Spring and Fall Migration of Tundra Swans Dyed at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon

A total of 203 Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) was captured and banded on Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Oregon in the fall of 1961 and spring and fall of 1962, and 190 of them were dyed yellow. Subsequently, 380 sightings of dyed swans were received from six western states and five Canadian provinces. Fall migration corridors from Malheur NWR were southwest through northern California, terminating in the Central Valley. The primary wintering area was Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta west of Stockton, California. The primary areas where dyed swans were observed during spring migration were northern Idaho, western Montana, and central Alberta. Additional spring observations occurred in central British Columbia, the Willamette Valley of western Oregon, and eastern Idaho. Dyed birds were observed on known Tundra Swan nesting areas in both western Alaska and the MacKenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories.