Gloucester Pool
Cottagers Association

Report Trumpeter Swan Sightings! 
By Friends of the Wye Marsh
 
Trumpeter Swans represent the romance and serenity of a time gone by.  These magnificent birds have inspired poets and masters of the arts for thousands of years.
Until their reintroduction in the 1990’s they were extinct in Ontario due to over hunting and the use of feathers in fashion.  Today human disturbance and habitat degradation are the major threats to swans.  With less than an estimated 500 individuals and fewer than 85 breeding pairs in Ontario, the population cannot be considered completely sustainable at this point and every breeding pair is an extremely valuable asset to the reintroduction program.  The reintroduction program’s success is due to the diligence and monitoring of  Trumpeter Swans by hundreds of committed people in Ontario.  The Wye Marsh in Midland is the home base for the program and birth place for many of the swans.  There are now several wild pairs with young cygnets throughout Ontario.  

Gathering information about Trumpeter swans is vital to the success of the program. The Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction Program needs your help!  It relies on calls from members of the community to report swan sightings.  It is especially important in the spring when pairs of swans are establishing their nesting territories, and in the summer when  cygnets have hatched.

Many swans have plastic yellow wing tags and metal leg bands, both of which are marked with numbers.  These numbers help us to track and monitor the swans throughout the  year, and  to gather information about  migration, nesting and  production  of  young. Trumpeter swans are large white birds with  black legs, feet and bills.  Cygnets hatch in June and are grey with pinkish bills and feet.   If you see a Trumpeter swan please note the following information:

• number of birds
• tag and/or band numbers whenever possible
• date and exact location of sighting

and please report this information to the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre at 705-526-7809 or www.wyemarsh.com/swan_sighting.html