by Elaine Caton, Blackfoot Challenge Bird Program Coordinator
In early April I counted 26 trumpeter wwans feeding and resting in this small ranch pond near Ovando. They included a swan whose code on its red collar told me it was one we had released in the Blackfoot in 2021—one of the last four swans released as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Blackfoot Challenge swan restoration project. When we started the restoration in 2005, there were no swans living in the Blackfoot, although one pair had attempted to nest here in 2003. To see all of these swans on the pond in April filled me with joy and with gratitude to all the people who made it possible.
First among those is USFWS biologist Greg Neudecker, who conceived of and shepherded the project, putting in countless hours of work and, I imagine, losing just as many hours of sleep over it. Restoring a species once it is gone is generally expensive, time consuming, and filled with uncertainty. Over 16 years’ time we released 218 young, captive-raised swans in order to reach our goal of at least seven successful nests for at least three consecutive years. Thanks to Greg’s dedication and fundraising, as well as the wonderful support of Blackfoot landowners who “hosted” swans on their ranches, and the countless people who helped us keep track of them, we reached that goal in 2021. These days, from below Roger’s Pass down through Greenough and up the Clearwater, and even beyond into the Swan Valley, residents and visitors are greeted by the sight of these fairytale birds in lakes and wetland ponds.
In times of unprecedented drought in the Blackfoot, however, some of the habitats our swans rely on are drying up. Some smaller wetlands are completely dry, and the shallow edges of lakes and ponds where swans feed on aquatic plants are now bare dirt. As climate change brings new challenges to swan survival, generous acts of conservation by landowners and others will be as vital as ever in helping these birds hang on in our watershed.
If you’d like to learn more about swan restoration the Blackfoot — or other bird life, contact Elaine at elaine@blackfootchallenge.org.