TRUMPETS IN THE WEST — MORSE 461 



in tlie marsh will do. Trumpeters are not particular whether the 

 muskrat houses are active or vacant ; both are used. Relatively large 

 nesting territories are needed. In recent years, a staple number of 

 breeding pairs have used Red Rock Lakes. Exactly 44 nests were 

 located in 3 successive years. In Island Park, a pair of trumpeters 

 utilizes an entire lake of 2 to 10 acres in size. One requirement is 

 paramount, that of solitude. Tolerance is very low to human inter- 

 ference; if solitude does not exist, trumpeters will not breed in that 

 place. 



Swan eggs are large, and dull white in color. A wide range in egg 

 numbers has been recorded — the usual range given is from 2 to 12. 

 On 2 separate years, nesting studies at Red Rock collected data show- 

 ing slightly over 5 eggs per nest (50 nests) 1 year, and just under 5 

 per nest (32 nests) the other year. The eggs were about 110 mm. long 

 and 73 mm. wide. Incubation starts after the last egg is laid and 

 takes about 35 days. 



The pair stays together during incubation, although it is believed 

 that the pen does all the incubating. The nest is lined with down, and 

 eggs are covered with down when the pen leaves for her twice-a-day 

 feeding excursions. The cob remains near the nest at all times and 

 warns of any danger. There is usually some protection for the nest ; 

 swans prefer a nesting site separated from open water by a strip of 

 bulrush or sedge. 



As soon as their down is dry, the cygnets leave the nest and, in a 

 family group, start feeding and exercising near the nest. Distances 

 traveled gradually increase as the young get older. In September 

 flight lessons start, taught and supervised by the parents. Cygnets 

 are usually flying by early October. Family units normally stay 

 together until March of the following year, when the breeding cycle 

 starts anew. 



During this nesting and rearing season, all the birds go through a 

 molt. This flightless time at Red Rock Lakes Refuge is the period 

 for capturing the nonbreeders of all ages for transplanting, banding, 

 and scientific studies. Trumpeters are relatively easy to capture at 

 this time. The method developed at Red Rock Refuge is to chase and 

 catch the swimming swan with an airthrust boat. One man drives 

 the boat, another leans over the side and picks the swan from the water 

 by grasping its neck. 



Trumpeters, unlike many species of waterfowl, will not fight when 

 captured, but seem to go into a state of semishock. As many as eight 

 swans can be placed on the floor boards of the boat, resting on their 

 backs. They will remain innnobile for extended periods, requiring 

 only an occasional touch on the neck to restrain them. When banded, 

 they are returned to the water and have been observed to lie motionless 



