If you’ve visited recently you may have seen our newest additions – two Trumpeter Swan cygnets on the lagoon! The eggs hatched on Monday evening, the 18^th. The cygnets are staying close to their protective parents, and haven’t left the lagoon.

Trumpeter Swans are the largest waterfowl species native to North America. These sizeable birds were once widespread throughout the continent, but were reduced to small pockets of land in the northern United States and into Canada due to European settlers and the fur trade. At one point there were only 69 recorded individuals. Population growth of this species is sometimes slow because of their delayed maturation, long lifespan, and single broods. Luckily, their numbers have increased in recent years thanks to conservation efforts such as protection from hunting, habitat management, and range expansion programs. One such conservation effort was constructed at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary.

In 1989, the Sanctuary began importing Trumpeter Swan eggs from Alaska. The swan population in Alaska was flourishing, so biologists collected eggs from nests, always leaving two viable eggs for the Alaskan pair to raise. The collected eggs were carefully transported to the Sanctuary and reared in captivity until they were old enough to be released into the wild. The program was a huge triumph, with a 90 percent success rate according to wildlife biologist Joe Johnson. The population has been growing in recent years, with a higher birth rate than death rate.

We now have an abundance of Trumpeter Swans at the sanctuary, including these two new cygnets! Stop by the lagoon and see them for yourself!

On Friday, June 15 we were pleasantly surprised to find brand new baby goslings in the lagoon. We believe they hatched in the early morning, since we found them in the nest around 10 am. The nest looks like a pile of dirt, mulch, and downy feathers with a crater shape in the middle where the mother sat on the eggs. You can still see the remains of the nest behind the fence around the lagoon, next to the bridge.

Now that they’ve hatched, the goslings will stay with their parents for a whole year before becoming independent. Most Canada Geese don’t begin breeding until they are four years old. Once they do, they will form a breeding pair and will usually remain with the same partner for life. Both male and female geese tend to choose mates that are similar in size to themselves, a process known as “assortative mating”. The female will choose a nest site in the spring and lay her eggs while the male guards her and the nest from predators or other birds.

Believe it or not, these familiar birds were once so scarce in number there were no breeding pairs in Michigan. In the 1920’s George Corsan, the game breeder and manager at the sanctuary, purchased a flock of Canada Geese to keep permanently on Wintergreen Lake. He hoped the flock would encourage wild Canada Geese to breed at the sanctuary, and it worked. They are now listed as a species of least concern, with over 5 million individuals in North America. The southern half of Michigan’s lower peninsula is now an area where the breeding and wintering grounds overlap, hence their year-round presence. For more information about Canada Geese, follow this link: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/id.

The goslings are now out and about, so stop by the lagoon soon to say hello!

Did you know that gamebirds like pheasants and grouse love fruits and vegetables just like people? We’ve refreshed the Upland Gamebird Garden with a variety of produce for the gamebirds. You can visit the garden near the birds of prey, between the Barn Owl enclosure and the start of the Lake Loop. This year we are growing strawberries, blackberries, watermelon, grapes, beans, eggplant, tomatoes, basil, parsley, and various types of lettuce. All of the plants are organically grown and were purchased at local farmers’ markets.

The garden is the project of a previous intern, Keith McHugh. Keith set up a rain barrel irrigation system that is powered by solar energy. Rainwater is collected from the roof of the barn and funneled into a rain barrel. Energy from sunlight is collected by a solar panel, which you can see next to the barn. The harvested energy powers a pump that drives the water through hoses to the top of the garden, where it rains down on the plants. Watering occurs in the early morning or late evening to avoid water loss due to evaporation from the mid-day heat. For more information on rain barrels, including how to assemble your own, click on the following link: http://michiganikes.org/resources/Chapter-Documents/Rain-Barrel.pdf. To learn more about how to utilize the most rainwater in your garden, visit https://www.raingardens.org/index.php.

All of the gamebirds were fed their first helpings of the produce last weekend, and they loved it. It was served as a salad of sorts, with lettuce, basil, and strawberries. The Northern Bobwhite Quails especially love strawberries, and dug right in as soon as the produce was placed in their enclosure.

Providing the gamebirds with a variety of foods helps keep them happy and healthy. Instead of eating the same type of food day after day, the fruits and vegetables give them diverse tastes and textures, as well as additional nutrients. We will continue to feed different produce to the gamebirds as the growing season progresses. Stop by soon and the gamebirds eat their fruits and vegetables!

Lettuce and strawberry plants in the Upland Gamebird Garden.

It’s official: Purple Martins have been spotted at the Bird Sanctuary! These striking swallows, the largest found in North America, have taken up residence in housing located below the Overlook Museum. The Sanctuary staff worked for several months to establish a martin colony for visitors to enjoy. Necessary supplies were purchased. An existing house was refurbished. The effort has finally paid off.

Purple Martin house at the Sanctuary

Purple Martins are an unusual songbird, in that they prefer to nest near people. In fact, without human-supplied housing, martins might virtually disappear from the eastern United States. Martins are secondary cavity nesters, like many other birds including bluebirds, wrens and chickadees. However, unlike these species, martins gradually gave up their ancestral nesting habits (building nests in abandoned woodpecker cavities or other natural crevices) in favor of gourds and deluxe houses provided by people. Because of this gradual behavioral shift, martins now nest exclusively in human-supplied housing east of the Rocky Mountains.

While the Purple Martin’s overall population numbers are stable, regional population declines have occurred in some areas including Michigan. By establishing a martin colony at the Sanctuary, the hope is to educate visitors about the species and contribute to the Purple Martin Conservation Association’s (PMCA) goal of increasing martin populations throughout North America via research, management and education. Sanctuary volunteers contribute by conducting weekly nest checks to monitor the nesting success of our martins. The results are then submitted to PMCA so they can track their long-term reproductive success.

For the next few months, martins will continue to use the housing. Visitors will have the opportunity to watch Purple Martins throughout the breeding season as adults build nests, parents care for young and fledglings leave the nest. Stop by anytime to catch a glimpse of the action.