A pair of endangered trumpeter swans have successfully hatched an offspring in Indiana for the first time since modern bird-watching records have been kept. The swan family is in northeastern Indiana’s Steuben County.

 

Before 2017, sightings of trumpeter swan families in Indiana were limited to winter, with the birds breeding in other states.

Trumpeter swans have been successfully reintroduced in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada.

With breeding birds in nearby states, the natural range expansion back into Indiana was expected, according to Adam Phelps, waterfowl biologist with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish & Wildlife.

“It’s a great success story that we have habitat that trumpeter swans need to breed,” Phelps said. “With any luck, this pair will return next year to successfully hatch more cygnets (young swans).”

Trumpeter swans lay an average of 4-5 eggs per clutch. The existence of only one cygnet may indicate that predators ate other eggs or hatchlings. “It may also be that this female only successfully hatched one egg this year,” Phelps noted.

Trumpeter swans tend to return to their territories each year, and females tend to return to the site where they were hatched. Trumpeter swans are one of two native swan species in North America. The other is the tundra swan.

The exotic and destructive mute swan is also present in Indiana. Trumpeter and tundra swans can be distinguished from mute swans because they have a mostly black or all-black bill, whereas adult mute swans have a bright orange bill. Also, mute swans have a large black knob at the base of the bill that native swans lack.

However, juvenile swans are more difficult to identify because the orange coloration and black knob on the bill have not yet developed. By fall, juvenile mute swans have much lighter-colored bills than trumpeters of the same age.

Research of endangered species including trumpeter swans in Indiana is conducted by the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Wildlife Diversity Staff, which is funded primarily through donations to the Indiana Nongame Fund and federal grants.

To help endangered wildlife, donate at www.EndangeredWildlife. IN.gov and for every $5 donated, another $9 is matched in federal funds. In other words, you give $5, and wildlife gets $14.

2017 migratory bird, waterfowl seasons

The hunting season dates for waterfowl and other migratory birds, have been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) with recommendations from the Indiana DNR. As of last year, the federal regulatory cycle has been altered. Rather than two separate processes for early and late seasons, all migratory bird hunting seasons are selected together.

The seasons are based on population and habitat data gathered the year before. The dates for webless migratory game birds are:

•Mourning doves: Sept. 1-Oct. 15, Nov. 1-12 and Dec.

9-Jan. 10

•Sora rails: Sept. 1-Nov. 9

•American woodcock: Oct. 15-Nov. 28

•Common snipe: Sept. 1-Dec. 16

 

The daily bag limits for webless migratory birds are 15 mourning doves, 25 sora rails, three woodcock and eight snipe. Possession limits are three times the daily bag limits. The dates for ducks, coots and mergansers are:

•Early teal (blue- and green-winged only, statewide),

Sept. 9-24

Regular waterfowl seasons:

•North Zone: Oct. 21-Dec. 10 and Dec. 23-31

•Central Zone: Oct. 28-Nov. 5 and Nov. 25-Jan. 14

•South Zone: Nov. 4-12 and Dec. 2-Jan. 21 The daily bag limit for ducks in all zones is six, including no more than four mallards (of which no more than two can be hens), three scaup, three wood ducks, one pintail, two redheads, two canvasbacks, two black ducks and one mottled duck.

The daily bag limit for coots is 15. The daily bag limit for mergansers, separate from ducks, is five, of which no more than two can be hooded mergansers. The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.

For Canada geese, white-fronted geese, brant and light geese, the dates are:

•North Zone: Sept. 9-17, Oct. 21-Nov. 26 and Dec. 16-Feb. 11

•Central Zone: Sept. 9-17, Oct. 28-Nov. 12 and Nov. 25-Feb. 11

•South Zone: Sept. 9-17, Nov. 4-26 and Dec. 2-Feb. 11

The bag limit is five dark geese (Canada, white-fronted and brant in aggregate), no more than three of which can be Canada geese. The bag limit in September is five dark geese, all of which can be Canada geese. The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit. The daily bag limit for light geese (snow, blue and/or Ross’ geese) is 20, with no possession limit for light geese.

The dates for youth waterfowl season are:

•North Zone: Oct. 14-15

•Central Zone: Oct. 21-22

•South Zone: Oct. 28-29

Bag and possession limits are the same as the regular seasons. The youth waterfowl season is open to those age 15 and younger, accompanied by an adult. Details on the light goose conservation order will be  available later in the winter. The light goose conservation order has no bag or possession limit. A free permit is required.

 

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments may contact Jack Spaulding by email at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.