Three Trumpeter Swans, Credit: Phil Green
The San Juan Preservation Trust recently completed its annual Winter Swan Count for the San Juan Islands region of Washington State. On Saturday, January 17, 2026, sunshine and bright blue skies—hinting that spring might be closer than expected—provided the perfect backdrop as our dedicated volunteers fanned out across the archipelago to count Trumpeter and Tundra swans at sites throughout the islands.
In total, 43 volunteers participated in the survey and counted 37 Trumpeter Swans across the San Juan Islands: 33 adults and 3 juveniles, along with one adult Tundra Swan.
This represents a noticeable decrease from last year’s count of 87 swans. All but two adult Trumpeter Swans were observed on San Juan Island.
Regional totals for 2026:
Across the Washington survey region, 17,286 swans were recorded in total. This included 10,749 adult Trumpeter Swans and 2,328 juvenile Trumpeters.
While the numbers recorded in the San Juan Islands are less than half of what we counted last January, there is still encouraging news. According to our Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife contact, Daniel Zimmerman, the rebound in juvenile swans is a positive sign. Daniel noted that in 2023, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza hit waterfowl populations hard—especially juveniles. Then, a 2024 snowstorm and extended freeze kept numbers unusually low.
Seeing more juveniles this year suggests the population may be recovering. Here’s hoping many of these birds return to the islands next winter.
As always, we extend a huge thank-you to our dedicated corps of volunteer swan counters for helping collect this important data!
