Status of the Trumpeter Swan in New York State

STATUS OF THE TRUMPETER SWAN IN NEW YORK STATE

Dan Carroll New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge Sub-office Casey Road, PO Box 422 Alabama, NY 14003

Bryan L. Swift New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Resources Center 108 Game Farm Road Delmar, NY 120%

'For several years now, Trumpeter Swans have been listed in Regions 2 and 6 , and now in Region 3.The species is not on the official New York State Checklist and the report usually carries the cautionary note "origin unknown ." Since such a large and imposing bird is difficult to ignore, it was decided to ask Dan Carroll and Bryan Swift of the NYSDEC to bring us up to date on the species in NY, as somewhere down the line, probably within a decade, it may be added to the official avifauna of the state. The Editor

The Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) is the largest native waterfowl in North America. It was once common throughout the northern United States, Alaska, and Canada. The historic breeding range extended in a wide band from the Bering Sea east to the Atlantic Coast and south to northern Kentucky, northern West Virginia, northern Maryland and northern Delaware. Since it disap- peared very early in the period of European colonization, this breeding range is based on limited evidence from fossil and archeological records, scarce museum collection specimens, colonial literary accounts and the records of colonial trad- ing companies. In New York State, prehistoric fossil evidence was recovered from an Orange County site (Steadman 1998), but in historic times there is unfor- tunately no specimen or substantiated record before those in this report.

At one time there were an estimated 100,000 wintering along the Atlantic Coast of North America. This bird was extirpated from the Atlantic Flyway by the early settlers almost 200 years ago. Despite dwindling numbers in the remain- ing portions of its range, the species did not receive federal protection until the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed in 1918. Even with this protection it con- tinued to decline. In 1932, when the Trumpeter Swan was first considered (but not formally declared) an endangered species, there were only 69 known individuals left in the United States.

232 The Kingbird 2000 September; 50(3) Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

The Kingbird 2000 September; 50(3) Currently there are three populations. The Pacific Coast population is the most naturally functioning with approximately 16,000 birds that breed in Alaska and winter along the Pacific Coast. The other two populations are the Rocky Mountain population of approximately 3,000 birds and the Interior population of approximately 1,000 birds. These populations contain migratory and nonrnigra- tory individuals.

Surveys have been conducted every five years since initial surveys in 1968 and 1975. Based on these surveys, the overall population in North America has increased by 26% since 1990 and over 400% since 1968. Although the species is increasing, all three populations are still considered vulnerable to various threats. The primary risk factors include lead poisoning, loss of winter habitat, habitat degradation and lack of migratory traditions.

In 1996 wild Trumpeter Swans were confirmed breeding in New York State for the first time in recent history. One pair nested at Perch River Wildlife Management Area in Jefferson County (Region 6), and another nested in a pri- vately owned wetland north of Newark in Wayne County( Region 2). Both pairs raised 3-4 young cygnets that year. For the next 3 years, these pairs (presumably the same birds, although none was marked) returned to the same locations to nest, and were successful in most years. Two additional pairs were reported in New York in 2000, a second pair at Perch River, and a new pair at Lake Como in southern Cayuga County (Region 3). Nesting by the latter pair was not confirmed at the time of this writing.

New York's first two nesting pairs are believed to have come from private col- lections, the most likely source being a private game bird breeder, located just north of Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, who has had Trumpeter Swans in his possession since 1990. The breeding pair is pinioned, but cygnets produced are free-flying and able to come and go from the property. The first breeding sea- son sighting of a free-flying Trumpeter Swan in New York State occurred near there in April 1993 (NYSARC 1995). Most trumpeters begin nesting by 4-6 years of age, so that bird, and any others released at the same time, would have been sexually mature by 1996. The second pair at Perch River may be progeny of the first pair, while origin of the pair at Lake Como is anyone's guess.

It is unlikely that trumpeters nesting in New York came from southern Ontario, where an active restoration program has been ongoing since 1982. More than 100 swans have been released there, and nearly all were wing-tagged before release. The first wild breeding pair in Ontario was confirmed in 1993, and by 1998, there were 16 wild nesting pairs. The release sites closest to New York

234 The Kingbird 2000 September; 50(3) were just east of Toronto (>lo0 miles from New York's nest sites), whereas the Wayne County breeder is only 20 miles from Newark and 60 miles from Perch River. Some of the Ontario birds have been seen in western New York during fall and winter, but to date, none have been seen in New York during summer.

In addition to nesting birds, reports of other unmarked trumpeters in New York are becoming more common. These include four swans at Montezuma in July- August 1996, two swans on Cayuga Lake near Lansing (Tompkins County) in February 1997, and a family group (no young from that year) at Montezuma in June 1998 (K. McGowan, Cornell Univ., pers. comm.). In summer 1999, we counted a total of 14 trumpeters in New York (2 adult pairs, 6 cygnets, plus 4 non-breeding subadults). Thus it appears that the local population is growing and expanding its range.

Seasonal movements of New York's nesting trumpeters are largely unknown. The Newark family group stayed near the nesting area through the winter of 1996-97 and may have in other years too. The Perch River birds may go to east- ern Lake Ontario, where swans are some times seen, but sightings have not been documented. Trumpeter Swans have not been recorded in that area during Federation Waterfowl Counts, except in 1999, when a single bird was reported.

Both the Mississippi and Central flyways have approved restoration plans for the Trumpeter Swan and several states including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa and Ohio have initiated restoration programs. These efforts are producing largely resident, non-migratory populations of trumpeters. In the Atlantic Flyway no restoration plan has been approved and only Ontario has initiated a swan restoration program.

Atlantic Flyway states, including New York, are more interested in establishing a migratory population of trumpeters. Therefore, the future of a restoration project in the flyway depends in part on results of ongoing experiments using ultra- light aircraft to teach young swans to migrate. A 1998 experiment using cygnets hatched from the eggs of non-migratory captive swans and imprinted on humans was unsuccessful. In 2000, a second experiment is planned using cygnets taken from, and imprinted on, wild migratory trumpeters in Alaska. Both of these experiments have been conducted by Environmental Studies at Airlie from Warrenton, Virginia and involve an attempt to teach swans to follow a predeter- mined migration route from western New York (near Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge) to Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. For information about that project, visit the website: www.trumpeterswans.org.

DEC currently has a "wait and see" policy towards restoration of Trumpeter

The Kingbird 2000 September; 50(3) 235 Swans in New York State. We will continue to monitor nesting and productivi- ty of wild pairs, but have not yet decided whether to encourage an active restoration program. Trumpeters may be desirable because they can displace Mute Swans (C. olor), which are not native to North America and sometimes displace other waterfowl species and attack people. Where trumpeter populations have been established, the birds generally seem to be more wary of people, have larg- er nesting territories, and have caused relatively few conflicts with other wildlife or human activities. Before any restoration is allowed, however, we will need to assess biological feasibility as well as public support.

In the meantime, it appears that our non-migratory nesting population is growing, so we may need to address this issue in the near future. We invite readers to offer their views about whether an active restoration program would be desirable. Reports of any sightings in New York State would also be appreciated.

Literature Cited

NYSARC. 1995 Report of the New York State Avian Records Committee 1993 Kingbird 45:7 1

Steadman, D. W. 1998 Bull's Birds of New York State, E.Levine ed. p.68 Cornell University Press

The Kingbird 2000 September; 50(3)