WhenToBird

Cygnus buccinator · Anatidae

When Do Trumpeter Swans Arrive in Minnesota?

Adult Trumpeter Swan
Photo: brentnmoran, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Trumpeter Swans are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in the second week of March (17% of checklists), and fall back by mid April. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 5.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Fall back byApr 15-21mid April
FewestJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: the second week of March. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by mid April. Peak: on about 17% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 8.1% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.2% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.9% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.1% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.2% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.1% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.7% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 18% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.6% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.2% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.2% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.4% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.8% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.9% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.1% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.0% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.6% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.5% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.6% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.8% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.5% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.7% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.5% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.0% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.9% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.8% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.2% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.9% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.6% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.4% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.0% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.9% of 19759 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Minnesota that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hubbard CountyBest mid November · 61 checklists that week, 5,131 in all63%
  2. Beltrami CountyBest late November · 228 checklists that week, 6,476 in all55%
  3. Clearwater CountyBest late April · 48 checklists that week, 2,315 in all49%
  4. Scott CountyBest the second week of January · 478 checklists that week, 23,226 in all47%
  5. Mahnomen CountyBest late September · 23 checklists that week, 618 in all45%
  6. Aitkin CountyBest the second week of April · 106 checklists that week, 4,943 in all45%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shakopee Wayside ParkScott County, best late January · 85 checklists that week, 1,639 in all99%
  2. Pickerel SloughGoodhue County, best early February · 27 checklists that week, 682 in all94%
  3. Rice Lake ReservoirSt. Louis County, best early April · 23 checklists that week, 208 in all94%
  4. Lake CamelotHennepin County, best the second week of May · 59 checklists that week, 1,249 in all94%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Trumpeter Swan is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 11% of 35775 checklists7 am: 9.7% of 90565 checklists8 am: 9.9% of 110612 checklists9 am: 10% of 106128 checklists10 am: 10% of 96131 checklists11 am: 9.6% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 9.2% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 9.8% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 10% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 9.6% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 9.5% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 8.7% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 8.3% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 7.0% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January8.1%7.2%5.9%7.1%
February7.2%5.1%5.7%11%
March16%18%18%17%
April14%13%11%11%
May10%8.6%9.2%9.2%
June8.4%7.8%6.9%6.1%
July6.0%5.6%5.5%6.6%
August6.8%7.5%7.7%7.5%
September8.0%7.9%7.8%8.2%
October8.9%9.6%9.4%10%
November11%13%14%15%
December14%11%8.0%7.9%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives late September, 21 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • Wisconsin: arrives late January, 5 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • South Dakota: arrives late October, 17 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives early March, in the same week than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Trumpeter Swans arrive in Minnesota?
Trumpeter Swans are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in the second week of March (17% of checklists), and fall back by mid April. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 5.7% of checklists.
When do Trumpeter Swans leave Minnesota?
Trumpeter Swans never fully leave Minnesota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid April, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Trumpeter Swan in Minnesota?
The Trumpeter Swan is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 17% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Trumpeter Swans seen most often?
By county, Hubbard County, Beltrami County, and Clearwater County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Trumpeter Swan (counties with at least 200 checklists).