Trumpeter Swans
A short walk down the lane from Grandpa’s Cabin you can often experience a sight that not many years ago would have been very rare. In the 1966 edition of Birds of North America, published by Golden Books of New York we read “This largest swan, recently close to extinction, is now increasing in Yellowstone Park, Wyo., in Red Rock Lake, Mont., and in parts of the Canadian Rockies.” The Trumpeter Swan has called Island Park home for a very long time. The Snake River flowing through the greater Yellowstone area is ideal habitat for this majestic bird and has played a key role in saving them from near extinction. The warm springs that feed the shallow river keep it open from ice year round allowing the birds to feed on the bottom even in the winter.
The Trumpeter, a white swan when mature has an all black bill and black facial skin that touches the eye. It can be distinguished by the lack of color on its bill and facial skin from the Mute and Tundra Swans. Look for a long straight neck and the head held high. It has a loud call that can be heard for miles. Listen for a high pitched whistling “Kow-Wow.”
The conservation efforts to protect this bird have been a huge success. The swans can now be found in the winter in Canada, Alaska and along the Pacific, and year round in Island Park, Yellowstone National Park and Red Rock Lake. The best part is they can be seen with a short 5 minute walk down the lane from Grandpa’s Cabin.
A stay at Grandpa’s Cabin is and excellent opportunity for bird lovers and anyone to see this once endangered swan and to hear it whistle in the early morning.
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