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Ken Smith /Turnagain Times A pair of Trumpeter Swans visit Potter Marsh in late April. The swans are more prevalent in local marshes and ponds during the migration south in the fall. |
By Jim Magowan
Turnagain Times Correspondent
Trumpeter swans look big because they are big; in fact, the Trumpeter swan is the largest waterfowl on the continent.
They may not look that large sitting on a pond at a distance, but adult males average about 26 pounds and females 22 pounds. Exceptionally large males can weigh as much as 38 pounds and have a wingspan of almost ten feet.
Turnagain Arm is a stop on the migration route for some of the Pacific Coast group of Trumpeters. It is common to see Trumpeters in Turnagain Arm in late April or early May on their migration to northern nesting grounds, and from late September until the ponds freeze up in October on their migration south for the winter.
The majority of swans seen in Turnagain Arm are Trumpeters although the smaller Tundra Swan may also be seen at times.
After being almost wiped out in the Lower 48 by market hunting for meat an plumage about 100 years ago, hunting Trumpeters was stopped because they had become an endangered species. The 1990 census estimated there were over 13,000 Trumpeters and in 2001 the population was estimated at over 23,000. The conservation measures have worked, although Trumpeters were taken off the endangered list in 1968, they are still protected. The only way a Trumpeter can be hunted today is with a camera and one of the best places to “hunt’ Trumpeter swans is along Turnagain Arm during the migrations.
While hundreds of Trumpeters pass through Turnagain on their migrations few nest in Turnagain Arm.
“There is a nest in the marshy area at the end of Turnagain Arm where adults and later young swans are seen,” said Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Chris Dau noted. “There may also be some swans nesting in the 20 mile area and there are a few nests on the Kenai Peninsula.”
There are numerous fresh water ponds along the Arm where they can be seen and photographed during their migrations, but not all ponds along the north side of the Arm attract swans.
“Many of the ponds on the north side appear to be man made due to the road and railroad,” Dau said. “Many of them appear to be sterile so they do not support the aquatic plants found in natural ponds that the swans feed on.”
The spring migration is much shorter, probably because trumpeter cygnets need all the time they can get to mature before the fall migration so the adults get to the nesting grounds to start the season’s family as soon as possible.
The fall migration is much longer. Migrating swans start to show up around the end of September and have been seen at the head of Turnagain Arm as late as early November when there was a late freeze up. They frequently spend a day or two, or more, in the Arm feeding to build up energy reserves for the rest of the flight providing wonderful viewing and photographic opportunities.
Some of the best swan viewing and photography spots on the Arm are the marshy area just east of portage cut off, a pond about milepost 86, and Potter marsh. These are close to the road and migrating swans feed in these ponds with their tails sticking up as they reach down with their long necks to get underwater plants. The length of a swan’s neck determines how deep they can reach to feed so, shallow ponds or marshes where swans gather. Beyond the Arm, swans also make extensive use of the summit lakes and Tern Lake at the Sterling Highway cut off.
It is often difficult to get a photograph of a swan without getting ducks in the shot. You will often see a swan sitting on the water and rocking side to side. It is churning the water with its feet to stir up the bottom. When the swan puts its head into the water to feed, the ducks swarm around to feed on vegetation the swans have stirred up to the surface.
The interaction between the swans and the freeloading ducks is fascinating. The ducks are wary around the swans. If a duck gets too close a swan will often strike at it as the duck scurries just out of range of the long neck, only to move back in as soon as the swan goes back to feeding.
There doesn’t seem to be a great deal of research specifically on swans in Turnagain Arm, probably because they do not nest here in significant numbers.
While Trumpeters are seen and photographed on the north side of the Arm during their migrations, use of ponds on the south side of the Arm is not as well documented.
According to Dau, “There are a lot of ponds on the south side that appear to be good swan habitat, but they are not as close to the road and a boat or canoe might be needed to get to the swans. Some of these ponds would provide beautiful backgrounds for photographs.”
The photographer looking for a more unique shot might explore the south side of the Arm.