Skip to content

Mores swans released in Callander Bay

Dr. Kevin O'Grady, former Chairman of the LNPC releases the first of six trumpeter swans to Callander Bay as Harry Lumsden, Ontario Program Director looks on.




























Dr. Kevin O'Grady, former Chairman of the LNPC releases the first of six trumpeter swans to Callander Bay as Harry Lumsden, Ontario Program Director looks on.
____________________________________________________________

Close to 100 people braved the rain Sunday to watch Harry Lumsden and volunteers from the Lake Nipissing Partners in Conservation release another six trumpeter swans into Lake Nipissing, at Callander Bay.

"It's truly a privilege for the people of the District of Nipissing to participate in such a tangible way to the reintroduction of such a magnificent bird to Ontario, and to the Lake Nipissing ecosystem in paticular," said Jean-Marc Filion, chairman of the LNPC Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction Committee.

Three males and three females were released contrary to last year,when most of the introduced birds turned out to be male, Lumsden said.

"We brought up the first six birds we caught in the holding pen, and it was just chance that we ended up with an even split this year," said Lumsden, lead biologist of the Ontario Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction Program.

Lumsden said pair bonds are formed in the winter when the birds migrate south and gather in large numbers, so the sex of the birds released is not of critical importance.

Ten of the 14 Trumpeter Swans introduced last year to the area are still alive, Lumsden said.

Two pairs of swans are presently attempting to nest in the Callander Bay marsh and Wade’s Landing area respectively.

One of the all-male pair--they were transported to Burlington by truck after refusing to migrate last December--is staying south for the summer and one bird is attempting to mate with a female he discovered in the Burlington area.

Meanwhile a couple of bachelors have set up shop for the summer near Restoule and Golden Valley, to the delight of the area citizens.

One lone swan has chosen to remain in Magnetawan after its mate was accidentally killed when she hit a wire while toning up her muscles last spring in preparation for the migration back to Lake Nipissing.

‘Callander Boy’, a swan released in 2002, migrated to Burlingron Bay from Lake Nipissing last December.

"In late March, he migrated north with a new-found-love to an area as yet unknown . . . but we fully expect to see him back in Burlington with his new young family come December”, said Bev Kingdon, who recently received special recognition at the Wye Marsh for 15 years of volunteerism with the Ontario Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction Program.

The public at large is encouraged to participate in Ontario’s Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction program by phoning in swan sightings to 705-476-9665, Filion said.

Please record the wing tag number (if any) and the exact location and date of the sighting. Reintroducing the largest and most majestic of Canada’s waterfowl is truly a community affair.

Thanks to Jean-Marc Filion for the pictures.