Seward, Alaska
I had just checked the Nash
Road resident TRUMPETER SWAN family yesterday and found the seven cygnets and
both parents packed into a small area near the road, feeding. So today, when I
saw both parents side by side in the pond, I decided to drive past.
Then I saw a THIRD white
swan! I immediately pulled over to investigate this startling new situation.
All was not well at home
base.
The sleek, beautiful third
swan seemed peaceful but alert, resting and paddling quietly among the sedges.
The parents, however were having a conniption, bobbing their long, graceful
necks up and down, very upset. As they became more and more agitated, they swam
side by side out into the open, heads still bobbing, as if to confirm the
intruder was indeed still there, and then swam back behind the vegetation to
further discuss the situation. They nervously lifted and lowered their folded
wings, as if undecided.
The intruder continued to
placidly feed, feigning nonchalance, and slowly paddled along in a very
non-threatening manner. The parents, still side by side, heads bobbing faster
and faster, trumpeting softly, swam back out and closer. Suddenly, the mom (ever
so slightly smaller and without white feathers on her bill from preening) erupted
into action, bounding along the water with giant steps, white wings beating
furiously, neck outstretched, open beak foremost, and the intent quite plain.
The intruder watched in
disbelief and then wisely took off. They both lifted off and flew across the pond
gaining altitude. The mom closing in, stretched her neck to grab the intruder’s
tail, but couldn’t quite reach. Nonetheless, she tailgated the intruder and
chased it away. Then she broke off and circled back to the pond. Trumpeting
triumphantly, she skidded to a stop with a big splash in front of her waiting
mate. If swans could hug and kiss, that’s just what they did, with several high
fives thrown in for good measure.
I glanced over at the pond,
and to my amazement, there was the intruder who had also circled back and
quietly landed. This was one persistent swan!
The
parents finally noticed this impudent swan’s return and the high fives faded.
More tête-à -tête discussion
ensued with head bobbing and soft trumpeting. After a long interlude, the mom
again took off, flying low, heading directly for the intruder. At the last moment, it raced along the water
and took off. Again, the parents gathered to celebrate with wings held half
open, heads nodding, their trumpeting echoing off the surrounding mountainside.
But
guess what? That intruder again circled back and landed.
The
mom again chased it off, and another celebration ensued.
Unbelievably,
the intruder circled back and was now preening on the ol’ nest site. This
confirmed my suspicion that this was no ordinary swan. The familiarity with the
pond and nest site, lack of fear of the adjacent road and paparazzi… this was
an older cygnet come home at a rather awkward time.
Hi
mom, hi dad! I’m home and ready to move back in!
Mom
didn’t much care for that, and took off without any discussion. Heading
straight for her former darling, she narrowly avoided hitting it on the head
when it did not move from the nest site. That was lucky for the cygnet! She
careened to a stop in the water, and regrouped, wings held out in a very
menacing arch.
By
now, the cygnet had wised up a bit, but not too much, and landed on the water.
Mom took off once again and gave chase, trumpeting loudly. She chased it to the
far end of the pond where, guess what? All seven young cygnets were waiting and
watching. I imagine they had been told to hide there until the danger passed.
The
older cygnet, the big threat, landed behind them in the tall grasses and
disappeared.
It
must have been an “out of sight, out of mind” situation as the mom stopped the
chase. She sat on the pond, wings arched, as dad came racing across the pond to
congratulate her. With more loud trumpeting, they once again high-fived in a
joyous celebration. What a beautiful sight, these two tremendous parents, all
amped up in righteous fury, bonding in defense of their family.
When
I returned an hour later, the older cygnet was once again peacefully feeding in
the pond near the road as if nothing had happened. The parents were preening on
the nest site, and the seven cygnets were still at the back of the pond,
revealed only when one or another stretched its white wings above the greenery.
This
peaceful interlude did not last, however. Once again, the mom took off, and temporarily
routed the enemy. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I don’t know how long this exhausting and dramatic routine continued, as I
finally had to leave.
What
was especially poignant was the plaintive trumpeting of the older cygnet.
Whenever it spoke, the parents got all riled up, and answered in an angry
barrage. It’s tough to come home after a year (or two or three) out in the wild
world, and be attacked by your once doting parents. But all that mattered was
the perceived threat, and given the tremendous success of these excellent
parents over the past three years and 17 cygnets, that’s what counted.
Happy
Birding!
Carol
Griswold
Seward
Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
