B.C.’s swan spectacle grows

The Nechako River Migratory Bird Sanctuary is an important stop for birds heading north to Alaska and the Yukon. While nearby lakes remain frozen, Vanderhoof’s open water gives swans a crucial place to rest and feed. During the day, they search for food in local farm fields and return to the river at night.

Keen says the number of swans has steadily increased each year over the past decade. Even small yearly gains add up quickly for a species with few natural predators and no longer hunted.

“Even if it’s a four per cent increase in numbers every year, it starts to build up,” he said. “The last ten years I’ve been going there, the numbers seem to build up each year.”

The swans’ recovery is especially impressive given how close they came to vanishing. In the 1930s, fewer than 70 wild trumpeter swans remained in North America after years of hunting for their white feathers. Conservation efforts, including feeding programs in the Nechako Valley and creating protected areas, helped their numbers grow.

Today, up to 5,000 swans can be seen at Riverside Park in a single day during peak migration. This usually takes place from late March to early April and again in the fall.

Keen believes this spectacle remains largely unknown and thinks it is only a matter of time before filmmakers discover it.

by Dave Branco

B.C.’s swan spectacle grows

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