By Wilson Kerr — Columnist
Standing on the water’s edge, I was concentrating hard. Over and over, I cast my 9-weight fly rod. I was fishing the annual Martha’s Vineyard Derby, and it was a gorgeous, bright fall morning on the Vineyard’s North Shore. Something told me to look up, to my right, down the beach. And there it was.

Flying toward me, about 30 feet up, was the largest and heaviest bird species in North America. Its wingspan was nearly 10 feet across, and slow deliberate wingbeats conveyed both power and total control. I stood in awe, as my forgotten fly line tangled in the waves at my feet.
I was looking at a trumpeter swan.
Some animals stand out; they just do. In wildlife preservation circles, these species are called “charismatic megafauna” and are used to fundraise and generally increase awareness about conservation issues. Tiger cubs frolicking on the grass while an adoring tigress mother looks on. Bison grazing free on the prairies with mountains looming behind them. A humpback whale breaching in a spray of white foam against a blue tapestry of ocean. A bald eagle soaring over the landscape. You get the idea.
I’d put swans in this category. Pure white and very large, they are distinctive and easy to spot. More exciting than smaller drab-colored ducks, seeing a swan as I drive usually elicits enough excitement for at least an “uh-huh, cool” and a glance up from my girls.
A regal bearing
Swans also have symbolic meaning that raises them on the scale regarding animals most people appreciate. Long associated with royalty, inner beauty and wisdom, they are emblematic birds. Two facing each other create the shape of a heart, and swans have long been seen as a symbol of love and devotion.
But for those who are inclined to look deeper, there is an inconvenient truth about swans that deserves to be told. In fact (as uncomfortable as it is to acknowledge), most swans we see here in New England are introduced, invasive, and ecologically detrimental invaders that are pretty to look at but bad news, ecologically speaking.
They are mute swans, easily identified by their orange beaks, and were introduced in the mid-1800s from Europe and Asia, as ornamental waterfowl for gardens and ponds. Some escaped and started breeding in the wild. Why is this a problem? Because mute swans are among the most aggressive species of waterfowl. They are bullies.
When a pair takes up residence on a body of water, they attack and often drown other species of native ducks and geese (adults and young alike), to limit competition for food and space. And yes, they are far more aggressive than the much larger native trumpeter swans.

Diminishing populations
Uncontrolled hunting and the domination of bodies of water by aggressive mute swans impacted native trumpeter swans to the point that there were just 70 known pairs by 1933, most of them hiding in and near remote hot springs near Yellowstone National Park.
Miraculously, extinction was narrowly avoided by a successful reintroduction program (using a remnant population discovered in Alaska), and thankfully, trumpeter swans have rebounded from the brink. There are an estimated 50,000 in the U.S. today. This is a tiny fraction of their historic population, and introduced non-native mute swans vastly outnumber them — so much so that increasingly, states must control mute swan numbers. Some even have hunting seasons. As their name implies, they do not have a distinct call — more of a raspy quack.
Trumpeter swans, on the other hand, have a beautiful horn instrument-like call. They usually mate for life, and females incubate 4-6 eggs in a unique way by covering them with their huge webbed feet. They turn them every 20 minutes or so to ensure uniform warmth. Baby swans are called cygnets and can swim on their own in just a few days.
As was abundantly clear to me that day on the Vineyard, trumpeter swans are simply massive. They are the largest species of waterfowl on Earth, weighing up to 30 pounds. Because it can be hard to judge size at a distance, another way to easily identify trumpeters from mute swans is that they hold their necks straight up, unlike the slouched bent necks of the invaders.
All swans are graceful and majestic, but now you know that there is a distinction between species when it comes to ecology and impact on native species. Though they’re fairly rare in New England, I hope you are lucky enough to see a native trumpeter swan (look for a black beak) while spending Time Outdoors. I was, and I will never forget it.
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Wilson Kerr lives in Concord and is an avid outdoorsman and amateur naturalist. This monthly column is written to help grow awareness of the wonders of nature. In this increasingly fast-paced and technology-packed world, it is important to stop and take in the beauty of our area and the animals that inhabit it. The author hopes this column will be read by families and used as a teaching tool and that you will spend more… Time Outdoors.
