Early Trumpeter (Cygnus buccinator) Swans on Cheney Lake

Observation by Gillian Brubaker:

I have lived on this lake since 1965. Since there was not even a lake yet. It was originally a gravel pit but after they took gravel out for building the Minnesota bypass, the pit flooded. It was because of artesian wells at the north end of the lake. Anyway, I have walked around the lake daily for 54 years and this is the earliest I have seen swans. It is actually kind of uncommon to see swans. We usually see the north golden eyes first, as far as the migratory birds. Like these, the swans are just passing through. It may be they are here because there is open water on the north side of the lake. That is where the swans were. One beautiful pair. But usually I think I have seen them in early May.

Comments from LEO Editors:

This is the second post that LEO has received about early trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) arrivals during spring of 2019. In late February, trumpeter swans returned to breeding grounds in Metlakatla.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Trumpeter Swan Species Profile, trumpeter swans nest as early in the spring as possible following thaw. Swan eggs need 31-35 days of incubation, and once hatched, the young swans need an additional 11-15 weeks until they fledge. The relatively long developmental period for young swans puts them at risk during years with an early freeze-up.

Spring temperatures across Alaska have been unusually warm. Climate Scientist Rick Thoman of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy tweeted a map of statewide temperature departures from normal. During March, Anchorage reached approximately 9 degrees above normal. Erica Lujan