Web, 1/10/12 + trumpeters

[Leaky33]

Had cabin fever so went to my spot with the Sparkinator. Caught 7-8 rainbows and 1 small brown in less than 3 hrs, and brought more home than I should have. Couldn't resist since they looked so tasty. Don't worry, they won't go to waste, they will just take longer to eat up.
Saw my swans again at the same spot. Was able to examine closer and am about 80% Sure all 3 are trumpeters including one juvenile. It was fun watching them feeding in the river and swimming around/resting. I think they are trumpeters, mostly because of the straight black bill and the crooked neck??? I'm sure there was no yellow patch in the bill!!



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Leaky and the Sparkinator
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[Troll]

You should let the DWR know where you saw them.

There are only about 70 in the world that are known of.
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[curt69]

You are way off on your count of Trumpeter Swans . They have made a good come back . There are more than 70 in Last Chance , Idaho right now . They winter there and there are hundreds more up and down the valley . Curt G.
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[fish_fear_me2]

The numbers are significantly higher than 70 which was the population in 1932 before conservation efforts. Trumpeters in Utah still is a rare sight so I agree the DNR should be notified Here is a quote on the current numbers:

[#0000bf]In 1932, fewer than 70 trumpeters were known to exist worldwide, at a location near Yellowstone National Park. This led to the establishment of Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in 1935. Nearly half of the known trumpeter swans in 1932 were found in this area. Over the years, the Red Rock Lakes refuge flock served as an important source of breeding birds for reintroduction efforts in other parts of the country, primarily on other national wildlife refuges in the Midwest. In the early 1950s, a fairly large, previously unknown population of trumpeter swans was discovered in Alaska. Today, estimates show about 16,000 trumpeter swans reside in North America, including some 13,000 in Alaska, which winter on the Pacific Coast; more than 1,600 in Canada; about 500 in the Midwest; and more than 500 in the tri-state area of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana (including the Red Rock Lakes refuge flock).
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[Fin-S-Fish]

Nice, if no yellow spot you got trumpeters most likely, they are also gigantic compared to a tundra swan. I've seen trumpeters only once when they flew by when I was out on the ice at Utah lake. There was no question by the vocalization alone. Those swans are cool, you need a DSLR to get some closeups haha.
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[fish_fear_me2]

yellow on the bill of a tundra is a small spot in front of the eye would be hard to see without binoculars at the distance it appears you were.
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