The swans are back, and just in time to enter the Swan Fest Photo Contest. This year there will be four categories for photographers to submit their pictures but hurry since the deadline for submissions is Nov. 14. Entry fees are $5 per entry with a limit of one per category. See www.wingtips.org for more info or to enter the contest.
All will be eligible for the people’s choice award, with voting online beginning Nov. 15 when the photos submitted can be viewed on MARS Pinterest page www.pinterest.com/marsbirds.
On Oct. 28 teams of CV Naturalists braved the winds and rain to go out to the fields to count the numbers of trumpeters. This weekly count will continue every Tuesday from now until the end of March to track the numbers and locations of the swans visiting the Comox Valley.
This information is just in time for the upcoming Comox Valley Trumpeter Swan Festival on Sunday, Nov. 23 at the Native Sons Hall on Cliff Avenue in Courtenay.
This community event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Native Sons Hall, with activities for the whole family which includes the popular naturalist-led bus tours.