Learning More About Collared Tundra Swans

As the Tundra Swans in Utah begin to make their long journeys to their breeding grounds, I wanted to do one more post about the collared Tundra Swans I’ve found. On March 2nd of this year, I found a Tundra Swan at Bear River MBR that had the collar U915, and wrote about what I found out after I reported the collared swan to the USGS Banded Bird website.

Collared Tundra Swans U974 and U961

Surprisingly, because of the certificate I was sent, I realized that I had reported two other swans with collars that were collared on the same day as U915 by the same bander. I found those two swans flying together over the marsh at Bear River MBR on March 5, 2015. Their collars were U974 and U961.

I emailed biologist Dennis Marks after I found out that he was the bander of U915, U974, and U961 and told him about the posts I had made about the collared swans I had found in 2023 and 2015. Although Mr. Marks is very busy, he was kind enough to reply to my email and he thanked me for sharing my personal accounts of all three of these swans.

Mr. Marks also wrote that “the study of these swans was funded to look into the prevalence of bird flu in this species, which has the potential to mix with other waterfowl from Asia (this first flu event came to the U.S. from Asia).”

Tundra Swans Argos satellite tracking map

In my previous post, I estimated that the Tundra Swan with collar U915 had already migrated more than 64,650 miles in his lifetime. I created a map that showed both the refuge here in Utah and where the bird was collared in Alaska. Mr. Marks sent me the map above that shows the flight paths of swans to and from their breeding grounds and where they spend time when they aren’t there.

To see an animated 2020 Argos Wildlife Tracking Tundra Swan map, click here. I thought the animated month-by-month map was interesting because I could see where the swans that visit the marshes surrounding the Great Salt Lake were banded and collared. I also liked seeing their flight path to get to Utah. In addition, I enjoyed seeing where the Tundra Swans I used to see in coastal Virginia, when I lived there, were primarily banded and/or collared by using this map.

Tundra Swan with U915 collar

But that isn’t all the helpful, delightful Mr. Marks provided me with! He also sent along a link to a video that was done the year that U915, U974, and U961 were banded and collared that I thought all of you would be interested in. I found the video fascinating. Before you watch it I want to add some information about the video that Mr. Marks wrote to me in his most recent email:

“The video explains the influenza aspect pretty well and shows the surgery for the telemetry but doesn’t really discuss much more than that. There are published and anecdotal data that show birds do better with the implanted tags than more traditional methods (backpacks and even collars) which I don’t remember being in the video and might be of interest to people wondering why the surgery.”

I hope that you all will enjoy this informative video as much as I did, which was a lot!

Video Description:

“Enter into the ultra-adventurous world of bush-pilot biologists chasing wild birds in the no-man’s-land north of the Arctic Circle. Their world is one of beauty, grit, humor and science. The tundra swans they study venture back and forth across the narrow stretch of water that separates Alaska and Russia. This east-west connection is what endangers the birds, and potentially the humans that interact with them. (Winner of the Science Award, Imagine Science Film Festival 2011)”

Male Tundra Swan with collar U915

In addition, finding the Tundra Swan with collar U915 has been a wonderful educational experience for me. Also, the fact that the two other collared swans, U974 and U961, were banded by Dennis Marks, was what caused me to reach out to him. If I hadn’t done that, I would have missed out on so much information about these incredible, large, snow-white swans.

Tundra Swan U204 Certificate

But it wasn’t just three collared swans. Way back on March 5, 2014, I spotted and pointed out another collared swan with U204 on the collar at Salt Creek WMA. It turns out that Mr. Marks was the bander for that swan I found too.

Now you know more about the four collared Tundra Swans that I found here in Utah that were banded and collared in Alaska.

But wait, there is more! This PDF has more information on the Management Plan for the Western Population of Tundra Swans. Pacific Flyway Council, care of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management for your perusal.

Life is good. Swans? They definitely make it better!

Mia

Click here to see more of my Tundra Swan photos plus facts and information about this species.