Rites of spring: trumpeter swans flock to Canadian lake

In this video, we witness a yearly spring ritual in Canada’s Yukon Territory, as locals flock to McClintock Bay, on Marsh lake’s northern tip, to witness the large gathering of some 3,000 swans. The birds rest and feed in the ice-free water before continuing their long journey north.

A century ago, trumpeter swans were nearly driven to extinction by hunting and by 1933, only 77 breeding birds remained in Canada. Today, after decades of intensive conservation work, the swans number around 16,000 in North America. And, as the video attests, they’re worth celebrating – locals hold the annual ‘Celebration of Swans’ to welcome the birds, and spring, back to Yukon.

View the original video here.

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