A message out to all birders, beginners and experts alike! I have just seen the Trumpeter Swan posting from Saturday, and am eager to inform all of you of how you can aid in our Trumpeter Swan monitoring efforts. For those of you who are unfamiliar with us, the Wye Marsh is an IBA that has been a cooperator in the Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction Program since the late 1980's, and we continue to monitor sightings of these birds in order to track their movements, individual/population health, nesting territories, and nesting success.
Should any of you or your friends sight a Trumpeter Swan, it would be very helpful if you were to document the sighting information, including: - the date and time of sighting - if the bird was an adult or juvenile (juveniles retain their 1st summer grey plumage until their second summer, then only some grey feathers linger on their neck and head) - your phone # (at your discretion) - the location of the sighting - the number of birds seen - the wing tag number (some swans reintroduced in Ontario will have yellow wing tags with black numbers) - the condition of the bird (information on a swan's symptoms of lead poisoning, a major roadblock to our reintroduction efforts in Ontario, will be outlined on our website within the coming weeks) - nest location/brood information if applicable - if it was banded (females are banded on the left, males on the right) - and any other info (other swans it is with, type of disturbance in the sighting area, etc.). You can then either phone in the information to the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre at 705-526-7809, or email [EMAIL PROTECTED] There is a lot of helpful information and facts regarding the swans and the reintroduction program on our website, www.wyemarsh.com, click on the Trumpeter Swan link. Birds I've sighted here recently include a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (January 7), a RUFFED GROUSE that makes a daily appearance in our parking lot, 60+ TRUMPETER SWANS that make the marsh home for the winter, two BLACK DUCKS, a BARRED OWL on Saturday Jan. 15 at 3:30 in our customer parking lot, two GREAT GRAY OWLS that appear at regular intervals around the centre since the irruption reached this area (last sighted Saturday Jan. 15 at 4:30pm), and plenty of the usual feeder birds. DIRECTIONS: Take the 400 North to Hwy 12 West, take 12 West for approx. 20 min, the driveway for the Wye Marsh is on the left, we share a driveway with Sainte Marie Among the Hurons, directly across the road from Martyr's Shrine. You can also take the Midland/Penetanguishene turnoff onto Hwy 93, turn right onto 12 East, pass under the railbridge, our driveway is on the right. Cheers to you all, Sarah Richer Stewardship Department
