Swans pause in Anchorage on their way south for winter

Migrating trumpeter and tundra swans put on a show at Potter Marsh.

By Bob Hallinen
Updated: September 29, 2021 Published: September 28, 2021

A trumpeter swan gives chase at Potter Marsh along the Seward Highway on Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

A group of at least 13 trumpeter swans and one tundra swan stopped to feed Sunday evening at Potter Marsh in South Anchorage as they migrate south.

Trumpeter swans are found in a wide swath of Interior, Southcentral and Southeast Alaska. Alaska trumpeter swans overwinter from Cordova to the Columbia River.

Swans often stop at the marsh in the spring and fall on their migration to and from nesting sites.

Swans are the largest waterfowl, can weigh up to 33 pounds and have a wingspan of 10 feet. Swans mate for life, but divorce is not unheard of.

Last year was the first year that swans nested at Potter Marsh and raised five cygnets. A pair are raising young at the marsh again this year.

Hunting of swans is illegal in Southcentral Alaska.

A group of swan stopped to feed at Potter Marsh on Sunday. At least 13 trumpeters and one tundra swan had stopped off at the marsh to feed on their migration south. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

A group of swans start to take off from Potter Marsh. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Swans fly after taking off from Potter Marsh along the Seward Highway with the hillside and snow covered Chugach Mountains in the background. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Catherine Diehl-Robbins photographs a group of swans at Potter Marsh Sunday evening. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

A trumpeter swan takes off from Potter Marsh. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Swans fly after taking off from Potter Marsh with the snow covered Kenai Mountains in the background. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

A trumpeter swan flies off from Potter Marsh Sunday evening. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

A trumpeter swan comes in for a landing at Potter Marsh Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

A trumpeter swan gives chase at Potter Marsh. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

A pair of trumpeter swans interact before flying off at Potter Marsh. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

A trumpeter swan takes off from Potter Marsh along the Seward Highway in south Anchorage on Sunday evening. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Bob Hallinen

Bob Hallinen has been a photojournalist in Alaska since the 1980s and has traveled extensively all over the state. He retired from the ADN in November 2018 after 33 years at the newspaper.