10/13/2026
🦢 Have you spotted Lake Aspen’s young swans?
Gus and Val’s cygnets are growing up and testing their wings! It’s normal for young swans to begin dispersing at this age and time of year. A visiting swan from Gus and Val’s 2024 clutch has also been acting as an “older sibling,” helping lead the way as they explore. We’d appreciate reports of any sightings to help our Wildlife team keep track of their travels.
We’re also interested in sightings of their older sibling, who wears a green neck band marked “59@.”
📞 If you happen to see this year's cygnets (they will be grey since they are juveniles) or the swan with the “59@” band, please text our Wildlife team at 503-395-8682 and leave a message or email [email protected]. Share the location, date, and time, plus a photo if you can safely take one from a distance.
There’s no need to go searching. As these young swans test their boundaries, we want to keep human interaction to a minimum. Please watch from a distance and do not approach, feed, follow, capture, or attempt to return them to Lake Aspen.
These wild swans are part of a conservation partnership with The Trumpeter Swan Society, ODFW, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They are not resident animal ambassadors, though we will help support them through the winter on Lake Aspen.
The cygnets typically go to Zoo Idaho to join other young swans in the project before being banded and released into the wild. Because Zoo Idaho cannot accommodate them this winter, the plan is for them to overwinter on Lake Aspen with Gus and Val and be banded in the spring. Sightings will help us monitor their whereabouts as they explore.
Thank you for helping us care for this beloved wild swan family by giving them space and sharing what you see! 💙
