Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) versus Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

I was going to write about the Canada's (and North America's at that) largest bird, the Trumpeter Swan.

And I was going to say that, by the beginning of the 20th century it had been hunted and displaced to a very near extinction. 

I was also going to say that by the 1930's people finally realized that less than a hundred swans would not recover unless they got their act together and started to protect these graceful birds.

And I was going to talk about Mr. Edwards and his daughter Trudy, whose book I read in the 80's. How I wished to see those swans!

And I was going to tell the world about the trumpeter swans showing up in British Columbia in larger and larger numbers and about all the people being happy when they hear their deep voices (long before their white bodies appear in the sky).

And, I was going to be very poetic about it all.

But then, the little muskrat changed my story.

The month was February. 
The weather up until then was merciful and the ice was nearly gone.

Five trumpeter swans decided to explore a quiet bay on Kootenay River where there were enough aquatic plants to keep them busy for a day or two. 
There were two adults, all white and elegant with black beaks and matching black feet. A bit of red on the beak was barely visible from the distance. Only their heads were kind of rusty brown - that's because they kept on doing their aquatic headstands - bums up and heads down, the long necks stretched out to reach the muddy bottom of the river. Their veggie diet needed some protein and the invertebrates hidden in the rusty mud would provide that.

The rest of them were sub-adult swans, their darker feathers have not changed to white yet. Also their beaks showed quite a bit of red instead of black and their feet were more into shades of green. 

It always takes time to grow up!

Two small Buffleheads showed up as well. They could not pass the opportunity of an easy meal. As the swans disturbed the muddy bottom it was much easier for the tiny ducks to find a morsel or two. It actually looked like a judging session on the part of the duck.

So, everyone was happy, the swans, the ducks, my camera and I.

Nobody noticed the little muskrat!

Not until he charged out of his river bank burrow, heading straight for the largest swan!

And, he was mad! Very mad.

This was HIS quiet bay and HIS aquatic plantation and HE was going to defend it. Who cares that the trumpeter swan is the largest aquatic bird in all of North America! Who cares that its wings can cover a two meter span! Who cares that they are the species recovering from near extinction! Too bad, as far as he was concerned they should have been gone 100 years ago!

He would defend his property!

And he did!

He swam here and there and corralled the swans until they left his little underwater garden He chased them away, just like his cousin in a pond five kilometers up stream chased away the Canada Geese last year. 

The little muskrat stole the show.

And that's why, I did not write all those amazing things about the beautiful Trumpeter Swans.

Bird Feeder News (not fake)

Oh yes. This was yesterday's morning, marked by yet another snow-storm; courtesy of the late January Pacific storm system that sent the humid air over the Coast Mountains all the way to the foothills of the Rockies.


The day after?
Plus 4 Celsius and water dripping everywhere.

Well, it is winter in the Kootenays; 
sometimes dark and depressing (take that vitamin D time, fight the SAD syndrome, make a mug of tea and hibernate).
At other times - drive up to the mountains and ski or soak the bones in the hot springs.

Or watch the birds at the feeder.



The birds are not too fond of the slushy snow either. The heavy avalanches that fall off the branches scare them; they are not sure what's going on. Even the Northern Flickers take a cautious approach before visiting the bird feeder.

And a little Red-breasted Nuthatch just flies in, spends a few seconds 
grabbing a bit of suet and then frantically flies away.

So do the Redpolls. 
Absent last year, they made an appearance in December. There are hundreds of them but surprisingly there are no Pine Siskins with them. Not this year. Not a single one. And the very same applies to American Goldfinches.

Why?

The ever cheerful Black-capped Chickadees
are here but not too many and not every day.













The same applies to the Steller's Jays. They show up nearly every day thanks to their supply of peanuts but again, once in a while they disappear into the woods without a trace.


So do the Juncos and the lonely Song Sparrow.

What's happening?
Could it be that all the wildfires changed the established rules and travel routes?
















Could it be that this hunter, who snuck about until the end of November scared them away? Possibly. The Sharp-shinned Hawk can do that. But November is already 2 months away. We have not seen him since.

So how about this one? The Northern Pygmy Owl was here only once (as far as I know) but the birds simply disappeared for an entire week. No wonder - this is a fierce hunter and it works during the day.

This time the birds were off the hook - the owl heard a mouse squeaking and it was so intent on on locating it that it could not care less about my presence. That is a really neat story - for another time.