Restore your faith in humanity -Fly away Home

Return of the Wild

My Friends,

I wonder if any of you remember the 1996 movie Fly away Home?

It portrays a poignant and inspiring film about a 13-year-old girl from New Zealand sent to live with her father in Canada after her mother dies in a car accident. Fly Away Home's message of concern and protection of Canada geese and their habitats, and the inventive ways Amy and Tom Alden work together to save them she helps them to fly south for the winter.

Ahhh Hollywood, it is said this movie is based on a True Story, but as with all Hollywood films some parts are left out and some fiction is added in.

I have added a clip from the movie at the end of this article and in the middle a news clip from 1993 with an interview of Bill Lishman with a more true story perhaps? As he told the tale, it was himself and a friend who flew the geese to the States.

Hollwoods’s job is to pull on your heartstrings, but I found myself asking, “What parent would let a 13 year old fly a handmade, lightweight plane from Ontario to the South?”

What does this have to do with my unfolding swan comeback story?

As told to me through the writings Mr. Soul passed on to me;

One concern raised during this time was that, when their numbers increased and the swans were released into the wild, they wouldn't know their migration route south, since this is learned from the flights of the previous generation.

Fortunately Bill Lishman, one of the original project supporters had a theory.

Imprinted cygnets would follow their leader. If the leader flew south over the original flight path, the cygnets will follow and instinctively learn the route for later use.

All that was needed were imprinted cygnets and a flying leader. No problem. Using a chair and a lawn mower Bill invented an ultra-light airplane to do the flying imprinted Canada goose goslings, since cygnets are too rare to risk.

18 geese learn to follow the ultra-light plane. The flight South was a success the 17 geese retracing their fight next year. This activity was documented and later made into the movie Fly Away Home.”

I’m not sure how I will fit this into my memoir, but it is an interesting backstory.

William Lishman- Father Goose - Operation Migration ABC News from 1993 https://youtu.be/eU-SCGdRWrM

In the video below -Timestamp 1:27 speaks to the purpose of leading other endangered birds on a migration path, that they have long since forgotten. (we know now and that would include the Trumpeter Swans.)

From the Desk of Jim Soul - Rescuing and Repopulating Trumpeter swans In 1993, Jim writes, an article in the weekend edition of the Toronto Star caught my attention. It featured an attempt to save from Extinction a Native Ontario species, the trumpeter swan.

Established in 1982 the trumpeter swan restoration project was headed by ornithologist, Harry Lumsden, and funded by the provincial government and white swan Tissue Company. A confirmed naturalist, Harry has spent his entire career working for the Ministry of Natural Resources in Northern Canada. Now, in retirement, he wanted to dedicate his time and knowledge to as he said; “making a difference in the world.”

When the project started there were no trumpeters left in Ontario and only 33 in all of North America. After much searching, Harry's group located an active Swan nest in a secluded Valley in Alaska.

Plan A : carefully extract two eggs from the nest, more replacements would be laid, and place under a surrogate nesting mute swan. The hope was that the mute swan would adopt the trumpeter cygnets as its own. This didn't happen; the surrogate Mama Mute kept killing the trumpeter cygnets.

On to plan B: the rare trumpeter swan eggs would be extracted and hatched in an incubator. But when hatched the problem was that the cygnets became imprinted on their handlers and lost their identity as swans. The handlers then resorted to wearing feathers on their arms and staying out of the cygnet’s site when handling them. This resulted in cygnets that didn't identify as swans since they weren't imprinted.

Plan C: A bonded pair of trumpeters was captured in Alaska pinioned (cut off the pinion of a wing or bird to prevent flight.) so they couldn't fly and re-established at Wye Marsh.

Using aerators during the winter, these birds became the Genesis of the restoration program. Over the next few years, due to the dedication of many volunteers, the number of nesting trumpeters at Wye Marsh gradually increased.

Wye Marsh is a 1214 hectares conservation wetland area that is home to some of Ontario’s vulnerable wildlife, including majestic birds of prey like hawks, eagles, owls, and Trumpeter Swans.

Wye Marsh also serves as an outdoor classroom brimming with fascinating information about the local habitat, ecosystem and wildlife conservation programs.

Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre is located on the south shore of Georgian Bay, on the outskirts of the coastal town of Midland.

If you have been following along with my story, you will also know, that most of the swans don’t end up flying too far South. Since they are cold-loving birds most make Lake Ontario their winter home.

Jim and Norma Soul dedicated 25 years to the repopulation of the Majestic Swans, birds that share their beauty and grace with humans.

This movie made people love geese, my aim is that you will love my swan friends too! Both species are extremely intelligent, social, beautiful, wonderful, friendly, lovable creatures.

Thank you for reading and in a small way standing for the swans by sharing this comeback story with others.

If you enjoyed this story please give it a heart at the bottom of this article to help others find it too.

Blessings,

Margarita