Archive

Biologist's Notebook from Sam Lawry, Director of Conservation

Tundra Swans Observed on The Teller Reveal a Longtime Connection

In early December 2007, I observed five Tundra Swans on The Teller. The two adults and three juveniles remained for nearly one week, loafing and feeding on aquatic vegetation on Teller wetlands and neighboring properties, including the Tucker Crossing Ranch. One of the adults was wearing a blue neck collar marked "K108." After researching the origin of where and who had placed the collar on the swan, it was determined that the adult male swan had been collared in July 2007 northeast of Bethel, Alaska, on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

Upon further research, I was amazed to learn that a former colleague, Dr. Craig Ely, is the individual who placed the collar on this swan! Ely and I spent time early in our careers near Davis, California, where Ely was earning his doctorate in waterfowl biology, while I was working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service studying Northern Pintails. I hadn't corresponded with Ely for nearly 15 years when this male swan flew over 2,100 miles, connecting the two of us again.

Ely told me that the bird was collared as a part of a study to learn more about the timing of migration and movements relative to the breeding area of Tundra swans. It is suspected that this family group of swans left the Teller and moved south to the Salt Lake area, which subsequent sightings might reveal.

The Tundra Swan, formerly known as the Whistling Swan, is slightly smaller than its cousin the Trumpeter Swan. Adults can weigh up to 18 pounds and have a body length of nearly 52 inches. The yellow patch on the bill distinguishes the Tundra from the Trumpeter. We hope the two adults of this family group will return to Alaska this spring, raise another group of cygnets and return to The Teller wetlands in 2008.