ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — It was likely easier than ever to see a migrating trumpeter swan this year, as the big white birds continued a remarkable comeback from near extinction in the Lower 48 states and much of their Alaska habitat, a federal wildlife biologist said.

“They still have not recovered to their full range that they once occupied prior to the 1880s, but they’ve done fantastically in Alaska,” said Deborah Groves, who has counted Alaska swans since 1990.