Over the past two years, nearly 850 swans have been banded at the refuge towards a statewide goal of 2,000 over five years. The banding station is at Lake Landing Canal on a freshwater marsh. In the early morning hours, corn is spread over the ground as bait to draw in the swans. Refuge staff quietly wait nearby hidden in a small blind. The birds approach slowly, wary and vigilant.
Caution is thrown to the wind when the swans discover the coveted corn.
As they busily feed, a 40 by 70-foot net, developed to capture Wild Turkeys, is propelled out over the birds by eight rockets ignited by a pipe bomb. The net arcs over the feeding site and drops several hundred feet beyond, holding 50 to 100 swans, on the average. A dozen refuge staff rush to recover the birds and quickly gather basic data needed for the research project. Each bird is checked for physical condition, age, and sex. An aluminum band is placed on the leg of each before it is released to return to its home in the adjacent impoundments.