Swans
Trumpter Swans by Robert Bateman 

Swans are unmistakable. They are the largest waterfowl in North America with wingspans over 2.5m. Their graceful flight in a long white V of out-stretched necks is one of the most anticipated signs of spring. There are 2 swans in the Columbia Valley, the Tundra and the Trumpeter.

Tundra Swans are far more numerous and slightly smaller. They are best distinguished from Trumpeters by a small yellow patch between the black beak and the eye. Also, the top of the head to the beak is slightly concave. The Trumpeter lacks the yellow spot and has a straight line from head to beak, giving it a Roman nose appearance. Trumpeters faced extinction in the 1930’s. Despite recovering since then, they remain in low numbers throughout North America.

Swans migrate through the Columbia Valley. They use the wetlands an important staging area while waiting for warmer weather to open the frozen lakes and marshes further north. The main breeding grounds for Tundra Swans are, as their name suggests, in the high arctic, well above the tree line. Trumpeters don’t travel quite so far, stopping in the southern Yukon and western NWT. They have also been documented to breed in the Peace River area of northern BC and Alberta.

Calls of the two Swan species are distinct and another helpful clue to telling them apart. Tundras have a noisy high-pitched whoop, while Trumpeter’s have been described as giving a "sonorous single or double honk, like an old car horn." Unfortunately, we don’t get a chance to witness their breeding displays other than the occasional en route flirting. Both species have elaborate routines that involve strutting, dancing, head bobs and vigorous vocal acrobatics. Think how alive the wetlands would become, were the Swans to stay here to raise their cygnets! Alas, the elegant white birds press ever northward each spring.

Field Notes

March and April is the best time to see swans locally. There are both Tundras and Trumpeters currently at Athalmer Pond and the south end of Columbia Lake at Canal Flats and other open water areas in the Valley. However, come early May, a few stragglers may remain, especially Trumpeters who tend to move through later than Tundras.