Community Corner
Trumpeter Swan Guards Nest In Rare Pic Taken At McHenry Co. Site
A wildlife ecologist discovered the first documented successful breeding of trumpeter swan at a McHenry Co. Conservation site last week.
MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A rare trumpeter swan, the largest bird native to Illinois, was recently spotted at a McHenry County Conservation District site. After spotting the swan, a wildlife ecologist noticed the male swan exhibiting "some guarding behavior" during a routine wetland bird survey last week.
The wildlife ecologist also heard calls coming from the swans' mate who was hidden in among some cattails nearby, which led forest preserve officials to believe there may be a nest and baby trumpeter swans.
"Confirmation that there was indeed a nesting pair of trumpeter swans came the following week when the parents were spotted with young," according to a post on the McHenry County Conservation District Facebook page.
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Officials said the discovery is the first documented successful breeding of trumpeter swans at a McHenry County Conservation District site.
"State endangered trumpeter swans have had to compete with the more common, non-native mute swans for nesting sites," according to conservation district officials.
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A local resident celebrating the news on the conservation district's Facebook page asked if restoration work being done in Northern Illinois led to the Trumpeter swan picking the local conservation area to breed. Here is what a conservation district official had to say:
Yes, it is in large part due to the restoration and conservation efforts in Northern Illinois that these areas have been deemed by the swans to be suitable nesting habitat. Additionally, the species as a whole has grown and is somewhat of a conservation success story, as the population was thought to be so small it was beyond recovery. A previously unknown population was discovered in Alaska and ecologists were able to mix populations to diversify genetics. So with all that being said, it is both a mix of local/regional and national conservation efforts that really make this possible.
Trumpeter swans are the largest bird native to Illinois with a wingspan of 6 feet and can weigh about 25 pounds.
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