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<div>Thanks for the information.</div> &l
Hi Chris & All, June 4, 2007
One of the closing comments, "...we live in a man-made environment,
and we've got to begin to talk about controlling populations of certain
protected species, otherwise they get out of hand." is I think entirely
sensible.
Yt, DW, Kentville
c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
>
> On 4-Jun-07, at 11:56 AM, < adslaun@ns.sympatico.ca
> <mailto:adslaun@ns.sympatico.ca> > wrote:
>
>
>> After reading through this thread again, I did a quick google
>> search on mute swans..
>>
>>
>> National Geographic had some info regarding the mute swans.
>>
>>
>> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0621_040621_muteswansinvasivespecies.html
>>
>>
>>
>> I wasn't aware of any of the controversy.
>>
>
> A very interesting article which says (in part):
>
> Speaking last year, the (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) director,
> Steve Williams, said: "Wildlife biologists and refuge managers have
> significant concerns about the impacts of growing populations of
> non-native mute swans on native birds and their habitats. Mute swans
> can cause extensive habitat degradation in wetland habitats."
>
> In the Chesapeake Bay some 3,600 birds consume 10.5 million pounds
> (4.8 million kilograms) of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) each
> year, said Jonathan McKnight. McKnight is the Maryland Department of
> Natural Resources (DNR) biologist responsible for the state's response
> to invasive species.
>
> He said water plants targeted by the swans—including eelgrass,
> wigeongrass, and sago pondweed—act as important nursery areas for fish
> and invertebrates.
>
> "SAV beds are the basis of a complex web of life in Chesapeake Bay,"
> McKnight added. "They are the homes of seahorses and pipefish, of
> crabs and juvenile fish, of ducks and herons."
>
> These beds have already been affected by declining water quality, and
> now mute swans threaten those that remain, McKnight said.
>
> Their aggressive behavior has also led to the displacement of native
> birds from nesting and feeding areas, he said. "Mute swans are
> responsible for driving the last remaining colony of black skimmers
> from Chesapeake Bay."
>
> The Great Lakes may face similar pressures, with Canada-based
> scientists suggesting mute swan populations are growing by up to 30
> percent each year on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. And in Wisconsin
> conservationists fear efforts to reintroduce the trumpeter swan could
> be undermined by the presence of its larger, more aggressive cousin.
>
> Clearly there are significant concerns.
>
>
> Cheers,
>
>
> Chris
>
>
>>> From: Rob Woods <rrtwoods@yahoo.com <mailto:rrtwoods@yahoo.com> >
>>>
>>> Date: 2007/06/04 Mon AM 09:02:52 EDT
>>>
>>> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca <mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>>>
>>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] re possible multiple Mute Swans in our area?
>>>
>>>
>>> Please explain why the Mute Swan is such a dangerous alien species
>>> compared to any other alien species. Does it carry some disease that
>>> threatend the north american swans, is it food competition, why?
>>>
>>>
>>> Swans are a bird that attract the non birding publics attention.
>>> One could use breeding swans as a way to educate the public the
>>> about wildlife watershed habitat to help protect our area lakes from
>>> chemical spills and overdevelopment so that all waterfowl has the
>>> opportunity to breed successfully.
>>>
>>>
>>> While I agree these swans are more likely imports who is to say
>>> that a population of European Swans or other species like Rooks or
>>> Jackdaws etc could not get blown via an atlantic storm to
>>> Newfoundland in significant numbers attempt to establish a local
>>> population. The population could then expand from there. Should they
>>> be destroyed as well. Humans may have provided nature a way to keep
>>> a species around by assisting it accross the atlantic from Europe
>>> where loss of habitat for many species is a bigger concern that it
>>> is here. Should one not look for the positives of the successful
>>> breeding of Swans in Nova Scotia than the cry for their destruction.
>>>
>>>
>>> Rob Woods
>>>
>>> Georgefield
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca <mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>> As I understand it, Mute Swans are dangerous alien species
>>> (impacting other waterfowl among other problems), and need to be
>>> monitored for possible breeding activity. Please everyone let us
>>> know if there is evidence of more than one of these possible
>>> escapees around and freely moving around. There is a
>>> feral/wild/established population along the eastern seaboard that
>>> has been spreading from New York, but I don't know its current
>>> distribution. Also I think there is another feral population in
>>> south-central Canada, but again I don't know its distribution --
>>> just southern Ontario?, e.g. Wye Marsh?
>>>
>>>
>>> Remember the breeding Mute Swams of the mouth of the Sackville River
>>> a few years ago? That never should have been allowed to happen at
>>> all -- we were all asleep at the wheel, as were the federal
>>> authorities in that case.
>>>
>>>
>>> Cheers from Jim in Wolfville
>>>
>>> ----------
>>>
>>> From: "d.bridgehouse" < d.bridgehouse@ns.sympatico.ca
>>> <mailto:d.bridgehouse@ns.sympatico.ca> >
>>>
>>> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca <mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>>>
>>> Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:15:41 -0300
>>>
>>> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca <mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>>>
>>> Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Fw: Swan in Sullivan's Pond
>>>
>>>
>>> The swan was haning out by the sluce gate (inflow) gate from
>>> L.Banook when I was by this AM . I believe it is a Mute Swan
>>> but I'm no expert
>>>
>>>
>>> What a beauty ! ! !
>>>
>>>
>>> Cheers , DerekB.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>
>>> From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [
>>> mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca ]On Behalf Of Hans Toom
>>>
>>> Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 10:08 AM
>>>
>>> To: Naturens@Chebucto.Ns.Ca <mailto:Naturens@Chebucto.Ns.Ca>
>>>
>>> Subject: [NatureNS] Fw: Swan in Sullivan's Pond
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>
>>> From: Hans Toom <mailto:Htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca >
>>>
>>> To: Ns-Rba@Yahoogroups.Com <mailto:Ns-Rba@Yahoogroups.Com>
>>>
>>> Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 10:06 AM
>>>
>>> Subject: Swan in Sullivan's Pond
>>>
>>>
>>> Gayle MacLean contacted me this morning about a swan in Sullivan's
>>> Pond. If someone's in the area check it out. It's probably a
>>> Mute Swan but perhaps something else.
>>>
>>>
>>> Hans
>>>
>>> ________________________________________________________________________________________________
>>>
>>> When viewing images tap F11 or View Full Screen and use the
>>> navigation buttons on my website
>>>
>>> ________________________________________________________________________________________________
>>>
>>> Hans Toom
>>>
>>> Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
>>>
>>> E-mail: htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca <mailto:htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca>
>>>
>>> Migration Count: http://hanstoom.com/NAMC/Index.html
>>>
>>> Nature Website: http://hanstoom.com
>>>
>>> ________________________________________________________________________________________________
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------
>>>
>>> Never miss an email again!
>>>
>>> Yahoo! Toolbar alerts you the instant new Mail arrives. Check it out.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Angela
>>
>>
>> adslaun@ns.sympatico.ca <mailto:adslaun@ns.sympatico.ca>
>>
>
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
>
> Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
>
> 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6
>
> (902) 424-6435 Email < c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca
> <mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> >
>
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
>
>
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