Swans on the Line

Swan populations have stabilized, but new threats are still facing the Pacific coast population.

By Rosalie Potvin | Photos by Adelle Tower

March 16, 2022

The bright white bodies of swans stand stark against the fields where they lounge. The dozens of swans in the flock spend their time preening their feathers or digging for potatoes. Although it may be considered a “small” flock, it’s actually a healthy population.

As trumpeter and tundra swans convene on their Washington winter feeding grounds, which stretch from southern Pierce and Thurston County to northern Whatcom County, teams of volunteers conduct annual swan surveys to keep track of the birds. With a tumultuous history in Western Washington, these picture-perfect flocks owe their comeback to the humans working hard to cultivate successful conservation efforts. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), along with people from the energy and conservation fields, have been working together to monitor and restore swan populations to their former glory.

As teams take to the field, they count trumpeter swans and their less common tundra relatives. They are already familiar with many of these birds; some have been rehabilitated, collared and released back into the wild. Others are new and unmarked. More than 3,000 unknown birds were counted in last year’s swan survey, a positive indication of their steadying numbers, according to data from the WDFW.

These swan surveys are conducted annually, sending teams of people to Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties. Daniel Zimmerman, a WDFW swan biologist, noticed a slight southward shift in swan distribution this year.

“There were fewer birds [in Whatcom] than normal, and there’s a lot more… in Skagit,” Zimmerman said. Conditions like the flooding in November and the cold temperatures this December are likely to blame.

These swans belong to the Pacific Coast population, migrating from their summer homes west of the Yukon River in Canada. Swans that nest on the east side of the Yukon River belong to the Rocky Mountain population, spending their winters in states like Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

Today, the Pacific Coast swan populations have stabilized at 17,000 birds, but 40 years ago, their numbers were as low as a couple hundred.

Martha Jordan, the executive director of the Northwest Swan Conservation Association, partners with the WDFW every year to help conduct these surveys. Jordan, who’s been involved in swan conservation since the 70s, helped standardize swan data collection and applied the new method to over 30 years’ worth of survey information.

“It’s comparing apples to apples,” Jordan said.

It’s taken years of conservation work to reach these stable populations. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed in 1916 between Canada and the U.S., granting swans federal protection by prohibiting hunting, capturing, transporting or selling migratory birds along with their eggs and nests. These protections helped, but the species was still threatened by other hunting practices.

In Washington state, it is illegal to hunt waterfowl with lead shot, but lead left over from years of hunting is still accessible and poisonous to swans while they forage for food deeper in the ground, according to a study published in The Condor.

Ingesting even the smallest amount of lead can be lethal to birds, and birds like eagles can be poisoned if they consume lead-contaminated animals. This threat reared its head when there was a spike in swan deaths at Judson Lake near Lynden, Washington, in winter of 2021. After a short hiatus from the area, swans came back to Judson Lake, but without any equipment or management action to keep them off the lead hotspot, about 135 swans died in a week and a half, Jordan said.

Spurred by this incident, the WDFW and Canadian Wildlife Service worked with Jordan to put up poles and bright polyester tape to prevent swans from visiting the area. Since then, swan mortality has been lower than Jordan can remember in the last 25 years.

Along with deadly lead debris, powerline collisions have also been a leading cause in swan deaths. Now, power companies like Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and Snohomish Public Utility District (PUD) have dedicated programs to reduce the death toll.

Melvin Walters, the head of PSE’s avian protection program, showed the bird-friendly equipment the company uses. Reflective markers are hung along the power lines, making them more visible to swans and other birds. The reflective markers are up to 70% effective at preventing collisions, Walters said.

Underground power lines are also used to prevent birds from colliding with electrical equipment, but it’s an expensive process to bury the power lines, making it less common than other strategies, Walters said.

About 20% of swans that collide with power lines have lead poisoning, Walters said. Sick swans may have a harder time flying and are more likely to crash into power lines and poles. A hotline has been established for people to report collisions or other swan related incidents and can be reached at (360) 466–4345, ext. 266. Reported dead birds are collected to prevent other animals from eating the lead-infected carcass.

Not everyone started their swan conservation efforts with the birds in mind. But people from multiple counties and across different fields now work together to learn more about these animals. They also work with the community: farmers — whose crops are ideal feeding grounds, individuals who report sick or injured swans and other scientists dedicated to protecting this species.

The upcoming Tundra Swan Festival occurs on March 20, 2022, in Cusick, Washington, and offers interactive presentations, workshops and speakers all dedicated to informing the public about Tundra swans. Committed birdwatchers, environmentalists, scientists and anyone interested can come together to learn more about these once scarce but now thriving majestic creatures.

Rosalie Potvin is an environmental science major at WWU, trying her hand at environmental journalism and enjoying this unique perspective on conservation issues.