(Photo | Pixabay)
A new adult male Trumpeter Swan was released onto Lake Aspen in Sunriver on the afternoon of Monday, May 13. The new swan is intended to be a mate for Grace, the resident female swan on the lake, whose previous mate, Chuck, was illegally killed on Thanksgiving Day, 2017.
The new male swan, who is unnamed at this time, was transferred from W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Bird Sanctuary in Michigan after recovery from a left wing injury left him unable to fly. “We are excited for the opportunity to help the Nature Center and Oregon project. It’s fitting that Grace’s new mate would come from the Kellogg Sanctuary, since Chuck also spent time here before ending up in Sunriver,” said Sara DePew-Bäby, animal caretaker at the Michigan Sanctuary. The new swan is an adult but his exact age is unknown.
Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory has hosted Trumpeter Swans since 2013. The Sunriver swans join a handful of other breeding pairs in Oregon whose offspring are typically released
into the wild at Summer Lake Wildlife Area. “We are hopeful that Grace’s young will survive to breed in the wild and contribute towards a self-sustaining Trumpeter Swan flock in Oregon,” said Gary Ivey of the Trumpeter Swan Society.
The pair of swans can be viewed from the shores of Lake Aspen on the campus of Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory. Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory is currently open to visitors Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Naturalist-guided walks to view the swans will be offered daily at 10:30am beginning Wednesday, May 15 through Sunday, May 19.