I lived on this lake in northern British Columbia for almost three years. Over that time, the rhythm of the seasons became familiar, and one of the surest signs that winter had arrived and the lake was just about to freeze was the return of the Trumpeter Swans.
The Trumpeter Swan is the largest native waterfowl in North America. Adults can weigh up to 14 kg (31 lb) and have a wingspan of more than 2.3 metres (7.5 feet). Each autumn, these magnificent birds stopped on the lake for about a week, feeding and resting before the lake froze over.
Most of the swans migrated south from breeding grounds in Alaska, the Yukon, and northern British Columbia to wintering areas along the Pacific coast, including Washington, Oregon, and parts of the Columbia Basin.
