Category: Trumpeter Swans

THE K-18/19 BALLET

Tofino Birds, Tofino Wildlife, Trumpeter Swans

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I’ve been watching this group of Trumpeters for 6 years now. There are 8 Trumpeter swans in this ballet. When I first found them the male (K-19) still had his green neck ID tag on but K-18 had already lost her neck ID. When researchers captured them they put a plastic coloured neck ID on them. They also banded one of their ankles with a metal ID tag. The neck ID is designed to drop off after awhile. I am guessing that by the time the neck tag drops off the researchers would hopefully of had sightings reported. They want to know where they go? Once Trumpeters find a nice quiet relaxing spot,they will come back to it again and again.

I found out the organization ( Canadian Wildlife Service out of Whitehorse) that monitors them and reported these two Swans K-18 and K-19. I found out the researchers had banded them at Taye lake in the Yukon. They stay there during the summer and migrate to this small bay near Tsapee Narrows (one mile east of Tofino) for the winter months.

I took the above shots last Monday March 18,2019. I went camping for four days. When I came back on Thursday they had flown the coup. I assume they are on their yearly migration back to Taye lake.

 

 

This was taken from my posting of January 21,2013:

(January 23rd,2013) Received some info about K19 from Jim Hawkings with the Canadian Wildlife Service out of Whitehorse. This is what he had to say about K19…………….”Not sure if anyone else (Ruth??) has tracked this down yet, but this is one of the birds captured in Yukon Territory, summer 2003 during the captures for the satellite telemetry study spearheaded by Ruth Shea and Rod Drewien. The bird was captured on 22 July 2003 at Taye Lake, 37 miles NW of Whitehorse (band # 1939-01708). It was not marked with a satellite transmitter. This is the first recovery I know of from this bird, but Ruth (or other folks in Southern BC) may have other sightings that never made their way to the banding lab’s recovery database. The other banded bird in the group was likely K19’s mate, formerly marked with neckband K18.
Sightings such as this help us continue to piece together the migrations and relationships between breeding and wintering grounds for Trumpeter Swans and other birds.”

I shot these on January 21,2013 when K-19 still had his neck tag on.
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THE TRUMPETERS HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING………

Tofino Birds, Tofino Wildlife, Tranquil Inlet, Trumpeter Swans, Tsapee Narrows

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I went camping last week. I like to camp in Tranquil valley. Each Winter a ballet of Trumpeters stays in Tranquil. They are not like their city cousins who allow people to get close.Just the opposite,they never allow anyone to get close to them!

Forget about your “Punxsutawney Phil’s” and alike for predicting when Spring is going to arrive! Its all Hollywood show and just entertainment. If you really want to know when Spring is around the corner just watch when the Trumpeters leave!

Animals are far more in tune with Mother Natures cycles than we clueless humans are! With the Trumpeters gone from Tranquil Spring is close……..maybe 3 weeks away folks! (for this area)

Now………having said that,the Trumpeters near Tsapee Narrows (K-18/19) are still around. There are 8 in their ballet. I stopped to glass them and was around 1/2 mile away from them. They know me well! I have a distinctive white coloured boat. Even being 1/2 mile away they began to raise the alarm! They have a small spot of land they like. They began to waddle into the water and soon took to flight!20190310-IMG_8901

They’ll be leaving soon,I suspect this week. Next Winter I am going to put a trail camera down there to record their daily activities. I did go to this spot to collect some feathers however. They never seem to leave me any large feathers,just small  ones.