Ultra-light Aircraft from
Canada to Southern Indiana
In an experimental project reminiscent of the movie Fly Away Home, a group of young trumpeter swans departed Ontario, Canada, on December 4, following an ultra-light aircraft to Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in southern Indiana. The flight is an attempt by the Migratory Bird Research Group, a team of private Canadian researchers, to establish a migrating flock of the huge birds in eastern North America. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Indiana Department of Natural Resources are providing technical assistance for the project.
Four young swans are making the 675-mile journey from Sudbury in southeastern Ontario, where researchers have been working throughout the summer and fall to teach them to follow an ultra-light aircraft. Their travel route has taken them along the east coast of Lake Huron, crossing into the United States near Detroit, Michigan. The swans will follow the aircraft south into Ohio, travel south to near Cincinnati, and then move into Indiana along U.S. Route 50. The birds final destination is Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge near Seymour, Indiana, later this week. The site was chosen for its location in the southern part of the trumpeters historical range and its ideal wintering habitat.
Although the project may seem similar to the popular movie Fly Away Home, in which Canada geese were raised by humans and taught to migrate by following an ultra-light aircraft, Wayne Bezner Kerr, lead scientist with the Migratory Bird Research Group, said this project approaches the challenge in a different way. Past efforts involving swans, Canada geese, and endangered whooping cranes have relied on birds imprinted or closely associated with human handlers. According to Bezner Kerr, some of the swans being trained were not imprinted on humans but on adult trumpeter swans after hatching last June.
Were experimenting with several groups of swans, some of which have been imprinted not on humans but on other trumpeter swans, Bezner Kerr said. We hope to learn if they will be more likely to behave like swans, maintain their sense of caution around humans, and successfully migrate back to Canada next spring.
Through a series of training steps, taking advantage of young birds desire to group together and follow a leader, they are taught to follow the ultra-light aircraft. They begin by following a floatplane across a lake, progress to taking short hops with the plane in the lead, and eventually follow the aircraft for extended flights.
Bezner Kerr says if the birds make the journey south successfully, the next milestone is whether they return to Ontario next spring to nest. This is an experiment, he emphasized. We believe the swans will home in on a geographic area they see from the air. Well find out next spring.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services regional migratory bird chief, Steve Wilds, says the Service is interested in the results of the experiment. Most trumpeter restoration is being carried out by states, provinces, and efforts of scientific organizations like the Migratory Bird Research Group, said Wilds. The Service supports efforts to reestablish species like the trumpeter swan that need special help.
Trumpeter swans were once found throughout the United States and Canada, but uncontrolled hunting and loss of habitat caused the birds to decline. Today, most trumpeters are found along the Pacific Coast, migrating from Alaska, along coastal British Columbia to southern Washington. Some trumpeters are also found in Great Basin regions of Alberta, Washington, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming. In the Midwest, they once ranged as far south as Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Restoration efforts are underway in several areas including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario.
Because their flightpath will take the trumpeters through areas where waterfowl hunting seasons are underway, the Service and DNR officials are cautioning hunters to be on the lookout for the huge white birds to avoid accidental shootings. Trumpeter swans are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, as well as by state and provincial laws.
Swans are so much larger than other waterfowl that it is almost impossible to mistake them for sport-hunted birds. We encourage all hunters to make sure of their target before shooting to avoid harming this protected species, said Gary Doxtater, Director of the Indiana DNRs Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Trumpeters are one of three swan species found in North America, along with the tundra swan and the non-native mute swan. Trumpeters, named for their deep, resonating calls, are the largest waterfowl in North America and the worlds largest swan species. Though similar in appearance to tundra swans, trumpeters are nearly twice their size, weighing about 30 pounds and sporting an 8 foot wingspan. Trumpeters plumage is entirely white, and they have jet-black bills and feet.
The trumpeters final destination, Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, is a 7,724-acre refuge administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuges lakes, ponds, and wetlands, which usually contain open water throughout the winter, provide an excellent endpoint for the experimental migration and a good place for the swans to spend the winter, according to Kerr. In addition, Muscatatuck has had little waterfowl hunting in the past, so spent lead shot, which is toxic to swans and other waterfowl, has not accumulated on the refuge. Muscatatuck personnel will monitor the birds throughout the winter and provide information to the Migratory Bird Research Group on the swans activities.
Birdwatchers, hunters, and others who spot a trumpeter swan in southern Indiana this fall and winter are encouraged to contact the Research Group via e-mail at mike_oliver@mail.fws.gov or 812-522-4352. In addition, the birds progress throughout the winter can be monitored on the Internet by accessing either the DNRs website at www.state.in.us/dnr/fishwild/index.htm or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services site at http://midwest.fws.gov
