Stratford searching for swans

Some iconic birds have gone missing from Stratford’s shores. CTV’s Colton Wiens reports.

Six of Stratford’s most famous residents have gone missing.

The City of Stratford said some of their iconic swans are unaccounted for.

“We believe we have six swans that have wandered [away], and we don’t use tracking devices on our swans,” Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma said. “We know we had low water levels and some swans will take to walking. We have some that can fly, and so there is a little concern. We have 13 [swans], I believe, in total with our new cygnets this year.”

According to the city, sometimes the swans leave the main river system and travel to nearby tributaries, parks, stormwater ponds or even the golf courses.

The birds may have been inspired to seek greener pastures due to a recent problem along Lake Victoria and the Avon River, where water levels have been lower than normal after a sluice gate was jammed open by storm debris. Although the gate is once again working, it will take time, and some significant rain, for water levels to return to normal.

Ritsma said the city has been trying to feed the swans while they wait for the water levels to rise.

“I think one of the most calls that I do get is about our swans,” he said.

The city asked residents to help keep an eye out for the wayward birds. Staff were able to find one swan thanks to a tip from someone who had spotted it within the city.

The mayor said the swans are an important part of the community, not just for residents that live in the city, but also for visitors.

“I have family visiting in town, and we have ‘swan’ on our scavenger list right here,” resident Kimberley Mackenzie said. “It looks like we’re going to be hunting for a really long time to find the swans on the river.”

She said the swans are part of the city’s identity. “Everybody has a swan planter or swans in their kitchen or a picture of swans. It feels like it’s not really Stratford without the swans.”

“We always visit them when we come to Stratford,” Deborah Kirby, a visitor from the Detroit area, said. “If they’re happy, I’m okay with it.”

According to the mayor, the city is planning to add four more swans to the flock and situations like this may convince the city to start tracking them.

Ritsma encouraged anyone who spots a swan to contact the city.

Anyone who has seen the absentee birds is encouraged to contact the city’s Parks and Forestry department by calling 519-271-0250 or by emailing [e-mail].