My cousin emailed me on August 30, with attached recent photo, that the two trumpeter swans returned to her pond at 6270 Lamkins Bridge Road of Williamson County, TN on August 27, 2012. Betty and I observed them there on Saturday, September 1. They had remained on the pond until this morning, September 9, when she emailed the following: "The swans were not on the pond this morning. There were, however, white feathers all over the water. We pray nothing befell them last night and will keep you posted." At least one of them may have been attacked, and possibly taken by a predator, during the night of September 8. I therefore recommend that we report any trumpeter swan sightings, beginning today, September 9, in the Middle Tennessee area. These are the same swans that Chris Sloan (a former attorney colleague with my cousin) first reported on June 26 his viewing of photos of the swans on this pond, where they had been seen for the prior "week or so". The swans remained on that pond, which is an estimated 0.3-acre in size, until they departed on July 4. They were then reported by several birders two miles to the east on Cox's Lake from July 6 at least through July 31. Cox's Lake is just north of the west bound lane of I-840, just east of the Harpeth River. My cousin has advised that the trumpeter swans were on her pond for several days after Christmas during the past two winters. She advises this is the first summer for their sighting there. Her pond is an estimated 500 feet east of Lampkins Bridge Road. Any swans at the pond can only be seen from the road if out of the pond, or if on the far end of the pond at relatively full water levels. The 600-foot driveway to the adjacent home is usually locked, and all perimeter fences are well-secured by four horizontal strands of electric fencing. Bob Hatcher Brentwood, TN
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