The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is searching the continent for information about trumpeter swans as part of an effort to document where the swans are, and the condition of the birds. The Department is particularly looking for sighting reports from the months of August and September.

Trumpeter swans are threatened, and the DNR wants to help the bird continue to recover.

According to the DNR, the Eastern Upper Peninsula has the highest concentration of trumpeter swans in Michigan, with additional populations found in the northeast and southwestern Lower Peninsula.

Trumpeters have been released or migrated to other places like Gogebic and Ontonagon counties in the western Upper Peninsula, Manistee and Mason counties in the northwest Lower Peninsula, and Washtenaw County in the southeast Lower Peninsula.

"Trumpeter swans in Michigan represent a remarkable conservation success story," said Todd Hogrefe. "The reintroduction program has restored a component of Michigan's natural heritage, which had been missing for more than a century."

Historically, trumpeter swans nested in wetlands across much of the continental United States, including Michigan. By 1885, commercial and sport hunting and wetland destruction had eliminated trumpeter swans from the state. By 1900, the trumpeter swan was considered extinct throughout its range. Decades later, however, two previously unknown populations were discovered in the Rocky Mountains and Alaska.

Wildlife offices began working to restore the species to Michigan in the late 1980s. From 1989 to 1991, trumpeter swan eggs were collected from pairs maintained by zoos and from wild pairs in Alaska. The eggs were hatched and young were reared in captivity for two years at Michigan State University's Kellogg Biological Station. The first trumpeters were released in Michigan at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Rifle River Recreation Area, and MSU Kellogg Bird Sanctuary.

In 1992, the planted birds began to successfully nest and rear their own offspring, representing the first natural reproduction of the species in Michigan in more than a hundred years. Since then, additional birds have been released, and their population has grown dramatically. In 2004, 655 trumpeter swans were counted during the late summer survey.

The DNR is asking the public to help in its annual census by reporting any trumpeter swans they observe.

Both trumpeter swans and mute swans live in Michigan. To avoid confusing trumpeters with mute swans, which are not native and will not be counted, citizens should familiarize themselves with the differences between the two species:

*Trumpeters have a black bill with a red line on the upper edge of the lower bill, and the head is wedge-shaped.

*Mute swans have a bright orange bill and a distinctive black knob on the forehead.

*Trumpeter swan necks are kinked at the base and often form a 'C' curve.

*Mute swans tend to hold their necks in an 'S' curve with their bills pointing down.

*Trumpeter swans have a loud, resonant, trumpet-like call.

*Mutes are generally silent but can issue a variety of grunts, snorts, and whistles.

Photographs and additional information on trumpeter and mute swans can be found at the MSU Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Web site at www.kbs.msu.edu.

Observers should submit reports to the following individuals, based on the location of the observation: in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, call Kristie Sitar with the DNR at (906) 293-5024; in the Western Upper Peninsula, call Alisa Bartos, USDA Forest Service at (906) 265-5139, extension 33, or Brian Bogaczyk, with the USDA Forest Service at (906) 932-1330, extension 509.

When submitting reports, be prepared to provide the specific location and date of observation. Information on single swans, pairs, pairs with young, and flocks with three or more swans will be useful. Only observations made during late summer 2005 should be reported.

This project is funded by the Nongame Wildlife Fund, which is supported by citizen contributions.