limestone farmstead was built as a dormitory for Paradise Farm owned by the Potter family.  In 1843, Capt. Elbridge Gerry Potter came to the Bellevue area from New Lebanon, Illinois seeking the ideal location for his new merchant flour mill. He had traveled up and down the Mississippi searching for the right combination of factors for a successful milling business and for a peaceful and scenic area to settle. The dormitory was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1991.

 In 1883 the last wild trumpeter swan was seen in Iowa. Since then the trumpeter swan has been all but extinct in Iowa, until recently.

At a conference in November of 1994 the idea to reintroduce trumpeter swans back to the area was hatched. Since then the reintroduction of trumpeter swans has come a long way and now the county has many nesting pairs. The first release of trumpeter swans back into the Iowa wilderness happened on April, 1998 at Goose Lake, just about 25 miles South of Bellevue.

The trumpeter swan is a very distinct bird. It is North America’s largest water fowl with a wingspan up to 7 feet and a height of 4 feet. The trumpeter weighs between 20lbs to 30lbs with all white plumage. This swan has a massive black bill and a very distinguishing trumpeting call. The trumpeter swans perfect habitat would be a shallow wetland between 1-3 feet deep. This wetland would have to include a mix of emergent and submergent vegetation, which would serve as a food and shelter source. To stay healthy adult trumpeters will consume plants such as duckweed, arrowhead, and wild rice. Insects and other smaller invertebrates are often consumed by the young cygnets to help them survive the first few weeks of their young lives. After six weeks the cygnets switch over to an all-vegetable diet.

One interesting thing about the trumpeter is that these birds mate for life. Bonds may begin to form between two swans as soon as twenty months after birth. Couples may start nesting at thirty-three months while some choose not to nest until they are four to six years old. Nests of the trumpeters are often very large, some reaching widths of sixth feet.  The birds on the mill pond will build their nests in the middle of water so small mammals won’t terrorize their eggs when they lay them in May. During the month of May the pen (mother trumpeter) will lay eggs every 36 hours until she has laid five to nine eggs. This is called a clutch. Once all the eggs are laid and the clutch is complete the pen will sit on the nest and incubate the eggs. After 31 days the eggs should hatch and reveal their precious treasure, cygnets!

 Other birds?  Well, an eagle is on the nest just up the road from the mill pond.  You can see her white head just below the moon. Ok, not the best picture, I know.













 Beau and I have seen several Bard owls and this kettle of turkey vultures above mont rest in Bellevue, too.







Then today as the temps. rose up into the 70* and the cold front approached  all kinds of new birds showed up.








Evening gross beaks, goldfinches and an indigo bunting all rolled in.  Spring has sprung as far as our feathered friends are concerned.

oh ya, and by the way if your in the tri-state area any time soon check out my wife Sue Becker and Sharon Stelter. Opening this Friday, May 3, 2013 - 7-9pm. See you soon!

Outside the Lines Art Gallery's photo.