Dear Ed, the Trumpeter Swans first showed up in Seattle in numbers
four winters ago, when we had that big snow. It drove a flock of swans
and Snow Geese down to Union Bay. The Snow Geese didn't stay, once the
snow melted, but the swans did. There were 11, including 3 juveniles.
The flock spent the entire winter with us, and Union Bay is where
those babies grew up. We are their winter home.

I believe these same 3 juveniles have kept returning in the winter.
The next winter after that snow, 3 adults spent all their time with
us. The winter after that, 6 did so (our 3 plus spouses?).

Now this winter, we've had 19, including 4 juveniles and sometimes 1
or 2 Tundras. I haven't been able to distinguish "our" 3 in this
gigantic flock, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were in there. We
are still their winter home, where they grew up.

Unfortunately, the flock fled Union Bay during the snow/ice storms,
and they haven't come back. I think they've gone to Juanita Bay,
although you JB folks should weigh in. I think you have your own sets
of swans, too. Union Bay has become a bit unfriendly for swans at the
moment, partly due to the ginormous pile driver that is driving 60-
foot pilings into the field on the west side of the Fill. The pilings
are going to support a kind of floating race track for the UW
Athletics Dept. You may have read that the remodeled Husky Stadium
design calls for fan boxes to be built at playfield level close to the
football action, resulting in the exile of the track from Husky
Stadium. The land north of Husky Stadium, which has long been under
the aegis of the Athletics Dept. if very unstable. It consists of
garbage over a thick layer of peat. It sinks when weight is put upon
it, but it sinks unevenly. The track folks hope that by suspending a
track onto these giant metal pilings, it can be kept level. To make
sure, the construction crew is driving in a lot of pilings. The sound
of their work is piercing, like spikes being driven in your skull,
especially when atmospheric conditions bend the sound waves eastward
and southward. At times, it's so loud I've been driven away myself,
and my hearing is not as acute as the swans'. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com


On Feb 3, 2012, at 5:45 PM, dealgen at aol.com wrote:

> Tweets!
>
> Who could stay inside today? At the boating pier at Sand Point/
> Magnuson Park I had 6 Trumpeter Swans. A few hours later I had 18
> more at Juanita Bay Nature area. Since I've never seen them in
> Seattle before...how unusual is this?
>
> Ed Deal
> Seattle, WA
> dealgen AT aol.com
> _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters

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