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| photo by Sandy Bacon |
When I was growing
up, my family visited the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden somewhat
regularly – usually on Mother’s Day. For years, I thought of the swan as a rare
species – something one could only see at a special place -- never in the wild.
But then in the 1980s a pair of swans took up residence in “the pond” behind
our house. They -- and their successors -- have pretty much been there ever
since. Elegant, with long curving necks and a seemingly serene demeanor, they
always manage to capture our attention.
“The pond” behind
our house is actually a wide upstream portion of the Green Harbor River. It is
relatively secluded -- bordered in large part by the Hoyt-Hall Preserve, a
parcel of conservation land managed by the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern
Massachusetts. There are a few private homes along the riverbanks as well, and
also the Garretson cranberry bogs. It often feels like the swans out back are “ours,”
as there are only a few people who can see them!
It turns out that
swans are not especially rare in our part of Massachusetts, and while
technically they are an exotic species – meaning they are not native to our
region – they’re somewhat commonplace. That doesn’t make them any less captivating,
though.
Our region’s swans
are members of the species Cygnus olor
-- the mute swan. They were brought over from Europe and Asia to the United
States in the late 1800s for use as living, breathing pond ornaments in parks
and on private estates. The prevailing assumption is that some of them found
their way into the wild, and gave rise to a slowly-increasing population. Today
mute swans can be found up and down the coastline from Maryland to Massachusetts.
Here in our state, they are concentrated primarily on Cape Cod and the Islands,
with a decent number from Plymouth to Cohasset as well.
Up until the 1970s,
mute swans were indeed rare to these parts. But the Massachusetts Audubon’s
1974 Christmas Bird Count identified 200 individuals in the state, and by the
mid-eighties, there were 135 mating pairs, with closer to 600 in the winter,
due to migration. (They seek refuge in unfrozen ponds and bays.)
The mute swan is striking.
Its size alone is impressive. One of the heaviest of the flying birds, a
typical adult male weighs from 20-32 pounds and extends to 55-63 inches in
length. That’s more than five feet! The mute swan is completely white in color,
save for its orange and black bill. Despite what its name suggests, it isn’t
actually mute, but it is known to be quieter than other swan species. Still, it
grunts and snorts and sometimes makes a hoarse whispering sound, and will hiss
at predators such a snapping turtles and coyotes. Its wing flaps are loud,
though. We frequently hear “our” swans taking off in flight.
Young swans are called
cygnets. They are usually not stark white, but rather gray or off-white. The
beak doesn’t turn orange until after the first year. Cygnets make more noise
than their parents -- they will chirp and whistle and even squawk if in danger.
You may have heard
that swans mate for life. It’s a romantic notion, and true too (mute swans are
indeed monogamous), but their lifespan averages just 6-10 years. Mute swans
typically inhabit coastal ponds and tidal creeks, and often return to the same
nest year after year. They build large nests in shallow water or on islands
within ponds and lakes, foraging for materials nearby. One advantage of their
long shapely necks is their ability to harvest and feed on submerged aquatic
plants.
A female mute swan
lays eggs in April or May – 4 to 6 at a time – and then sits on them for 5-6
weeks. The male stays close-by, and when the cygnets hatch, the family stays
together for 15 weeks before the young are able to fly. The mortality rate is
high. Due to extensive predation, most cygnets do not survive.
As beautiful as they
are to behold, mute swans are not friendly. They’re protective and territorial,
and will attack even a human if it gets too close. If a mute swan senses
another creature encroaching upon its territory, it may rush at it, attempt to
bite it, or perhaps assault it with the spurs on its wings. That probably explains
why, after all these years, we’ve never seen more than one family of swans on
our pond at a time.
While state
regulations deem it illegal to hunt them, mute swans aren’t exactly a favored
species here in Massachusetts. Non-native, they are considered to be invasive
as they drive other, more welcome, species out of their natural habitats. Swans
can also be a nuisance to farmers, as they not only consume cereal crops such
as wheat, they also trample them. Swans are best left undisturbed, but if you
have a serious problem with them on your property, contact Mass Wildlife for assistance
(508-759-3406).
by Kezia Bacon
December 2015
Kezia Bacon's articles
appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local
non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance
and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For
membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at
(781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 19 years of Nature (Human and
Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mute_swan
