Martha & Tweets,



I am so sad to learn of the juvenile trumpeter swan found near Pine
Lake.? My reporting of the swans on December 20 was the first time
since I've lived here that we've seen them on the lake.



I would like to further report that we (myself, my parents and
children) observed the swans when they arrived, and shortly thereafter,
we noticed that one of the juveniles was unable to keep up with the
rest of the swans. This swan kept getting separated, unable to keep up
with the others. When I saw them depart Pine Lake around 3:00 p.m. on
December 22, there was one juvenile missing from the original seven.? I
believe it is possible the swan was already sick when it arrived on
Pine Lake.



That being said, I know first hand of the dangers of the fishing gear
left behind on this lake. In the summer of 2004, we rescued a Bullocks
Oriole that was tied to its nest by fishing line, and was unable to
fledge with its siblings. I reported this incident here on Tweeters,
and posted photos. In recent years, now that gas motors have been
banned on Pine Lake, the number of those fishing during the season have
dropped dramatically. Still, there are plenty of folks fishing from the
dock (which is now gone). Nonetheless, my son reports that there continues to be a ton of fishing debris in the waters at Pine Lake Park.



Linda Davey

Sammamish, WA








-----Original Message-----
From: Martha Jordan <swanlady at drizzle.com>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 1:46 pm
Subject: [Tweeters] Pine Lake trumpeter









Hello all,?

? Great to hear of the wide spread distribution of swans during this
frozen season.?

For those of you who have reported or called about the trumpeter swan
juvenile found wandering the streets next to Pine Lake:?

It has been captured, I took care of it before getting it to the right
caregiver. After an x-ray it was determined the swan had ingested fishing
gear, likely at Pine Lake. It appears to be a leader, lead weight and more.
The blood work indicated an infection and likely the beginning of lead
poisoning from the fishing sinker. The swan was in a lot of pain and was no
longer able to stand.?

The swan was euthanized today. This is an interesting case. I will post
more as we learn more about the nature of the gear or other things of
scientific interest.?

? A special thanks to Tony Fuschs at Puget Sound Energy--he found the
bird, and on a really bad weather day got it from Sammamish to Everett and
then helped get the right supplies for emergency care.?
?

Martha Jordan?

www.swansociety.org?
?

"Perception is your sense of reality,?

Perspective is your grip on reality." ?

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