Written by Gary Ivey, Photo by Dan Streiffert
February is known to be the best month to see swans at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Large numbers of Tundra Swans are working their way north and can be found in open water areas of the refuge such as Benson Pond, Buena Vista, and Dredger Ponds. They are joined by smaller numbers of migrating Trumpeter Swans.
The Good News is that the number of migrant Trumpeter Swans stopping at Malheur NWR has been increasing over the past 20 years. In the late 1990s, migrant trumpeters were very rarely encountered, while in recent years, Refuge staff have counted peaks of around 100 trumpeters. This co-staging provides birders an excellent opportunity to see the two species together, for comparison.
The Bad News is that the Refuge’s resident population of trumpeters is at high risk of extinction. As of last summer, only 2 trumpeters remained at Malheur, and both are females (mother and daughter). The previous year there were 3 adult females at Malheur, but over the winter last year (2020-21), one of Malheur’s females was found in the company of a male at Summer Lake Wildlife Area, raising hope that she would return to Malheur with a mate. She and her prospective mate have not been seen for over a year.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with The Trumpeter Swan Society are continuing the Trumpeter Swan Restoration Program through annual releases at Summer Lake, and have recently discussed expanding releases to include Malheur to help recover the Refuge trumpeter flock. Historically, Malheur peaked at just over 80 resident trumpeters and swans nested on about 30 sites on the Refuge.
As these plans are developed, the Friends of Malheur Refuge will be engaged and help to support such restoration efforts through your contributions.
