Tundra Swans

[Larry Cowan]

Are there any numbers of Tundra Swans in the Valley at the moment & if so where?

Thanks
Larry Cowan
Pitt Mwadows

[fouram]

I spotted "Swans" from the highway 2 days ago, as I was at speed, new to birding, I was unable to figure out what they were, however I did spot them in the afternoon, (about now as a matter of fact) and they were just east of the Royalwood Golf course/Greendale Truck stop exit, on the south side of the highway--hope this may help---Al

[Gord]

Hi Larry

While tundra swans started out strong this winter, they've seemed to have dispersed or something as they seem to be few and far between. I did, however, find about a dozen of them in a large flock of over 200 trumpeter swans on Inter-Provincial Highway off #3 Rd in Abbotsford yesterday.

I think Ive noticed a trend of where we spot more tundra swans later in the winter when they start to think about heading north. I think there were at least 40 in one flock in Greendale along with a Bewick's last year.

[Larry Cowan]

Thanks for the info, it will be helpful when I do make a trip out the "Valley".

Larry

[Gord]

Speaking of tundra swans.

In the last couple days I probably looked at over 500 different swans between East Chilliwack and Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford. So far, 100% trumpeter! Last year during this time the numbers of trumpeter were similar but there were lots of tundra swans too; flocks of up to 40 birds even including a Bewick's swan.
Hmmm. They started off strongly at the beginning of winter but have since become scarce. Anyone else seen any? Do our members from the coast have any?

[fouram]

On tuesday evening, at approximately 17:30 while returning to Chilliwack, I spotted several small flocks of Swans heading roughly WNW in the (somewhat) direction of Mission, this was as I was approaching the general area of the flood control weirs prior to the Vedder River Crossing by Greendale. I can only assume that they had been somewhere in the north fields of Yarrow, or perhaps along the Vedder Canal somewhere. Also just east of Annis Road on Monday evening, fronting the highway---Al

[Gord]

Al, I bet the ones you saw at Greendale were on their way to roost on 'Goose Lake' which is just a little west of #3 Rd at the base of Sumas Mtn. I bet they were the ones on the fields just outside Yarrow. Sure nice to see them all!
The ones in East Chilliwack roost for the night on Cheam Lake (when it's not frozen) as Dave can attest!

[Deleted]

Re the lack of Tundra Swans in our area--

Several of us went to Conway, Washington (south of Mount Vernon, in the Skagit River delta) in late January to see the Whooper Swan that was hanging around there for several weeks. This is a Eurasian species similar to the Trumpeter. There were lots of swans in that area, with some estimates of well over 1000. Many of these were Tundra Swans.

I don't know for sure, but some people are speculating that because of the longer than usual period of sub-freezing temperatures in our area ealier this winter, a lot of the swans that normally spend the winter in the Fraser and Nooksack lowlands went further south to the Skagit lowlands when the farm fields around here froze over.

Perhaps some of the Tundra Swans we saw there may have started the winter around here and then moved south.

The preliminary data from the binational swan survey this winter appears to indicate that there are fewer Trumpeters in our area this winter also.

At least some of the swans that roost on Goose Lake often forage on fields on both sides of Inter-provincial Highway (rather ostentatiously named!!), north of No.3 Road, where they are easily visible from Hwy 1. Among other fields they like are some along Tolmie Rd near No.4 Rd.

Stan

[Gord]

Stan, makes perfect sense.

I know the swans locally here will move towards the coast when it gets cold and then return when it warms up. Perhaps with the couple good cold spells we had some didnt bother to come back.

Soon they'll start moving north. Maybe we'll get a look at that whooper swan!