Witnessing Trumpeter Swans In the Wild Is A Conservation Triumph — Now It’s Our Turn To Act

Get out there and Explore No Matter the Weather

Monotony is the harbinger of death when you are a person who thrives on the jolt of discovery. I am constantly searching for novelty, beauty, and the deeper stories behind the built and natural world. Living with me is probably exhausting, but I’m not going to stop until I’m dead. I bet my husband wished he’d realized before popping the question! Yet, even people like me, who thrive on seeking out what’s behind every corner, can become less than enthralled when it’s “Stick Season”. It was during this time when my friends was staying over and I had to decide on the best locale for a day of photography. 

National Wildlife Refuges Are Exceptional Locations for Bird Photography

Luckily, I live about an hour from a few amazing National Wildlife Refuges (NWR), Little Pend Oreille NWR and Turnbull NWR, where I frequently capture images of all manner of bird and mammal species. Turnbull won out this day as it is closer and has the added advantage of potential moose sightings. 

I didn’t expect to see much more than a few juncos, possibly a porcupine on this trip, which made it even more exciting when I heard a unique cacophony as I got out of my car.

In one of the few ponds, just beginning to thaw, I saw a flock of huge white swans. They were bobbing their heads and flapping their wings, all while trumpeting receptively. The sight and sounds of these magnificent birds had me holding my breath.

Ethical Photography is Conservation Photography

I huddled under a tree with a view through the cattails as my friend chose to maneuver to a different vantage point. My main goal, when I come across wildlife, is to not change their behavior. No image is worth causing an animal to burn calories unnecessarily. Not knowing these swans tolerance for humans, I didn’t want to risk scaring them off with any sudden movements or getting too close, causing them to feel threatened.

Hunkering down, thankful I remembered my gloves, I  watched them greet the new swans joining their flock from the West with head bows and wing flaps that brought the tops of their bodies out of the water. Their wingspan was enormous! The magnificent sounds began again in earnest as the new swans landed in the water, followed by more head bowing.  After watching for a bit, I began to notice they were together in pairs. Their large heads perfectly balanced on their stick-straight necks.

Use Your Photographs to Dig Deeper into a Subject

As my heart rate slowed down, I realized I had shot with settings from a long-forgotten moment and altered them to get the desired effect. You see, Trumpeter swans are not only white, they are a brilliant white. The sky was gray and they were surrounded by snow, also white, creating very challenging exposure conditions.  I didn’t want to blow out the whites and lose the data necessary to bring up contrast in post production. I wanted to give myself the ability to push the contrast a bit to help delineate the feathers from their body. I took a breath and gave myself a gentle reminder to check my settings sooner next time.

Eventually, all the swans took off and my friend and I met up again, elated to have witnessed such an incredible sight. We thought the swans were Trumpeter swans but we weren’t 100% sure. This happens often as I take pictures, which is another reason I prefer pictures over binoculars. The biodiversity of life is sometimes obvious and many times can be subtle. Having images for reference for the many things you didn’t know to look until you open your book or app has helped me learn the names of many creatures. 

After a bit of sleuthing at home, I learned we had been watching Trumpeter swans. This would have been a common sight for early settlers who would have regularly seen them gracing the skies and feeding in wetlands. Something we only saw thanks to years of restoration work carried out by numerous biologists, conservation groups, private landowners, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife service (USFW).  Through my reading, I learned about the decline of the Pacific Flyway population and the ups and downs of the USFW Trumpeter swan recovery efforts. 

Wildlife and Their Habitats Need Us More Than Ever

Over time, the MBTA has become one of the oldest and most important laws for protecting migratory birds.  The Trump Administration, as of February 28, 2025 has weakened the MBTA to protect the energy industry, which could encourage disastrous and irreversible population level disturbances as financial penalties are lifted for purposeful or inadvertent bird mortalities.

We need to lessen the quagmire of permitting to achieve climate goals, but that’s not what the Trump Administration had in mind with this legal reinterpretation. Trump has stated he doesn’t believe climate change is a real problem. The Trumpeter swan would certainly disagree if it was able and all the more reason we need to be vigilant to ensure species have the continued protections required for their existence. 

Reader, thanks for staying with me for all of these musings. As you have likely figured out, I have discovered much more information than I’ve shared about these incredible birds. If you’re interested, it’s out there. Enjoy!

If you feel inclined, I’d love to hear your wildlife encounter stories.