Photo: Lift off: a pair of tundra swans depart Cambridge Bay

Craning long, graceful necks and kicking water with wide. black feet, a pair of tundra swans lift off from Cambridge Bay Aug. 18. According to Ducks Unlimited’s website, the average male tundra swan weighs more than seven kilograms and is usually about 132 cms in length. Tundra swans are divided into eastern and western populations. They winter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America and migrate to the Arctic and sub-Arctic annually to breed. They are herbivores, according to the website, and generally feed on aquatic plans found in shallow waters. (PHOTO BY DENISE LEBLEU IMAGES)