Endangered creatures making Nevada a regular winter stop

Two adult and two young trumpeter swans glide along on Katy Allen Lake. The youngsters still have their gray feathers but will be white like the older swans when they reach adulthood.

By Lynn A. Wade

Nevada Daily Mail

Majestic trumpeter swans have made a habit of spending several winter weeks in Nevada, and have been swimming around Katy Allen Lake for a few weeks.

These birds, which may weigh up to 30 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 8 feet, were nearly hunted to extinction by the late 1800s because their skin was used to make ladies' powder puffs and the pristine, white feathers were used to make hats.

The trumpeter swan -- so named because its loud call resembles a blast from a trumpet -- was believed to be extinct until two nests were found in Yellowstone National Park in 1919 and by 1932, 69 of these swans were documented to live in the area of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The Midwestern population of the trumpeter swansnow totals several hundred, and is the result of relocation efforts, first started in the 1960s.

Last year, the swans were reported in several wetland areas in Missouri; and at least one in Vernon County photographed by a Nevada Daily Mail reporter was wearing a red band; and they're becoming an increasingly common sight in Missouri.

Accrding to a December 2011 report by Bill Graham of the Missouri Department of Conservation. "Agent Donald Tiller spotted trumpeter swans in Bates County with neck collars and identification numbers. Those swans are part of an effort to re-establish a trumpeter swan winter migration route between Iowa and Arkansas. Swans hatched in Iowa have been transported to release sites in Arkansas in hopes that during winter they would imprint on the area and then migrate back north in the spring."

According to the Trumpeter Swan Society's Web site, the trumpeter swan mates for life and may live for more than 20 years.

However, if one partner dies, the survivor will go on to find another mate, experts say.

Since trumpeter swans often migrate with snow geese the Missouri Department of Conservation warns goose hunters to be sure to positively identify their targets to avoid shooting the swans. Since trumpeter swans are protected by federal law, killing one -- even by accident-- can result in hefty fines or jail time.

Sightings can be reported to www.trumpetersociety.org.