THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 8, 1995 TAG: 9501050188
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines
IN THE DISTANCE, against the weathered brown of marsh grass and the blue of sky and water, the tundra swans look like children dressed in snow-white gowns.
About 400 white birds sit in the 2 feet of water, a smattering of the thousands that come to this lake every year. Overhead, about 500 pintail ducks fly in formation.
``Look at that,'' wildlife biologist John Stanton of the Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge says with a more than ample touch of childlike excitement. ``I get more satisfaction out of one morning up here than a whole afternoon of filling out reports.''
Stanton's satisfaction returns to northeastern North Carolina by the thousands, as tundra swans make a cross-continent trek away from the approaching brutal winters of Alaska and western Canada to the milder climate of Lake Mattamuskeet and the Chesapeake. As many as 90 percent of the more than 100,000 swans have come to North Carolina from November to February as regular as clockwork, one of nature's magical mystery tours.
And while many species of birds and other animals are struggling for survival, the tundra or whistling swan is not only surviving, but thriving.
Since 1961, the tundra swan has exploded in population, from 62,500 34 years ago to 109,800 as of the latest figures in 1991. And the North Carolina and Virginia coasts have been popular wintering grounds for the beautiful birds.
``North Carolina has had up to 80 to 90 percent of the entire population,'' Stanton said. ``The Chesapeake Bay area has traditionally picked up some.''
Unlike most migratory birds that follow a north-to-south route, tundra swans fly from their nesting grounds in the Northwest to the North Carolina coast.
``All waterfowl try to exploit the area where they are,'' Stanton said. ``The cygnets (baby tundra swans) have to grow fairly quickly in a relatively short period of time in order to get ready to fly.''
Stanton said there is no clear-cut reason why the bird population has increased. Instead, a number of factors have had an impact.
``It's so desolate in the arctic; there are very few natural predators. They move to more temperate zones that are also void of natural predators. One of the reasons that they come to Mattamuskeet is because the water is so shallow. It's perfect for them to feed on both submergent and emergent vegetation.''
The swans feed on a wide variety of vegetation, he said. ``The average depth of the lake is 2 feet, and at the deepest part it's 5 feet deep. That's ideal for a swan. Their necks are about 15 to 20 inches long. This is one of the reasons this area has become so popular for so many years.''
The major shift from the Chesapeake to North Carolina came in the 1970s, when pollution in the Chesapeake Bay helped spur the swans to move.
``That may be one of the reasons,'' Stanton said. ``But one of the things that attracts them is the abundance of winter wheat. They fly to some of the area farms and feed on the wheat all day long until sunset. Then they fly back to the lake to roost. I live up in Columbia, and every night I see 5,000 or 6,000 tundra swans at night.''
But those factors aside, there is no sole reason the tundra swan is enjoying a renaissance.
``That's the million dollar question,'' Stanton said. ``The birds can live to be up to 20 years old. That's a longer life span than most other birds. They can have offspring for five to 10 years.''
Stanton said the tundra swans average two offspring per year, but can have as many as four cygnets annually.
And the population is not threatened by hunters. The state of North Carolina allows only 6,000 hunting permits annually for the birds and regulates the hunting to a limit of one per season.
``There's never really been a serious hunting problem,'' Stanton said. ``Since 1985, the state has never filled the 6,000 permits.''
Another factor may be the birds' family structure.
``The family of the tundra swans is very close-knit,'' Stanton said. ``With most varieties of duck, the offspring are on their own from the time they learn to fly. But the tundra swans stay with their families for much longer periods of time.''
The Fish and Wildlife Service has also worked to protect the feeding grounds of the birds. A side benefit at Lake Mattamuskeet is that some 400 acres of the land is used for farming.
``This is proof that farming and wildlife can co-exist successfully,'' Stanton said. ``I grew up in Maine, and I learned early on that we have to learn to exist with nature, or else we won't be able to exist as the human race. Farming here successfully shows that we can co-exist with the birds.''
The Fish and Wildlife Service has put in a system under which water levels can be controlled, and as a result, the rich feeding grounds that attract tundra swans to Mattamuskeet can be protected.
So far this year, some 30,000 birds had arrived at Lake Mattamuskeet. Some 40,000 to 50,000 may come to coastal Carolina before the long return trip north.
The swans have become a major tourist attraction for the state. Tundra swans are the focus of a radio spot used by the state to attract visitors. During the swans' peak season, the Fish and Wildlife Service holds a celebration of the swan at the refuge. However, the number of visitors allowed in is limited.
``We design these events with the birds in mind,'' Stanton said. ``They are very sensitive to movement and loud noises. We try to protect them as much as possible.''
Stanton has only been on the job at Mattamuskeet for two months. But this is not the first time the native New Englander has experienced the swans.
``I went to graduate school at North Carolina State,'' he said. ``I came here about 10 years ago, and saw the swans. I never thought I'd be working here. I knew then it was a special place. These birds are a sight to see.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by DREW C. WILSON
[Color cover photo. Swans on a lake. No photo credit or cutline info
provided.]
Since 1961, the tundra swan has exploded in population, from 62,500
34 years ago to 109,800 as of the latest figures in 1991.
Wildlife biologist John Stanton opens an entrance to a bird counting
area.
Staff map
Whistling Swan Migration.
by CNB