Trumpeter Swans
—by Joy Poyntz
Trumpeter Swans are native to the entire North American continent. They were extirpated from Ontario and much of North America in the 1700-1800s. Hunted for their skins as well as food during the fur trade era, The Hudson’s Bay Co. sent 108,000+ swan skins to London, England to be used for quill pens, powder puffs, trim for clothing, and cured leather for purses.
In 1982, Harry Lumsden, a retired Ministry of Natural Resources biologist, set in motion a program to bring back the Trumpeter Swan as a self-sustaining species to its former breeding range in Ontario. He began a captive breeding program which eventually released 584 captively-reared Swans into 54 locations throughout Ontario. Today, thanks to Mr. Lumsden and the early volunteers, the population is self-sustaining and steadily growing.
In 2014, after moving to Orillia, I saw my first swan and a strange yellow wing tag captured my attention. A Google search revealed how to submit my sighting and when I received the history of M83, I was hooked. Soon after I became one of the volunteers to transcribe Harry Lumsden’s handwritten ledgers that detailed all the facts of each tagged swan. Along with others, we transcribed his 20 ledgers into an on-line database. This database is ongoing with the help of many volunteers collecting reports from many on-line sources.
And now the Port of Orillia has Trumpeter Swans! The submerged and emergent vegetation in the harbour has attracted a growing population of these beautiful birds.
Just a few facts:
- The Trumpeter Swan is the largest swan in the world, weighing about 9-13.6 kg/20-30 lbs and having a wingspan of 7-8 feet.
- Female swans are called pens, males are cobs, and the young are called cygnets.
- They are well adapted to the cold. They are able to lower their metabolism in cold weather. Trumpeter Swans have down, up to 5 cm thick, and with over 30,000 feathers, that makes them almost impervious to cold.
- Paired swans normally mate for life.
Trumpeter Swan Conservation Ontario has an ongoing tagging/banding program. Trumpeter Swan tagging is a crucial part of the species’ recovery. This information is used in order to help estimate the population size, determine their range and keep track of patterns in migration. Because of this we know the history of the tagged swans that have visited the Port of Orillia.
V93, mate and cygnet, Nic, Nora and Nova have a heartwarming tale. Nic and Nora have nested in a pond south of Orillia since 2020. Nora sat on her nest long after the 33–35-day incubation period every summer without any cygnets. Finally, this summer a tiny fluff ball appeared. Nova fledged this September, and the family has left their pond.
N68 and N69, Midas and Marriott, are a success story. Parents, V76 and N90, nested in a drainage pond in Orillia. Six cygnets were hatched. The pond had a poor food source, so the parents walked the cygnets to another pond further north. Two cygnets were lost along the way, and one was rescued on an offramp on Highway 11. Shortly after, the parents took them back to the nesting pond. When the cygnets couldn’t fly, they were rescued from the pond when it froze over. Midas and Marriott are now healthy yearlings and regulars at the Port.
Something happens when you are overcome by the majesty of a wild Trumpeter Swan – we call it “Swanitis” and there is no known cure but to simply enjoy! If you are interested in learning more about Trumpeter Swans, please check out our Facebook group Trumpeter Swan Conservation Ontario. New members are welcome.
The Ontario Trumpeter Swan Restoration program is a volunteer not-for-profit organization. Please consider helping to assist in the purchase of wing tags and banding materials as well as provide medical care for sick and injured swans. You can donate here.
Please don’t feed the swans. Human food is not good for them and a diet of natural wild forage is the best food for the swans.