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Project Ultraswan
It has been nearly 200 years since hunters killed the last of the trumpeter swans living in the eastern part of North America. Now that the birds are protected by law, scientists hope to restore them to their former range. But unlike birds who have their migration maps built in, trumpeters must learn the routes from their parents. So scientists in the Trumpeter Swan Migration Project are taking on the role of parent swans, teaching cygnets to follow ultralight aircraft in an effort to reintroduce a migrating population to the Atlantic coast.
This fascinating fieldwork includes transportation of ten-day-old cygnets from Alaska to the training site in New York State, the design of a special uniform to prevent the baby swans from recognizing their caretakers as human, and the process of training the birds to follow the ultralight—including the heartbreak of setbacks and the exhilaration of successes.
This fascinating fieldwork includes transportation of ten-day-old cygnets from Alaska to the training site in New York State, the design of a special uniform to prevent the baby swans from recognizing their caretakers as human, and the process of training the birds to follow the ultralight—including the heartbreak of setbacks and the exhilaration of successes.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2002
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March 20, 2008
Project UltraSwan is an attempt by scientists to reintroduce trumpeter swans into parts of their natural habitats on the east coast and teach them to follow migration patterns. Nearly exterminated by hunters after the colonists came to America, the trumpeter swans have been missing from the east coast of America for a long time. They're slowly making a comeback in western North America, but since swans learn their migration routes from their relatives, these routes have now been lost. Using an ultralight aircraft, scientists are attempting to teach the swans migration routes.
The Scientists in the Field books have been very hit or miss with me and this one was a miss. Although I found the subject matter somewhat interesting, the project seems to be in the beginning stages and a book about it seems a little premature. I did learn about scientists that I knew nothing about and I think this title would certainly appeal to the young ornithologists in our midst. It's well-researched and includes information about the different kinds of swans, what their feathers look like and do, and what people have been doing to help regenerate the trumpeter swan population. I'd definitely recommend this for units on endangered species, but maybe not so much for recreational reading.
The Scientists in the Field books have been very hit or miss with me and this one was a miss. Although I found the subject matter somewhat interesting, the project seems to be in the beginning stages and a book about it seems a little premature. I did learn about scientists that I knew nothing about and I think this title would certainly appeal to the young ornithologists in our midst. It's well-researched and includes information about the different kinds of swans, what their feathers look like and do, and what people have been doing to help regenerate the trumpeter swan population. I'd definitely recommend this for units on endangered species, but maybe not so much for recreational reading.
Displaying 1 of 1 review