Swan shooting at Fish Lake

I have never been known for my writing skills but I will attempt to tell this story of a successful wildlife rescue.
Late Friday afternoon, Oct. 29th, Mary Wicklund, our local and truly dedicated and caring wildlife rescuer, received a call from a local hunter that he had seen an injured and bloodied  collared Trumpeter Swan on North Dike in the Fish Lake Wildlife Area. An attempt was then made to capture it but due to the ability of the swan to still fly short distances and the approaching darkness, the rescue attempt was called off. The calls went out and a time was set up for 10 AM Saturday morning to meet up at North Dike flowage on Fish Lake Rd, to attempt another rescue. Mary and her husband Donny pulled up with their kayaks, canoe and large fish nets. Chris Spaight, our local game warden interrupted his vacation and came out with his wife and young son. Steve Hoffman, the Crex Wildlife Biologist came.  Barry Wallace came all the way from Hudson  (Barry is the “Swan Man” from Hudson akin to the “Swan Lady” of Monticello ). Dave Roelfs, myself and a few other bystanders were also there.
After spotting a collared swan lying in the grasses a fair distance out, waders were donned, the strategy was planned and big fish nets were handed out to Dave and I. We had it easy. Our job was try and net the swan should it try to get across the road thus preventing if from getting into the water on the other side of the road.  Soon 4 kayaks and a canoe were launched into the flowage. The strategy is to make a large circle around the swan  and slowly close the circle at the same time cutting off access to other areas of the flowage. This is not as easy as it sounds as sedges and grasses must be maneuvered around, over or through.  Soon the kayaks were speeding off and shortly most were not even visible from the road. Slowly they started making the circle smaller and by this time the swan knew something was going on and started swimming back deeper into the flowage but was cut off and flew back towards the road. It was at this time that I noticed the bloodied right wing through my camera lens and realized the extent of the injury. Now a young man standing on the road grabbed an extra kayak off the trailer, donned a life preserver and joined in.  Several times the swan was surrounded and would fly a short distance away from the kayaks but with each flight you could tell it was becoming weaker and weaker. In the meantime the injured swan’s mate was flying in circles overhead probably not understanding that everyone was there trying to help it's mate.  At this point the swan was so exhausted it couldn’t fly anymore.  The rescuers surrounded it but weak as it was it still evaded several attempts to catch it. Finally Donny caught it and handed it off to Steve. The interesting thing about swans is that the majority of times,  as soon as they feel a hand around their necks, they become completely docile and make no further attempts to escape.  The swan was brought into shore and Mary carried it up to the road and set it on the side of the road while Donny ran to the truck to get the transport crate. The swan laid it’s head on the ground and there were fears at this time that he might not make it.  He was put into the crate and Barry brought it to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville, MN.  Chris was pretty sure it was a shotgun injury and this was confirmed by the vet at WRC in a call to Mary later that day. They found 2 pellets in the swan. One in the soft tissue in it’s right elbow and another pellet was lodged in it’s abdomen. It appeared as if another pellet had gone through it’s body and out his back causing a lot of blood loss. They said they would not try to remove the pellets as it would probably cause more damage. Now the good news….the swan should recover. They plan on keeping it for a couple of weeks to allow the swelling to go down in it’s elbow and allow it to recover from the blood loss. In addition, tests showed it was lead free which is also excellent news.

Now on to the question of how or why this swan was shot. Was it an accident? Was it deliberately shot?  If it was accidental, an ethical hunter would have reported it. We will probably never know but hopefully the investigation will result in an arrest and conviction. Many thanks to "Sammy" the hunter that reported this.

Kathy J.

(double click on all photos to enlarge)

Donny Wicklund ready with the net.

Steve Hoffman bringing the swan in to shore.

Mary Wicklund carefully transferring the swan from the kayak to land.

03A was hatched in Totogatic Lake in Bayfield County in 2003. He is the male of a breeding pair that have been nesting on North Dike for the last few years. He will be returned to North Dike where his mate is waiting. Hopefully he will recover completely and will return next spring to sire many little cygnets.

Blind Intact

I was relieved to find my photo blind completely intact yesterday. It is still out in the elements at a new location. At some point there will be a video entitled " A day in the life of a sandhill". One of the hardest behaviors to film is the warm up exercises done at dawn. This is in addition to the always present challenge of getting up close and personal. By the time I get back to the cabin tonight I will have spent about 8 hours in the blind since yesterday; not very exciting.

This is footage from September

Dale

Crossed fingers

I put a blind on the edge of a crane roosting site last week and had some good action the first night but not much the second night. It took about 20 minutes to walk a quarter mile through brush and knee deep water to place the blind so I thought I would leave the tent blind out and use again in a couple weeks, not anticipating the current storm. It is tied to a couple bushes so it may only be shredded. Every time a wind gust hits the windows here in southern Minnesota I can see the blind being whipped.
Dale

The last bright colors

The brilliant aspen, maples, and oaks have given way to the pastel colors of late autumn, only the bright tamarack colors remain. However, most people are looking for the brilliant red and flat gray of the sandhills at this time of year. Roads are congested with travelers from all over the world, the cranes are a major attraction for tourists and photographers. The best viewing is on Grettum Dike Road since more birds are on Fish Lake WMA this year than on Crex Meadows. This presents a great opportunity to see another wildlife area that is best known for its prairie wildflowers. If you get a chance drive Hickerson Road or Stolte Road.

Where are the cranes?

This October the cranes are really spread out and it's hard to find a consistent location, except the corn fields, to view and photograph them. They seem to move roost sites frequently. Flight photography is best on East Refuge Rd. as they fly in and out of the Refuge. Grettum has the highest numbers and either parking lot along 87 or near the lone oak along Grettum Rd. are good spots to get a few flight shots.

Flocks of ducks are starting to show up and I expect the crane numbers to dramatically increase over the next couple weeks. Corn harvest south of Grantsburg will give better viewing of flight paths to and from the Refuge. The dispersion of the flocks is good for the cranes but frustrating for us.
Dale

Changing Colors

We had to get out yesterday afternoon despite the rain. The colors are changing and the rain was not going to stop us, unfortunately it really started raining while we were out. The maples will be at peak in a few days. Currently County Road O has good color along it. Prairie grasses look great with the muted color of asters mixed with the big blue stem. With today's wind the ducks should blow in soon. Cranes are here, my guess is a thousand or so.

This was the best way to take in the fall colors yesterday.
Dale

September Blues

The pinks of early summer have transitioned to the yellows of mid summer and now the blues of September signal the coming burst of fall color. The gentian family, like this closed (bottle) gentian, has three members on Crex or Fish Lake. This one can only be opened by a strong insect like a bumble bee. On the other hand, the prairie gentian opens and closes depending on the cloud cover during the day. Like all prairie plants they have medicinal uses in the past. It is amazing what people have tried for various ailments. The roots of this were thought to aid digestion.
Dale