Each year, nearly 75,000 swans, three-quarters of the eastern swan population, fly south to spend the winter in northeastern North Carolina. They come seeking the abundant food sources that are offered by the sounds, lakes and fields of the area.
One such area that is famous for being a wintering ground is the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, approximately two and a half hours northeast of Kinston. The Hyde County refuge features the largest fresh water lake in the state, Lake Mattamuskeet, making it the perfect location to ride out the winter months.
As the days get longer and spring nears, the wintering waterfowl get fewer and fewer as they migrate north, returning to their normal habitat.