TRUMPETER SWANS RETURN

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

If all goes well this summer, there could be some little trumpeters in Prince Edward County. At least two of the 26 trumpeter swans, released in 2006 at Big Island and Huff’s Island, have returned to the county. The swans are part of an ongoing program to re-introduce this native species back to Ontario. Prior to European settlement, trumpeter swans were abundant and widespread in North America. The swans were hunted and harassed to the point where in 1933 there were only 77 trumpeters breeding in all of Canada, and about 50 in the United States. The species seemed doomed to extinction.

Their comeback to Ontario though has been slow, and in the late 1980s, the species was re-introduced to the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre near Minden as part of the Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction Program. Its founder, retired Ministry of Natural Resources biologist, Harry Lumsden of Aurora, has been monitoring the comings and goings of the county swans, easily identified by bright yellow numbered tags on their wings.

Although trumpeter swans were once migratory, there has been a 100 year absence of the species in Ontario. Since they are not born with a genetic autopilot for migration, none of the released birds have shown any migratory behaviour at all, although, instinctively, will head for open water with the arrival of winter. With the approach of winter in 2006, the majority of the swans released in the county headed for open water alright - all the way to New York, and beyond! Number 044, for example, tuned up near Utica, in January of last year. By spring it had moved on to Connecticut, then returned to New York by late April. Today, it is in Wellington Harbour, where it has been since early December. The bird, a male, has since been joined by #052, whose whereabouts prior to its arrival in Wellington is not clear. The bird, a female, was released at Huff’s Island on June 14, 2006, and by July had joined the Big Island birds. Then, it disappeared, and hasn’t been seen since, until January 24^th this year when it found the love of its life, #044.

Although we have three species of swans that now occur in the county, there are only two that are native to North America - the tundra swan (formerly called "whistling swan") and now, the trumpeter. The mute swan with its more graceful profile, and a familiar sight every winter at Wellington Harbour, is not native to this area, and was accidentally introduced when this European species escaped captivity in park settings, and started breeding in the wild more than 40 years ago. It is a very invasive and aggressive species during the nesting season and there is currently a great deal of concern about the damage mute swans are doing to native species and habitat.

Migrating tundra swans that we see every March do not nest in Prince Edward County; in fact, most migrate well out of Ontario to nest. We see them only during spring and fall migration in this area as they fly to and from their wintering grounds at Chesapeake Bay. It has only been in recent years that we have seen a hundred or so tundra swans spending at least part of the winter in the South Bay area. Mute swans on the other hand, are non migratory and hang around all winter, moving here and there around the county as open water dictates. As well as the fluctuating numbers of mute swans that turn up at Wellington, there are some 400 that winter in the open waters at Presqu’ile Park.

Trumpeter swans are so-named from the resonant bugling notes, produced when air is forced through the long windpipe. You won’t have any trouble finding these birds; although very similar to the tundra swan, they are noticeably larger in size, and lack the yellow marking on the head just forward of the eye which is carried by the tundra swan. And for the most part, they will be wearing wing tags. You don’t have to worry about these birds spending the winters here either. They have up to five cm of thick down, allowing them to survive for extended periods of time in temperatures colder than minus 30 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, if you should spot any of the trumpeter swans we have released, please try to record the numbered bands on their wings, and report these numbers to me, so I can forward that information on to Harry Lumsden.