Yesterday, 9/21/2011, there were two trumpeter swans on the wetland next to our house. I like to think it was the same two that made the pond their temporary home this past spring for a week or so, before they flew north to nest in northern Canada, most likely. There is no outward way to determine the sex of trumpeter swans, so I'm just guessing on their relationship!
These are majestic birds, and even the Canada geese give them a wide berth. However, the swans seem to be content reaching down to the pond bottom to glean roots from aquatic plants. Please don't use chemicals in your yard if you are anywhere near a wetland, lake or stream - it ends up in the sediment, in the plants, and then in the birds and other animals that feed on the plants and swim in the water.
We also had a female rose-breasted grosbeak at our feeder for a few days this week, filling up for her migration south. I'm going to see if I can get our son, Ben, on here to post soon!
