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Friday, June 6, 2008*** SOUND THE TRUMPETER! ***Swans
are very popular birds in Alaska,
in the summer you can see them every where, usually swimming in small ponds and water areas. They are stunningly beautiful. Arrives
in Alaska Mating Season in April
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They
have a wingspan of over 7 feet. Standing on the
ground the Trumpeter Swan
stands around 4 feet high.Trumpeter
Swans were identified in 1850 in Alaska
But they didn't realize until
1954 that they were breeding here.
In
1968 the U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service counted 2,844 Trumpeters.
They were removed
from the National Endangered Species List, but they are still
classified
as rare in some other states. The Census in 1990 resulted in
a count of 13,000 Trumpeters
in Alaska, which is considered to be 80%
of the World's Trumpeter Swan population,
and it has continued to
increase to this very day.
Trumpeter Swan Pair
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Swans mate for life, usually when they are 2 years old, but they do not breed
until the third, forth or fifth year. When ready to breed they begin to nest
as early as the spring melt will permit in April.
The female lays 2 to 7 eggs, tho 4 is the average over a 5-12 day period. The
female Trumpeter (Pen) takes care of the nesting, her lifetime mate (Cob)
watches over her and guards the nest.
They take turns incubating the eggs. It is during this time that the male (Cob)
goes into molt, losing his wing feathers, rendering him flightless
for approximately a month.
There's about 31-35 days of incubation before the baby Swans (Cygnets) hatch.
The baby Swans (Cygnets) hatch in June and they weigh around 7 ounces and
their feathers will be Grey in color (up to 2 years) when they grow.
Then for the next 11-15 weeks the Swan pair guards their Cygnets until
they are fledged (flying). It is during this time that the adult female (Pen) goes into
molt losing her wing feathers and cannot fly
for approximately a month.
Predators
of the Cygnets are Snapping Turtles, Great Homed Owls,
Mink, Raccoons, Coyotes, and Red Fox in the wild.
Adult Trumpeter Swans with Yearling Swans (Grey color)
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plants namely Horsetail, Pondweeds, Sedge, Bulrush, Water Milfoil,
Widgeon Grass, and Pond Lily. They live up to their names with
a deep French horn like sound when they call.
Recently, Alaska Trumpeter Swan eggs have been sent to several
Midwestern states, where restoration programs are re establishing
nesting Swans where they have not been seen in 100 years.
Click Here to learn more about Trumpeter Swans
See Also: Busy As A Beaver!
Later...
K Fields
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