Page 26 - HumberHappenings | Spring 2023

COMMUNITY News
DON’T MUTE THE MUTE SWANS AT
HUMBER BAY SHORES
BY BRUNO CLAUSI PHOTO BY KELLY DUFFIN
We are fortunate at Humber Bay to have two species of swans. Trum- peters are those with the all-black beaks, and Mute Swans have orange beaks.
Trumpeters are native to North America. They are being encouraged to nest in the region as part of restoration efforts after over-hunting nearly elimi- nated them more than a century ago, but they favour more pristine breeding areas and typically come this far south when seeking open water in the winter.
Mute Swans were brought to North America from Europe in the mid-1800s but have nested in Ontario for more than 60 years and over 18 generations. They do well in urban environments and a few bonded pairs make Humber Bay their home. In the spring, part of the joy is watching the pen (female) and cob (male) start their family. They have a beautiful courting ritual which involves heart-shaped neck movements and rising out of the water, chest to chest and purring, after mating. At this time, they select a site, build a nest and lay eggs. Once all the eggs are laid, the pen will incubate them for about 35 days. She would lay on the nest continuously, rarely leaving even to eat. She gets weaker over time, so towards the end, the cob will stay close by to protect her and the eggs which typically hatch in May.
Mute Swan pairs bond for life and are very good co-parents, sharing the duties of raising their young. Within 24 hours of hatching, they lead their cheeping, fluffy, grey babies into the water for their first
swim. Through the summer months they teach them how to forage for food and how to preen to keep their feathers clean and waterproof, which will be critical to their survival, especially in the winter months. In the fall they teach them to fly and by winter, the cygnets, larger now with a mix of white and grey feathers, will fly off to start their own lives.
It is a pleasure to watch this life cycle at Humber Bay Park. Unfortunately, the Mute Swan population is being con- trolled to minimise competition with native waterfowl through a “Mute Swan Management” programme. This entails coating the eggs in oil to cut off the oxygen that would normally pass through the shell to the developing cygnets. This is fatal for the cygnets and devastating for the parents. Not realising the eggs won’t hatch, the pen has been known to stay on
the nest until July when she is nearly starving but unwilling to give up on the babies she thinks will emerge.
The negative effects of Mute Swans on the ecosystem are inconclusive. Both Trumpeter and Mute Swans have become endemic to the area and should be left to divide breeding territory without human interference. Let’s continue to enjoy both species of swans and their cygnets in Humber Bay! HH
AUTHOR’S NOTE: muteswansociety.org is an excellent resource to learn more about Mute Swans. It is from this website where the information in this article is sourced.
For more information or to become
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26 HUMBER HAPPENINGS | SPRING 2023
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