PATIENT: Tundra Swan, #10-2299

LOCATION OF RESCUE: Stuarts Draft, Virginia

INJURY: Ruptured air sac and neurologic symptoms

ADMISSION DATE: December 27, 2010

OUTCOME: Released February 11, 2011

A juvenile Tundra Swan was admitted to the Wildlife Center at the end of December 2010.  The bird was noticed hanging around the same area in Augusta County for a few days, seeming somewhat friendly.

After consulting with our staff bird experts and several bird guides, the bird was identified as a juvenile Tundra Swan. This is a rarity for the Wildlife Center, as Tundra Swans only winter in Virginia, and typically are found along the coast.  Tundra Swans migrate from their Artic breeding grounds each year.  The swans arrive in Virginia around the end of November and stay until mid-March.

When the Tundra Swan first arrived at the Center, it was exhibiting neurologic symptoms —  head tremors and a staggered gait.  It also was thin and had a ruptured air sac on its right side.  The vets treated the bird with anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and fluids.  While the cause of injury is still unknown, throughout the next few weeks the swan made significant improvements.

The veterinary staff swam the swan daily in a swimming tub in the Center’s clinic to maintain the waterproofing on its feathers.  By January 12, the head tremors were no longer present and the swan was walking well.  On January 30, the swan was moved outside into one of the Center’s waterfowl pens, though it continued to come inside daily to swim.

Because Tundra Swans migrate in flocks and this Tundra Swan patient was a juvenile, the Center staff knew it would be critical to release the swan into a flock of the same species.   When it became clear in February that the swan was recovering well and could soon be released, Dr. Dave McRuer worked with a biologist at U.S. Fish & Widlife Service to locate a flock in Virginia.

On Friday, February 11, Dr. Kelly Flaminio and volunteer Jackie Estes drove the Tundra Swan two and a half hours east to Essex County, to release it into a flock that was known to be on the Rappahannock River.  This release spot is close to the Rappahannock National Wildlife Refuge, a network of marshland and riparian habitat totalling about 8,000 acres.

When Dr. Kelly and Jackie arrived, they saw more than 200 Tundra Swans in scattered flocks on the property.  They carried Tundra Swan #10-2299 closer and released it about 100 yards away from the flock.

After taking a moment to gather its surroundings, the swan got a running start and flew off to join the flock.  Within minutes, it blended in with its new family and was indistinguisable from the others.

The Center depends on the donations of caring individuals to provide veterinary care to wildlife and training in wildlife veterinary medicine.  Please help!

So … where will this Tundra Swan go now? A 2003 Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries study tracked the migration of Tundra Swans that wintered in Virginia.  Of the three birds tracked, one migrated to the North Slope of Alaska — near Prudhoe Bay.  A second flew to Victoria Island in Nunavut Territory.  The third migrated to the Boothia Peninsula — the northernmost point of North America.