The Swan Project is a multi-year partnership between The Ricketts Conservation Foundation and The Wyoming Wetlands Society to increase the number of Trumpeter Swans in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

The Trumpeter Swan is among the great, iconic birds of North America. Trumpeter Swans, however, are reluctant to fly long distances in search of new nesting sites and are unwilling to explore areas without an existing swan presence. The result is that extensive quality swan habitat in the Intermountain West remains unoccupied. 

The Swan Project's goal is to overcome these challenges through the strategic release of captive-reared birds into suitable, yet unoccupied, swan habitat, providing connectivity between current swan nesting populations in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.

By populating closely linked, ideal habitat sections, the Swan Project will be "connecting the dots," creating a single, interconnected swan population that greatly increases the population’s chance of survival.

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2019 Yellowstone National Park Trumpeter Swan Release
2019 Yellowstone National Park Trumpeter Swan Release

On 10 September 2019 we released four cygnets (young swans) onto the Yellowstone River at Alum Creek in Yellowstone National Park.

Keeping Everyone Safe
Keeping Everyone Safe

Since our previous post the snow at the rearing pond has melted away. The captive pair of Trumpeter Swans have been placed on the pond and the female is now incubating her nest, with the male in attendance.

The Breeding Season Approaches
The Breeding Season Approaches

As the days grow longer, snow and ice begin to melt and Trumpeter Swans head from their wintering grounds to their breeding sites. Young pairs, usually three to four years old, spend their first year together scouting for unoccupied habitat where they can breed in future years.

 

Rickets Conservation Foundation

Wyoming Wetlands Society