A couple of years back I participated in swan counts several winters in a
row in Whatcom and Skagit county with the Trumpeter Swan Society and
Wash. Dept. of Wildlife. The Edison resident's observations are
partially correct but a bit overstated.
Most of the 200+ swans wintering on or near the Lummi Res are
Trumpeters, but not all. The 2000+ Skagit swans are more of a mix. Most
every flock will contain both species, but since there are many more wintering
Tundras than Trumpeters, it may seem like the species are segregating.
Martha Jordan is a member of the Board of Trustees of the TSS, and a
couple of weeks ago made a presentation at Padilla Bay on wintering
swans. If I can find her current address, I'll post it to the net.

On Tue, 14 Feb 1995, Nunnallee, Dave wrote:

>
> Gene Hunn wrote:
>
> "When I was up to the Skagit last, Jan. 28, I counted ca. 1100 swans on
> Fir Island and all or most were Tundras; then I encountered another
> flock of 350 or so along Chuckanut Drive nw of Mt. Vernon which seemed to
> be all or mostly Trumpeters. Does this fits others' experience this
> winter?"
>
> I was recently talking with a resident of Edison, in the Samish valley near
> Chuckanut Drive, about a large flock of swans we saw in the area. He
> maintained that Tundra Swans do not winter on the Samish Flats, and that all
> swans seen there will be Trumpeters. This does seem to fit with Gene's
> observations above. Does anyone know if this is true?
>
> Dave Nunnallee
> dnun461 at ecy.wa.gov
> Bellevue, WA
>