Mute Swan: October 4, 2022

There were three swans on the Esquimalt Lagoon the whole month of October.  It is a rare checklist from that month that didn't include all of them. 

The Mute Swan, though not a native species, found its way onto our checklist for the first time.

The other two swans were Trumpeter Swans.  We have seen Trumpeters before, but always from a considerable distance.  These swans were quite used to the people wandering along the shores of the lagoon and may have been posing for photos.

Mute Swans are considered a problem species in many places in the world.  They were brought to Canada from the UK in the 1870s to adorn parks and ponds.  We may have seen one doing just that on our 2010 visit to England, but I was reluctant to count many birds there as wild since so many species are kept to make the parks look beautiful.