Date: 5/14/25 5:19 pm From: Doug Forsell via groups.io <djforsell...> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] Five Mute Swans on Tuesday
I spent 22 years as the waterfowl biologist for the Chesapeake Bay Program. In the early 1960s, nine mute swans escaped from a private collection in Maryland, and unfortunately they did not consider it a problem. Over 35 years the population eventually grew to over 5,000 individuals, even with control operations on State and Federal refugees.
Over a 10 year period the State of Maryland and the US Fish & Wildlife Service spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars on litigation, surveys, studies to prove what was obvious to anyone who went out in the Bay, that they were eating enormous amounts of submerged aquatic vegetation, and finally to eradicate them. Money that could have been spent helping native wildlife.
Mute swans can be very aggressive in defending their nests and can knock over canoes and attack people. Every spring we would have numerous calls from people who could not use their docks, yards, or waterways near their houses. Some had to carry a baseball bats or golf clubs to defend themselves. I believe the mute swans also displaced about 10,000 to 15,000 of our tundra swans causing them to move to North Carolina to winter.
Because of lawsuits from animal rights groups, we had to go to Congress to have the Migratory Bird Treaty Act modified so we could eradicate the swans before they destroyed all of the submerged aquatic vegetation in the northern portion of Chesapeake Bay.
I caution you in being cavalier about the harm a few swans could do. You may see it differently if you hear about a small child being attacked or killed by a swan or you wonder what happened to your waterfowl when the swans have destroyed the submersed aquatic vegetation.
Hopefully the State has policies on invasive species.
Doug Forsell Point Arena
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
On Monday, May 12, 2025, 18:48, NANCY AND EUGENE HUNN via groups.io <enhunn323...> wrote:
Greetings, From my perspective in Petaluma, Sonoma County, where I have lived since 2010, Mute Swans are now and have been for some time well established in southern Sonoma County, northern and northwestern Marin, and southeastern Napa counties, with apparent nesting from the land fill north of Novato, to Laguna Lake off Chileno Valley Road, west to Tomales Bay, and north to Lake Ralphine in Santa Rosa. We routinely count 30+ individuals at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma and several pairs nest at Ellis Creek nearby. Back in 2010 I was chatting with Rich Stallcup (RIP) outside the Pt. Blue offices at Shollenberger about the Mute Swans there then and he complained that the state records committee ignored the facts on the ground, to wit, that a population of hundreds has existed across three counties for at least the past 20 years, well within the criteria for recognition as an established introduction. Whether these swans are impacting native species is uncertain. Some are quite aggressive towards nesting Canada Geese, but Canada Goose populations have increased dramatically since the 1960s throughout the west, likely due to human impacts. Wild swans in this area are rather rare winter visitors, so Mutes have no impact on them. So, IMHO we might as well relax and enjoy them. As for Eurasian Collared-Doves, I take issue with the official designation of them as introduced. The Eurasian populations of this species have erupted from the eastern Mediterranean to the west and northwest, now apparently common in Scotland, since the 1960's, a pattern of eruption very much like the pattern in the US that began somewhat later. There are records, if I remember correctly, for the Canary Islands and Iceland, suggestion that a transatlantic flight unassisted is not out of the question. So, I think the two species are not comparable and neither a problem. Gene Hunn Petaluma
On 05/12/2025 3:38 PM PDT John Gallo via groups.io <gallo.ja...> wrote: e-bird has a really cool function in which you can see the relative numbers of an individual species, and their location, over certain, user-defined time periods. Would be interesting if someone has time and interest to make some screen-grabs for Mute Swans and/or Eurasian Collared Dove... (and maybe MODO as well...)
On Mon, May 12, 2025 at 8:14 AM David Barry via groups.io <wildbarrydb...> wrote:
Mute Swabs have patriated the entire SF Bay Area as well as the Sacramento Delta. Dave Barry Santa Rosa.
On Mon, May 12, 2025 at 6:36 AM Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> wrote:
Perhaps yes, another coincidence; Tim tells me that there is a rather
sizable population in Sonoma County and that the five birds I saw may be
connected to that group.
Neat that you're not seeing Eurasian Collared Doves; I still do not have
them in my yard, but go out the road to another spot that's more open
and they are there.
=============
On 2025-05-12 4:53 am, <djensen...> wrote:
> Perhaps another coincidence- I've been birding in Port Huron Michigan
> for the past four days and I've seen multiple pairs of Mute Swans, but
> (finally) no Eurasian Collared Doves. Only MODOs.
>
> DJ
>
> -------------------------
>
> From: <Mendobirds...> on behalf of Dan Airola
> Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2025 7:33 PM
> To: <Mendobirds...>; <feather...>
> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] Five Mute Swans on Tuesday
>
> Mute Swans are increasing rapidly in many areas. I have found 22
> ponds with swans in the central Sierra foothills this year (Tuolumne-
> Sacramento Counties). I saw none in ponds in Yuba and Butte County
> foothills. Nor did I see them in ponds in Lake County 2 weeks ago.
>
> The Eurasian Collared Dove expanded more rapidly north along the
> coast then in the interior, but maybe that is just a coincidence.
>
> Dan Airola
> Sacramento
>
> On Sunday, May 11, 2025 at 06:34:23 PM PDT, Lisa D. Walker, (Feather
> Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> Some of you know about the five Mute Swans I spotted flying north
> along
> the coast at Virgin Creek on Tuesday. Well, in Jackson County, OR,
> five
> Mute Swans showed up on Friday and then were gone. Today, five Mute
> Swans were spotted in Arcata. What's the likelihood that they are the
>
> same five birds I saw Tuesday morning?
>
> Lisa Walker, Fort Bragg/Cleone
>
