Trumpeter Swans Pretty in Pink

Southeast Idaho residents are being asked to keep an eye out for trumpeter swans with a pink wing. Young trumpeter swans, called cygnets, are being relocated to several locations in southeast Idaho from the Henrys Fork of the Snake River to try to establish new migration patterns and to avoid possible death this winter if the river freezes up. Biologists are concerned about the Henrys Fork trumpeter flock because it continues to grow while the habitat and food available remains the same. With current drought conditions, the river is more likely to freeze which will cut the swans off from the aquatic plants that feed them. One wing on each of the swans is painted pink to identify them from other swans. Cygnets have a sooty gray appearance. So far, 26 of an estimated 70 cygnets to be trapped have been relocated to the Bear River area between Grace and Preston. Six cygnets have been relocated to Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The cygnets can turn up almost anywhere within a 150-mile radius as they explore new territory. Public sighting can help biologists and volunteers keep track of the swans. Anyone seeing these swans is asked to call Idaho Fish and Game at 525-7290 and ask for biologist Lauri Hanauska-Brown or 232-4703 and ask for Carl Anderson. Swan viewers are asked to note which wing is dyed pink and to try to read the numbers and letters on the swans green neck collars if possible. "There are a couple of hundred swans at Harriman Park now with more coming," Fish and Game Biologist Lauri Hanauska-Brown said. "We are trapping young swans and moving them to other areas to try to establish new wintering traditions and spread out the swan population to make them less vulnerable to winter losses." Trumpeter swans have made a remarkable recovery in the U.S. and Canada. Some trumpeter swans now live year around on the Henrys Fork while others migrate there to winter and eat the abundant underwater vegetation. Biologists have chased or hazed swans off the Henrys Fork with airboats over the last decade to move them before freezeup occurs. This year's drought makes the water situation critical for the swans. "The resident trumpeter swans that use the park year round are feeling the effects of the increased competition for limited food resources as Canadian trumpeter swans increase," Tom Hemker, state waterfowl manager said. "We have tried chasing swans away from the park and adjacent areas to encourage wintering swan to seek other wintering grounds. This year we will intensify the chasing, called hazing, and relocate young swans." Sightings by the public can provide important information regarding the movements and survival of the swans. Information collected will help biologists monitor two different groups of swans and compare their survival and movements. Idaho Fish and Game, Idaho State Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Trumpeter Swan Society along with numerous individuals are working together on the swan project.