How many of us enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. Going out in the last days of fall and seeing what you may find. Maybe some migrating birds. They often gather on Cookes Bay. So cameras in hand my son Jeff & I set off. We would often just spur of the moment head out to see what we could find. It was October 15th 2006. A day we will never forget. We came across 6 trumpeter swans. Clearly a family with an extra couple adults tagging along. 4 adults,2 young. Calm,feeding peacefully. Then the silence was broken. Around the bend a boat came speeding down the lake. Right through the gulls and heading right to the swans. Lake was calm like glass and speed was no problem out there. It kept coming as our mouths dropped open in shock. This guy just kept going. Right into the swans. They flew. Thankfully safely got away. All but one. This swan did not fly. She was caught. He did circles around and round her over and over. We were in shock. Knocking her off balance more than once as he just kept full throttle. Then we realized we had cameras. And started shooting. Zooming in and shooting some more. We got it. He finally left and sped back up the lake just as fast as he came. We knew what we had to do. And we headed out. Right to the police station. Spoke to an officer we knew and gave him everything. He could not believe his eyes. We headed home and got a few shots printed. Then headed out next day. Found the boat. All put away for the winter. His last horraw for the winter. Hopefully his last for a while. Trumpeter swans are a protected species under the Migratory Bird Act. I called Toronto wildlife Center to see if they could do the rescue when we found her. As long as we could get a boat ,yes they could. We found a boat. Although it only had a little 9 hsp. It was a boat. Now we had to find our swan. She was in hiding.She was hurt and scared. So I went to a few local peoples doors on the lakefront,and explained what had happened. They were shocked and more than happy to help to locate her. A few calls brought me to search for her. But she was never there by the time I got there. Finally one day she was. She was preening and you could clearly see her injured wing was bothering her. But she seemed to have taken up with some of our local Canada Geese. So she was not alone. Other swans were not seen again. I made the phone call to TWC and the owner of the boat and we were on. Picked up the boat and waited for them to arrive. The swan was quite content. We were on. Alex and Allison arrived from TWC and we got the boat in the water and they were off with my son Jeff at the helm. The swan took to getting away. Another boat chasing her was not what she needed. But was the only way. That little 9 hsp just didn't have the speed to keep up with her. And even with one injured wing. That swan was strong. Driven by her fear of the last boat encounter. How could we tell her it was okay. We were here to help her not hurt her. It was a challenge but the team wouldn't give up. You could see the stress on their faces as she just kept that much in front of them using her good wing to get away. I watched from on shore and prayed it would soon be over. And finally. She slowed up and they were able to get her in the net. Exhausted ,she was wrapped in a blanket and held to calm her down. The team was smilin ear to ear. And Jeff was so happy. He said it was awful to get so close then loose her. But he did a great job of driving that boat and getting them close enough for her capture. The swan was put into a nice cozy carrier. She was calm as if she knew we were all helping her. Or maybe she was just plain tired out. Either way. It wouldn't be long before she got pain meds to help her be more comfortable. She would be in the care of very special people who will keep her warm and comfortable and pain free until they find out what happened.
No comments:
Post a Comment