The trumpeter swan is part of the logo of the Tamarac Interpretive Association, which is the volunteer group from Rochert that helps support the nearly 43,000-acre Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge on the White Earth Reservation in Becker County.
We saw our first swans just off Becker County Road 21. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the managers of all National Wildlife Refuges, has placed an observation deck and a spotting scope overlooking a small lake there. The snowy white pair had seven dusty-white downy cygnets — a swany day care center.
You don’t need a spotting scope to watch swans but the high quality scope allowed us to look right into the gold and black eyes of a drake ring neck duck preening himself in the lily pads.
The primary objective of a National Wildlife Refuge is wildlife production and preservation. But the FWS and the Interpretive Association have done a great job of helping visitors understand what they are seeing and find what they are looking for. Near the intersections of Becker County 26 and 29 a large stone and wood visitor center, surrounded by Norway pine, rises out of a hillside overlooking a marsh.
A short interpretive trail winds around the marsh and through the woods. Inside are displays explaining the history, geology and wildlife of the Refuge. An interactive display plays recordings of wildlife calls. A visitor can learn that the barred owl, common in these forests, says, “Whooo cooks for youuu?” There is also a theater, book and souvenir store, and a bird feeder with hummingbirds and Canadian geese.
The staff is helpful and friendly. They’ll tell you what rare wildflowers are blooming and where you can find them. They’ll show you on a map where you can find an active eagle’s nest.
Then you’ll want to be on your way to do some observing and exploring yourself. There are hiking trails, picnic grounds, and a five-mile one-way gravel self-guided auto tour called the Blackbird Auto Tour. The tour provides vistas of undeveloped North Country lakes, extensive wild rice beds, and excellent wild life viewing. We saw more swans, an eagle on a nest as large as our car, white pelicans and cormorants loafing on rocks in Pine Lake, and stood under white pines while listening to loons call.
You can learn more about Tamarac NWR by calling (218) 847-2641 or by logging on to http://midwest.fws.gov/tamarac.
