CHASING CANADAS - Field Notes May 19/19

The early morning air is clear and crisp as I walk the trail to the ponds. I’m in search of the Trumpeter Swan K09 and his mate 038 who have returned to this location for several years to raise their young. Warblers, Orioles and Eastern Towhees line the trail, singing ecstatically. Field and Song Sparrows join the chorus and a lone Sandhill Crane bugles in an adjacent field. Grey Catbirds expertly mimic Bluejays and Cardinals.

This is the third season I am following this family, eager to watch them raise their young. The past two years, all cygnets have survived and left with their parents to find open water once their ponds freeze. Fall is a bittersweet time of year, I experience a deep sense of loneliness upon their departure.

As I approach the ponds, the honking begins. Canada Geese have extraordinary eyesight and don’t hesitate to tell the world there is something different in their neighbourhood. They also regularly squabble amongst themselves, and today was no exception. The ruckus began the instant they spied movement on the trail. K09 was far to the back of the west pond and 038 was sitting on her nest.

Poppa Trumpeter quietly follows the honking geese. Geese and most waterfowl are naturally curious and will swim towards an unknown being as long as it poses no obvious threat. It is this characteristic which make the Nova Scotia Duck Toller an effective hunting companion, as he lures the birds close to shore. Today, apparently I’m a goose toller.

The birds glide towards the trail which is a refurbished railway track intersecting one large pond to form two smaller ponds. This allows us close proximity to the wild life and the Swans use it regularly when the cygnets are young as a resting place and a refuge to escape the hidden underwater danger of hungry snapping turtles. The ponds are spacious enough to accommodate the Trumpeters, our largest native waterfowl and the largest swan species. They require at least 100 yards to lift their heavy bodies and become airborne. Their wing span can reach over an impressive ten feet. In addition the shallow water and ample vegetation make this the perfect habitat for successfully raising a swan family.

Overhead, a new pair of Canadas are honking. The resident geese hear them and become more vocal, more animated. They circle the pond, begin their descent and then comes the excitement.

These two new geese are too much for K09. He lifts his large self and becomes airborne in seconds. He flew at the new geese, flushing them before they could land. He turns his attention to the next closest pair, flew at them and away they went. K09 then lifted once again, crossed the trail looking for noisy geese on the opposite shore. He flew and dove at those geese, who scattered. Once all the geese had been addressed, K09 lifted one more time circled the pond overhead, trumpeting his big Trumpeter voice. It was like a victory fly by. He skidded across the waters’ surface, landed and gave one more warning….he rose from the water, flapped his strong wings and trumpeted one last time….I imagine he demanded “Quiet, please”.

With that, the pond was quiet and serene. The Canada Geese were hushed, some hiding in the tall dead cedars lining the shore and others had retreated to a hayfield.

K09 quietly glided to his nest and his mate.

Restoring Peace

Chasing Canadas