Celebrating the Swans
Not a bad place to stop-over during their travels. What a view! Photo taken by me
Every year the Tagish River and Marsh Lake are teeming with swans. What a sight to see! As some of the first waterways in the Yukon to unfreeze, the Trumpeter (Cygnus buccinator) and Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) take a rest here for a few days before they continue their travels further north, east to Northwest Territories or west to Alaska. Trumpeter swans spend their winters on Vancouver Island, in Southern British Columbia Mainland, Washington and Southeastern Alaska. Tundra swans spend their winters further south in California, Nevada, Utah, Oregon and Washington.
How to tell if you’re looking at a Trumpeter or Tundra Swan
Both birds are huge and they are both white and have long necks with black bills. So, you’re wondering how to tell the difference? It’s tricky! Tundra Swans have a tiny bit of yellow on their bill near their eye, where Trumpeter Swans will never have any yellow on their bill (although, their juvenile will sometimes have some pink on their bill). Trumpeter Swans continue their black colouring from bill to their eye and there are some more subtle differences in the shape of their bills. Tundra Swans continue to live in large herds- even after their migration, where Trumpeter Swans tend to pair off or live in a family group. Tundra Swans weigh an average of 16 lbs (M) and 13.9 lb (F), while Trumpeter Swans weigh an average of 27.9 lbs (M) and 22.6 lbs (F). Hard to believe they can still fly!
Best Places to view them during their migration:
Swan Haven
Tagish Narrows
Johnson’s Crossing
A Celebration of Swans
Beginning on April 1 and running until May 2, the Swan Haven Interpretive Centre hosts “A Celebration of Swans” festival. Throughout the festival there are guided walking tours, fun family activities that are always changing and the Interpretive Centre is full of information- not only on swans. Free shuttle service is offered on select days and allows for a few hours of exploration before your return. It’s easy to get to with your own vehicle. Pack a lunch and enjoy the trumpeting of the swans while you dine at one of the picnic tables. There is a daily count done of all the visiting birds. On April 26, 2021 there were still 800 swans spotted and 34 different bird varieties observed. This year, there was a record-breaking number of swans on April 10, 2021 at M’Clintock Bay. An amazing 2,931 swans were counted! Click here to see the bird count worksheet.
Mmmm food!
Swans enjoy eating aquatic plants found in shallow waters. Both Tundra and Trumpeter Swans duck their head and long neck into the water to grab plants to munch. Often, you will see them tails up and their black webbed feet kicking to keep them in position for dining. They have also been known to visit agricultural fields where there are grains or crops left over from previous years.
Neat facts about swans!
Trumpeter Swans are the heaviest living bird native to North America
Swans have no teeth, so their mouths filter the water and food
Trumpeter Swans do in fact sound similar to a trumpet or French horn
In 1933, there were thought to only be 77 breeding Trumpeter Swans left in Canada. Strong efforts by both Canada and the United States have helped them to make a huge comeback (current population is believed to be around 16,000 in North America)
Swans often mate for life
A baby swan is called a cygnet
A male swan is called cob and a female is called a pen
The pens will incubate the eggs, but both the pen and the cob will care for the cygnets
Pens lay an average of 3-8 eggs and will only lay one egg a day. She will only begin incubating them once all eggs have been laid, to ensure they hatch within 24 hours of each other
Swans are considered graceful, but they really aren’t graceful when dining on plants under the water with their butts in the air
So get out and enjoy the last weekend of the Celebration of Swans, but keep your eyes out for them throughout the territory, until they begin their migration back south for the winter.
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