Tribal biologists seek information on nesting trumpeter swans

Wildlife Biologists with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes began a project to restore trumpeter swans as a resident species on the Flathead Indian Reservation in the mid-1990s. Subsequent efforts resulted in the release of 293 captive-bred trumpeter swans since 2002, which has resulted in at least 244 successful nesting attempts that produced 551 fledgling cygnets (swan nestlings) as of 2020. This summer 16 nesting pairs with 58 cygnets have been observed in northwestern Montana.

In an effort to better document the expansion of trumpeter, the Tribal Wildlife Management Program annually surveys wetlands on the Reservation to record nesting attempts and production. Similar surveys by Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service personnel are ongoing elsewhere in northwest Montana.

The Tribal Wildlife Management Program staff is requesting observations from the public of trumpeter swan nesting and production of cygnets throughout our area. If you have observed trumpeter swans nesting or adult swans with cygnets, please contact Whisper Means of the Tribal Wildlife Program at 406-675-2700, ext. 7224 or whisper.means@cskt.org.