Trumpeter Swans Back on Juanita Bay

Trumpeter swans have returned to Juanita Bay for the winter as they have for three or four years now, after having migrated hundreds of miles from their breeding grounds in Alaska.

Over the last week up to a dozen at a time have been spotted on the bay, and on any given day at least five or six can be seen from and . More will likely arrive over the coming weeks.

The beautiful, graceful, long-necked birds are the largest of North America’s native waterfowl. Their winter numbers are increasing in Washington, and this group appears to be reclaiming habitat they disappeared from decades ago as their numbers dipped toward extinction during the mid-20th Century.

“We do annual winter waterfowl surveys, and it’s been just in the last five years or so that we’ve seen a good presence of swans in Juanita Bay,” says Chris Anderson, an urban wildlife biologist based at the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s regional office in Mill Creek. “Obviously, overall it’s a very positive thing.”

The swan population is strong enough that they are not listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act. But there is enough concern that they are managed by the state as a “priority species,” Anderson said, and hunting them is prohibited.

Most of the swans on Juanita Bay are trumpeters. Anderson said last winter’s survey found 21 there. But Martha Jordan of the Trumpeter Swan Society’s local branch, the Washington Swan Stewards, says the slightly smaller tundra swan has been seen at Juanita Bay as well in the past.

“The trumpeter swan population in Western Washington is growing in the winter and they have been moving into different areas,” she says. “What you’re seeing is former habitat being rediscovered by pioneering swans.”

Hundreds of the swans can be spotted on the deltas and agricultural fields of Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties each winter. But having a small local winter population is a terrific development for local birding enthusiasts and park visitors.

“It’s good for people to see the birds,” says Jordan. “What’s not to like about that?”

Although the population is growing, swans continue to face threats. The biggest is lead poisoning the birds get from picking up spent shotgun pellets and lost fishing sinkers while foraging for aquatic vegetation. Although lead shot has been banned for waterfowl hunting for years, the swans continue to pick up pellets left from decades of its use.

A number of swans are found dead every year in Washington from lead poisoning, mostly in the northern counties. But Jordan said one was found dead on Juanita Bay last year from lead poisoning, although it is not known where the bird ingested the pellets.

Jordan also urged that people not attempt to feed human foods to swans, which can live 20 to 30 years in the wild. Bread does not provide the nourishment swans need.

“Feeding them is very unhealthy and can inhibit survival," she said. “You do a disservice by feeding them human foods. They need to eat natural foods to put on fat so they can make flight back to their nesting grounds.”

They breed in Alaska, and their two annual migrations can each stretch more than 3,000 miles.

Typically the swans stay well away from humans, but are often close enough to see well -- binoculars really help. And if you plan on photographing them as many people do at both Juanita Beach ad Juanita Bay parks, a telephoto lens is essential.

To find out more about these beautiful birds, see the web pages of the Trumpeter Swan Society and its local branch, the Washington Swan Stewards.