TRUMPETINGS ONLINE Voice of The Trumpeter Swan Society 3800 County Road 24 Maple Plain, Minnesota 55359 Phone 612-476-4663 email: ttss@hennepinparks.org

FROM THE PRESIDENT - One of the joys of springtime is the chance to watch Trumpeters reclaim a little more of their historic range each year. This year, a pair nested successfully at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge in the extreme southeast corner of Idaho. Their single cygnet is the first to hatch there this century, and hopefully will be the first of many more in years to come. As a result of recent transplants, we have at least a dozen pairs of Trumpeters nesting on national wildlife refuges in southwest Wyoming and southeast Idaho where 10 years ago there were none. Hopefully in the not too distant future we will see similar progress far to the east, as Trumpeters return to the Atlantic states. Within the next year a plan for Trumpeter Swan restoration in the Atlantic Flyway will be approved. In the Cental and Mississippi Flyways, a recently approved plan will help provide broad vision and coordinate restoration efforts. Our staff and Directors have worked with many biologists and managers to ensure that these plans provide solid foundations for Trumpeter Swan restoration. You all deserve our thanks and full support as plans turn into actions in the years to come [Ruth Shea].

ATLANTIC COAST POPULATION TRUMPETER SWAN MANAGEMENT PLAN - The ad hoc committee shepherding the Atlantic Coast Population Trumpeter Swan Management Plan met several times in May and June. The committee would like to bring a status report of the Plan to the July meetings of the Tech Section and the Atlantic Flyway Council and obtain final Plan approval at the Council’s winter meeting.

The Trumpeter Swan Society will be working very closely with appropriate state and Federal personnel to bring a workable closure and acceptable management plan for the Atlantic Coast Population of Trumpeters [David Weaver].

ESTIMATED INTERIOR POPULATION OF TRUMPETER SWANS - Joe Johnson of the Michigan Trumpeter Swan Restoration Project and Chair of the Mississippi Flyway Swan Committee estimates that 1,469 Trumpeter Swans were alive as of September 1, 1997, in the Interior Population. The Interior Population encompasses Ontario, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the High Plains Flock (which includes birds in western South Dakota, western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming as well as Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge). Joe notes that the year 2001 goal is to have at least 2,000 birds with 180 successful breeding pairs.

COMOX VALLEY WATERFOWL MANAGEMENT PROJECT (CVWMP) - Graeme Fowler, CVWMP Coordinator, reported that Trumpeters began arriving in Comox Valley, B.C., during the third week of October 1997. This year’s population peaked on February 24, with a total of 2,043 swans (1755 adults and 288 juveniles). This number exceeds last year’s peak of 2,009. The majority of the swans had started their return migration to Alaska by the first week in April.

This year’s events revealed how important it is to provide lure crops close to fields which are to be protected. Swan management should include cover crops as a tool but should not solely rely on these crops to lure swans from the perennial grasses.

FARQUHARSON FARMS, B.C. - The Pacific Estuary Conservation Program (PECP) secured Farquharson Farms for long-term wildlife and agricultural interests. The acquisition was funded by Environment Canada, B.C. Ministry of Environment, and Ducks Unlimited Canada. The Farquharson Farm acquisition secures some of the most critical farmland immediately adjacent to the Courtenay Estuary in the Comox Valley and represents crucial Trumpeter Swan habitat, used by 300-400 swans daily during winter. The Courtenay Estuary and its back shore areas are one of the highest ranked areas for fish and waterfowl productivity. The 1000 hectare harbour consists of intertidal mudflats, marshes and eelgrass beds and is encircled by 250 hectares of dyked farmland. The habitats of the area are used by thousands of waterfowl each year during migration along the Pacific Flyway. At least 10% of the world’s Trumpeter Swans now winter in the Comox Valley. For more information contact Les Bogdan, Manager of Field Operations, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Tel. 604/531-5933 [Excerpts from Comox Valley Waterfowl Management Project Newsletter, vol. 7, no. 1, June 1998].

NEWS FROM MICHIGAN - According to Trumpetings From Kellogg, the Newsletter of Michigan's Trumpeter Swan Restoration Project, there were an estimated 195 Trumpeters in Michigan as of September 1, 1997. Nine nesting pairs were found in seven counties in the Lower Peninsula (LP). Six pairs nested in Schoolcraft County in the Upper Peninsula (UP). There were more reports of unpaired birds in 1997 than in previous years. Michigan found that swans in the more remote UP tend to have lower clutch and brood sizes (probably due to lower quality food resources), and less mortality from powerline collisions, lead poisoning and shooting than swans in the LP. Although swans in the LP have lower survivorship due to the above causes, they have better food resources and milder winters and, thus, come into spring in better breeding condition.

To learn more about Michigan's Trumpeter Restoration Project, you may visit their web site at http://www.kbs.msu.edu/birdsanct/trumpeter/KBS_TRUS_HOME.HTM

IOWA HATCHES FIRST WILD TRUMPETER SWANS THIS CENTURY - Iowa is celebrating the hatch of three Trumpeter Swan cygnets on a farm pond in Dubuque. This hatch marks the first time since 1883 that Trumpeters have nested in the wild in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) initiated a swan restoration program in 1994 with a goal of 15 wild nesting pairs by 2003. To date, the DNR has released 135 swans to the wild. The DNR is also aware of Iowa swans nesting in Minnesota. Also, a released Iowa bird has nested with an apparently unmarked male on the North Shore of Lake Ontario. According to Ron Andrews, Iowa DNR Trumpeter Swan Restoration coordinator, "a major milestone has indeed been reached with the hatch of these cygnets. We look forward to more of these nesting pairs over the next 5 years. While we obviously enjoy working with these magnificent birds, perhaps the most interesting part of the project is the diverse enthusiasm of the people who want to help bring Trumpeter Swans back to the shores of Iowa. I'm particularly thankful for the memorial contribution of the David A. and Robert Luglan Sampson family, formerly of Webster City, Iowa. They have donated over $140,000 to the project. We are also indebted to the hundreds of other individuals, organizations, and corporations who have donated in-kind or soft-match contributions."

NEWS FROM WISCONSIN - Wisconsin nongame biologist Patricia Manthey is now tracking Wisconsin Trumpeter Swans. Pat replaces Lisa Hartman who monitored the Wisconsin flock since 1991. Lisa Hartman and Mike Mossman are currently analyzing several years of swan research and writing up results. All swan observations should now be reported to Pat in La Crosse, Wisconsin, at 608/788-4898. As in all restoration programs, swan observations from the public are a vital part in monitoring and managing the birds. This season, there are at least 17 known Trumpeter Swan nests in Wisconsin.

MINNESOTA’S FIRST NESTING IN SOUTHERN COUNTIES SINCE 1890 - 1998 was the 11^th annual release of Trumpeter Swans by the Minnesota DNR. The first seven releases of 218 swans were primarily in northwestern Minnesota. Beginning in 1995, a cooperative effort with Iowa DNR to establish a breeding population in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota began with a simultaneous release at Heron Lake, Minnesota, and Spirit Lake, Iowa. To date, 52 swans have been released near Heron Lake including 10 birds in June 1998. Steve Kittelson, of the Minnesota DNR Nongame Wildlife Program, reports that an Iowa released male nested with an unmarked female in Rice County, Minnesota, hatching at least four cygnets. Another Iowa released pair hatched seven cygnets in Le Sueur County. These two nests are the first documented, wild hatch Trumpeters in this region since the 1880's. A May survey flight in northwestern Minnesota found 36 incubating pairs. These pairs combined with the Hennepin Parks flock could easily bring the Minnesota total well over 50 nesting pairs.

GOLF COURSE NESTING IN HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA - Shamrock Golf Course is a privately owned, public golf course 22 miles northwest of Minneapolis that is now home to a Trumpeter Swan family. The course owners reported that, for the past 2 years, Trumpeter Swans have stopped by to feed and loaf in the 4-acre wetland just south of the golf house. This past April, a pair of unmarked birds came to stay and began chasing off Canada Geese and other swans that attempted to land on the wetland. Soon golfers could watch the female sitting on a nest on a small island. By early June, there were four healthy cygnets. The family is readily visible from the golf house and the First Tee. The birds do not seem disturbed by the golf carts driving by. The granddaughters of the club owners monitor the growing cygnets and several local newspapers have picked up the story with wonderful photos. The swans have adapted well to this rather developed setting, but keep their distance should anyone walk down to the wetland. The owners and their golfing customers clearly enjoy the scenic addition to their game. Although the swans are unmarked, the course is not far from several Hennepin Park Reserves where Trumpeters have been released over the past 20 years.

SWAN ARTICLES IN Waterfowl 2000 - The April 1998, issue of Waterfowl 2000 ( Vol. 11 (1)) dedicated 10 pages to North American Swans. Seven articles on Trumpeter Swan were included in the publication: The Trumpeter Swan, Atlantic Population of Trumpeter Swans - Finding Their Way Home, Wye Marsh Trumpeter Swan Re-introduction Program, Restoring the Interior Population of Trumpeter Swans - One Egg at a Time, Ten Easy Steps to Relocating Trumpeter Swans, Rocky Mountain Trumpeter Swans - Building a Secure Distribution, and The Pacific Population of Trumpeter Swans - They’re Thriving. For a copy of the publication, contact Dee Butler, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, North American Waterfowl and Wetlands Office, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 110, Arlington, Virginia 22203, or e-mail dee_buttler@fws.gov.

THE REST OF THE STORY . . . ULTRALIGHT MIGRATION EXPERIMENT - As reported by Dr. William J. L. Sladen in Waterfowl 2000 (April 1998), three juvenile Trumpeter Swans were trained to follow an ultralight aircraft. In December 1997, the radio collared swans were successfully led 103 miles from Airlie, Virginia, to the Honga River in Crapo, Maryland, where they spent the winter on a farm. Two male swans were transported to the same winter location by truck. Dee Butler, of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently updated the migration story and reported that all three female swans (R06, R02 and R03) attempted to return to Airlie in the spring. In summary, R06 left the wintering site first and was located on March 29 at Cedar Haven, Maryland, having crossed Chesapeake Bay. She made it to Aquasco, 2 miles west-northwest of Cedar Haven that is only 2 miles south-southeast of her December migration route. She was then captured by a well-meaning person who confined the bird to a yard where she was injured by a dog. For her protection, it was decided to truck her the remaining 65 miles to Airlie. Meanwhile, R02 and R03 were found on April 7 on a pond in Waldorf, Maryland, which was 5 miles north of the migration route. R02 was relocated two days later having backtracked to Church Creek, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay. On May 30, R02 was returned to Airlie via truck. R03 was located April 22 near Centerville, Virginia, which was only 18 miles from Airlie. She was then returned to Airlie by truck. There are plans to train a larger flock of Trumpeters to migrate with an ultralight later this year from New York to Maryland. For additional information on the migration project, you may write Dr. Sladen at Environmental Studies at Airlie, 6712 Blantyre Rd., Warrenton, VA 20187 [Waterfowl 2000, Vol. 11 (2)].

ANNUAL APPEAL AND FUNDRAISING - The Society wishes to thank Gisele Barrett, Dan Braun, Mary Maj, Larry and Gail Mayo, George T. Richardson, Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Sheehan and Hope B. Stevens of the Fanwood Foundation for their recent donations to our Annual Appeal (Please see March Trumpetings for a listing of previous donors). We would also like to acknowledge The Norcross Wildlife Foundation for its generous grant to help cover the costs of our new publication North American Swans.

TTSS has also received contributions from the Bank of Eastern Idaho, Joseph R. Call, Mark F. Rockefeller, Woody Smith, South Fork Outfitters, and Miles J. Willard. These donations will be used to fund the Rocky Mountain Population Working Group's nesting surveys, work with landowners and managers to ensure long-term protection of nesting territories and efforts to correct specific problems at nest sites.

IN MEMORIUM - Ramon D. Whitney, a long time TTSS Life Member from Dellwood, Minnesota, died recently in a boating accident on Pine Tree Lake where he lived. Ray was an avid Trumpeter Swan propagator and supporter of Trumpeter Swan restoration. Keeping in close touch with Hennepin Parks and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Nongame program, Ray reported this past winter that 25 Trumpeters spent the winter at his home where he maintained an aerator and a winter feeding program. Donations have been made to TTSS in Ray's memory. This fund will be used to help defray costs of winter swan feeding on the Mississippi River at Monticello, Minnesota, where more than 250 swans congregate from December through early March.