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Other stories in "Fall"

• Home of horsepower
  In Wisconsin, see where race cars, snowmobiles, outboards and motorcycles were born.
• Scenery in the studios
  On autumn art tours, treasure hunters strike gold (and orange and red).
• Follow a wine trail
  On fall winery tours, sample fruits of the harvest.
• Remember the wrecks
  On Lake Superior, gales of November bring haunting memories.
• Join the fun
  With an outdoors club, make friends, see new places and save money.
• Eyes on the skies
  On bluffs and ridges, it's time to watch the hawk migration.
• Culture in the bluffs
  Follow musicians to four nooks on the Mississippi.
• All quiet up north
  Like the leaves, room rates have dropped.
• 10 trails to ride in fall
  Here's where to get your fill of flora, fauna and fall colors.
• On the ropes in Lanesboro
  Try walking a high wire on Halloween.
• Head toward the (twinkling) lights
  At Christmas, tourist destinations pull out all the stops.
• Save on the ski hills
  Get a deal now on a season pass.
• Ghouls ahoy
  On Great Lakes, two haunted ships are spoiling for a fright.
• Hot tip/A different North Shore
  Didn't reserve for fall-color season? Thunder Bay has rooms.

Big birds on the move

On the Mississippi, tundra swans and bald eagles are heading south.

Tundra swans and bald eagles are on the move along the Upper Mississippi River, along with the people who love to watch them.

One of the best places to see tundra swans is the observation deck three miles south of Brownsville, off Minnesota 26 in the far southeast corner of the state. Aerial surveys on Nov. 15 counted 10,200 tundra swans in the sloughs near the overlook, which is equipped with spotting scopes and an interpretive kiosk.

There's a second overlook two miles farther south, and a third on the Reno Bottoms. Farther north, around the confluence of the Zumbro and Mississippi, Weaver Bottoms is a good place to look.

Rieck's Lake in Alma (pictured), on the Wisconsin side across from Wabasha, is the traditional swan-watcher's hot spot. Sedimentation has reduced numbers, but it's still a good place to see tundra swans up close. Call the hot line, 608-248-3499, for the latest information. For more, see Wings over Alma.

The greatest numbers of bald eagles are between Trempealeau and La Crosse, where the aerial survey counted 56 eagles as well as 5,750 tundra swans.

For more, see Looking for bald eagles. And now, trumpeter swans are returning to their winter spa farther up the Mississippi in Monticello, Minn., where up to 1,600 swans can be seen in one place. For more, see Snow birds.

Last updated on November 16, 2010