[TN-Bird] Bristol swan migration is big !
- From: Wallace Coffey <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: 1-A TN-Birds <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2003 15:13:04 -0400
The Trumpter Swan which migrated to Bristol in Sullivan Co., TN earlier this
month is a very significant development for the Ontario restoration program
of this species.
April Mathes, stewardship coordinator with the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre at
Midland, Ontario, was very excited today to learn that the swan, which
hatched there in June 2001, had migrated to Tennessee.
"As far as I know this is the farthest south one of the birds from the
Ontario project has migrated," Mathes explained. "We have records since the
mid-90's of birds migrating to the United States."
The brid was found on Jan. 1, 2003 at Whitetop Creek Park (multi-sports
complex) by Rick Knight and was last seen on Jan. 12. Kevin Hamed, with the
Steele Creek Nature Center at Bristol, says he has the names of 70 birders
who observed the bird.
Its parents are known as "Jack and Diane", the most productive pair of
Trumpters breeding at Wye Marsh. She said Jack is 12 years of age and Diane
is 10 years old.
If the Trumpter Swan (wing marker 612) is able to return to Wye Marsh there
is the possibility that a long-distance winter migration of birds from the
project could be established. The simple fact that this bird has migrated
so far, is dramatic because it now shows the distance to which one of the
Ontario wild hatched birds can migrate.
She said that Harry Lunsden, who marked No. 612, wrote a newspaper article
which is a summary of the Ontario swans. He reported that six birds had
migrated to Pennsylvania and Ohio, one to Virginia, three to West Virginia,
two to Maryland and one to Connecticut and New Jersey and 11 to New York.
She also noted that a female from a restoration project in New York migrated
to Ontario and mated there in 2001.
The Wye Marsh program will be closely watching for the return of No. 612
from Tennessee and hopes that future round trip migrations will develop in
the population.
Since they are migratory as a species, for them to be successfully
introduced they would need to establish migration over their former range.
It is believed that migration is essential for the population to survive
because they need open water and food during the winter. When winters are
too extreme, they may be unable get open water and food in Ontario. Their
diet is being artificially supplemented at the present. They fly to
Burlington now to find more open water.
The temperature early this morning at Wye Marsh was -13 degrees F.
Mathes said there are 17,000 to 18,000 Trumpter Swans in British Columbia of
western Canada but the historic population in Ontario had disappeared. Not
long ago the entire population in Canada was listed as an endangered species
but that designation has been removed.
One third of the Ontario population of 360 swans has been determined to be
in the area surrounding Wye Marsh. The marsh is a 2,400-acre area of marsh
and woodland located just across Highway 12 from Georgian Bay of Lake
Huron. The marsh is in a glacier created valley.
Trumpeter Swans are well adapted to living in cold weather conditions. The
dense down ensures that the swans can tolerate very cold conditions. To
survive the winter, the swans require open water for feeding and bathing.
Trumpeter Swans historically learned to migrate from their parents, rather
than relying on instinct, and unfortunately, the crucial knowledge of
migratory routes was lost when Trumpeters were extirpated from Ontario.
Captive breeding pairs don't have the ability or migration knowledge to
teach their offspring, and released swans must establish and learn
traditions for themselves.
Fortunately, over the past decade, a migration tradition to the north shore
of Lake Ontario near Burlington has developed in some of the birds. Two
families migrated to Lake Ontario this past winter. Usually 50 to 70
Trumpeter Swans migrate but the warm weather kept them in the Wye Valley
area. Wye Marsh is about 130 miles driving distance north of Burlington.
Mathes said that bird No. 612 had been located at Port McNicoll, Victoria
Harbor and Hog's Bay, all small local communities within about 15 miles of
Wye Marsh. She had last seen No. 612 at Wye Marsh on Dec. 7, 2002.
Details of the previously sightings were posted in Kevin Hamed's message
earlier today.
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958
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