In three out of six trials in the 1990s, the birds used the same routes to return to nesting grounds on their own in the spring. Lishman is also experimenting with sandhill cranes and endangered whooping cranes. Naturally, our first stop was the Alaska Pond. Like the trumpeters in the visitor center pond, these birds are part of the captive collection of Horsehead, and it is hoped that they will breed here. Unlike songbirds, which migrate based on instinct, waterfowl like geese and swans learn migration routes from their parents, during their first flight from their breeding grounds to their wintering grounds.
Swans mate for life.
Parents share responsibilities, and cygnets remain closely attached to their parents for their first year. Amazingly, they only have to fly the route one time to know it by sight. Sladen proved this during his goose experiments. These high-contrast uniforms are unlike anything the swans will see in nature or on other humans. So the peculiar costuming of the surrogate parents helps them retain their wildness rather than conditioning on humans.