Local rescues trumpeter swan

A Sisters wildlife rehabilitation professional rescued a trumpeter swan December 26 at the First Street Rapids in downtown Bend.

Two local birders observed the swan on Christmas Day; it appeared to have a serious mouth injury and was clearly unable to eat or groom itself. The birders called Elise Wolf of Grebe Acres seeking help for the injured bird.

"Fishing lures and lines are a big reason waterbirds can require rescuing," Wolf told The Nugget.

Last year Wolf rescued a Western grebe that had a fishing lure injury to its neck and line wrapped around its neck. The grebe required sutures and about three weeks in care.

Waterbirds are one of the more challenging birds to rehabilitate due to their specialized needs, Wolf noted. Grebe Acres specializes in waterbirds who need particular care and facilities.

Now named "Grace," the swan was treated by local wildlife veterinarian Jeff Cooney at Bend Veterinary Clinic. Grace had a fishing lure embedded in her tongue with fishing line wrapped around it, and the tongue was being pulled out of the bird's mouth by the line.

Dr. Cooney successfully removed the lure and the line.

Wolf took the bird to her facility in Sisters for rehabilitation.

"Today the bird is continuing to improve, the tongue is healing - though it will need time to completely slough off all the damage, and the bird is gaining weight," Wolf said.

The rehabber told The Nugget that trumpeter swans were nearly hunted to extinction before finally being protected as an endangered species. Grace should weigh between 22-30 pounds; she is four feet tall with her neck extended, and has about a 7-to-8-foot wingspan.

"Central Oregon is fortunate to have these beautiful, special - but rare - birds gracing our lakes and rivers," Wolf said. "Grace will be released down at Summer Lake, where she will find other companions and perfect habitat to make it through the winter."

She said, "The rescue of Grace the trumpeter is an excellent example of how people from the community, our state agencies, and local care facilities can come together to help save the life of one of our local wildlife community members.

"This is also a good example of how important it is for fisher-folks to do their best to not abandon their lures and to make sure they clean up all their line. The amount of lures and line in our rivers are a serious hazard to fish-eating birds like mergansers, loons, and grebes, as well as the dabbling birds like ducks, geese, and our beloved swans."

For more information or to sponsor Grace or help other birds, visit www.grebeacres.org.