Trumpeter swans flock to Mississippi River for the winter

Thousands of once-endangered trumpeter swans spend their winters on the Mississippi in Monticello, Minnesota.

Swans use winter as their social & courting season.

The trumpeting sound of Monticello's swans 
Here's a glimpse of the thousands of trumpeter swan that winter on the Mississippi River in Monticello, Minnesota, December through early March. Even better, you can hear the joyful honking of trumpeter swans who are fed daily around 10:30 am, the best time to see the swans in Monticello.

Look for my full feature on their comeback in Minnesota and why they winter on this bend of the Mississippi River in the Star Tribune's Outdoors Weekend section Friday, Jan. 17.

--Lisa Meyers McClintick