OPAS Swan Study Update

by Laura Davis and Liam Antrim

March 1, 2021

This has been an eventful OPAS swan season of reinforcing partnerships and focusing attention on critical investments in the future. As swan after swan was seen striking the power lines when departing the Kirner Pond roosting site, it was time to work decisively to get the power lines moved underground. We describe the Kirner Pond habitat and lay out the context of these power-line encounters on our Swan Study webpage. Below we share news from the busy survey season still underway, including positive partnerships with WDFW and our local farming community.

Foraging survey—Swans arrived early to our area last autumn and our teams were excited to count 200 swans already by December. Now in the tenth year of OPAS swan-foraging surveys, no year has surpassed this one. This season's average weekly count will be about 180, whereas our average count had ranged from 57 to 94 for 2011–2016 and 128 to 143 swans for 2016–2020. These are mostly Trumpeter Swans. Many of you have seen the juvenile Tundra Swans this season – as well as a lively Sandhill Crane youngster in the mix. The Tundras’ Western Population and the Trumpeters’ Pacific Coast Population use the same stopover habitats while migrating along the Pacific Flyway. We expect the young Tundras will join up with their own species on their way north.

Roosting survey—Out before daybreak once each month, several teams simultaneously count swans at known roosting sites, record dawn takeoffs and track their direction – all while sharing observations by text message. We compare these data to the daytime surveys. Our group has followed usage at seven sites this season, but with just four roosting surveys per season, it is only a snapshot. Patterns of usage and preferred usage by families are influenced by many factors including water level, forage opportunities, shelter, and disturbances like hunting activities. We can't see back into Gierin Marsh for accurate counts, so John Gussman deploys a drone to capture stills and video. His aerial photography improves the quality of our roosting surveys and increases understanding of the local wetland habitats used by swans.

*We watch the seasonal changes in the wetland habitats west of the Olympic Game Farm, here in November.—Photo: John Gussman*

*A drone-mounted camera helps us count the swans at Gierin Marsh in February.—Photo: John Gussman*

Mid-winter survey—This year, we spread our wings wide for a mid-January survey extending from Port Townsend to Neah Bay. With a regional five-year Trumpeter Swan survey delayed until next year due to pandemic protocols, the WDFW Wildlife Section Manager and the Northwest Swan Conservation Association asked us to assist with their annual mid-January survey and broaden our typical reach. Including guest surveyors, our expanded team of 15 volunteers counted 298 swans (238 adults and 60 juveniles), scouting eleven locations from Port Townsend (0), Chimacum (83), Miller Peninsula (5), Sequim-Dungeness (200), Deer Park to Fairchild Airport (0), and Neah Bay (10).

Crop protection—Thanks to our farmers and the continued conservation of local agricultural landscapes, the swans can thrive in the Sequim-Dungeness landscape with a few ponds and brackish marshes, but otherwise scarce freshwater wetland habitat. Late in November, we helped WDFW protect a carrot harvest still underway near Ward Road by placing poles with mylar streamers around the field. A dense-enough matrix of this flagging can deter swans from landing, especially in combination with hazing. While swans are protected from disturbance by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, property owners are advised to use disturbance techniques such as hazing where swans are pests. These encourage the birds to move out of the area and avoid the field in the future. When the carrot harvest was complete, we removed the poles and flagging, and the swans foraged on that field for several weeks running.

Volunteers Pam Maurides, Enid Phreaner and Bob Phreaner tape mylar flagging onto fiberglass poles. These were placed in the carrot field at the end of November and removed a month later.—Photo: Laura Davis

We are grateful for the 26 volunteers, neighbors, friends and relatives that served our efforts this year. A special heartfelt thanks to the folks near Kirner Pond who have assisted with monitoring injured swans and those who are now helping OPAS realize the vision of the swans' safe return to Kirner Pond for generations to come. About 19% of the swans visiting our area this year are first-year birds; we expect these swans, their parents, elder siblings, and the next crop of juveniles will arrive at Kirner Pond next year to a site free of the hazardous overhead power lines.

*Swans at dawn on Kirner Pond—Photo: John Gussman*

The season is drawing to a close and migration is “in the air”. If you are watching when the conditions are right, you just might catch the last flights from the fields, over the bays, and across the Strait. The swan numbers typically dwindle to a handful by the end of March and we'll keep watch for stragglers into early April. Your postings on eBird always help guide us at the season's edges.

If you are interested in watching a roost site or reporting swans outside the Sequim–Dungeness Valley area, please contact us.