Monday, September 16, 2019 Swan Cygnet Saga

Seward, Alaska

Sunrise 7:29 am, sunset 8:18 pm for a total day length of 12 hours and 49 minutes. Tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 24 seconds shorter. 

Wednesday, August 28: The three resident TRUMPETER SWAN cygnets, almost 3 months old, stretched and flapped their mighty wings and felt their increasing power. Did they know that soon they would lift off and fly from their pond and wetland world? I doubt the doting and watchful parents demonstrated that incredible feat since the babies hatched in June. Soon, their destiny would manifest. I wish I could watch that first flight!

This family has been particularly challenging to watch as they are masters at hiding in the vegetation at the very back of the wetland. Sometimes, I only catch a periscoped head or often, nothing at all for weeks. Then, boom! There they are right in view by the road. Bigger and even more beautiful.

Saturday, September 14: While enjoying Afognak Beach, the sound of trumpeting spun me around. Yes! The Swan family of five was flying from the bay, right past me with the cygnets in the lead, heading back to the pond! So exciting! They must have been excited too, talking all about it!

Sunday, September 15: Trouble strikes! Glancing through the vegetation along the road, I caught sight of a single cygnet on the west shore of the Lagoon. The confused cygnet was surrounded by four hostile adult Trumpeter Swans. I immediately pulled over and started shooting images.

They strode purposefully towards the unfortunate youngster, heads lowered for business. What a scary sight! The cygnet walked quickly, staying just out of reach. Then they sped up, now wing to wing, marching closer and closer. The poor baby, who had likely never experienced a second of hostility in its entire short life, fairly flung itself into the water and began swimming away. The three bullies also launched and followed in a relentless slo-mo pursuit. Finally, the cygnet swam south and pulled away. The territorial Swans fortunately let it go and resumed feeding, preening, and stretching. 

I pulled into to the parking lot and got out for a better view. I counted eight adults, the usual number, presumably the six cygnets from last year’s hatch and two more, very likely the displaced previous generation parents. They looked angelic, like nothing had happened.

I looked for the cygnet’s parents and siblings. None to be seen. I wondered if this big but little, pink-billed, gray and white fledgling had been left behind when the family toured the Lagoon and then flew home. It would be very unusual for the parents to purposefully abandon one of its treasured cygnets so soon. Come April, it’s a different story!

I drove over to the Nash Road Mile 2 wetland, but as usual, did not see any swans. They could have been hiding in the back. Or they could have flown anywhere. Did they have an emergency plan in place? An emergency contact? Escape routes? Meeting place? Safe spots? Nope. This little guy was all on its own. It found out the hard way that Swans that looked like its loving parents could be hostile and aggressive. I could only worry and wonder.

Monday, September 16: I didn’t see the cygnet at the Lagoon (the eight swans were still there) or see any Swans at the home base this morning. But, joyfully, a few hours later, there they were in the pond, all three cygnets and both parents calmly feeding in the horsetails and pondweeds by the road. I wondered if the family flew back to the Lagoon and reunited, or if the cygnet knew to go home, or what. I’ll likely never know, but I was so happy to see them all together again! What a relief!

Report on Friday of a pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS calling back and forth at the bike park in Forest Acres. Reports of many flocks of SANDHILL CRANES migrating overhead this afternoon. I missed them all!

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter