JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Trumpeter swans die more in March than any other month. It’s a time of year especially hard on cygnets, or young hatched the previous year.
Limited wetland food resources that have been available during winter are now mostly depleted. Swans can lose up to 20 percent of their body weight during the winter months, especially during harsh winters, which can leave them in a much-weakened state.
As soon as temperatures begin to rise, swans can be seen moving about the landscape, seeking out newly opened water for foraging sites. Swans face a number of challenges during this time, including collisions with power lines, fences and bridges, emaciation from parasite loads or disease, and predation.
Recently, WGFD heard from a few concerned citizens that a young trumpeter swan appeared to be stranded along the bike pathway near Melody Ranch. Game and Fish biologist Susan Patla responded and found the swan trapped between snow piles near homes off South Park loop road. Helpful neighbors assisted Susan in securing the swan. The bird appeared to have no injuries and was not emaciated, so Susan released it to nearby Flat Creek where it immediately walked into the creek and began drinking water and eating aquatic vegetation.
Other swans are not as fortunate. Jackson game warden Kyle Lash found a dead swan near the library recently. It had apparently hit a power line along Snow King. Another power line fatality was recorded along Fish Creek Road where a cygnet had presumably flown into a power line and was partially scavenged by the time WGFD found it.
Wyoming Game and Fish biologists ask that any swan mortalities be reported to regional offices. If carcasses are intact and fresh, the State Wildlife lab can complete necropsies to determine the cause of disease such as disease, parasites or heavy metal concentrations which may be directly or indirectly involved. Any questions should be directed to Susan Patla, Jackson Regional Office, telephone 307-733-2383 ext. 229.
