Children are not the only ones starting class this time of year. Wild thing Wednesday is going to flight school with the trumpeter swan. Trumpeter swans are the heaviest bird in Horicon Marsh, coming in between 20 and 30 pounds! Young swans, or cygnets, will follow their parents closely for the first several months of their lives, and as fall migration approaches, learning to fly becomes priority number one. Before starting the long journey south, trumpeter swan parents will take their young on several short test flights. Sometimes, we even get the chance to watch these spectacles from the building. Horicon Marsh has several nesting pairs of trumpeter swans each year, and cygnets will be easily distinguished by their off-gray color and slightly smaller size. These birds are dedicated parents, and we hope that all cygnets graduate from the fall flight school with a successful migration.
Photo Credit: Jack Bartholmai