Seven swans a-swimming

Just in time to commemorate the holiday song “Twelve Days of Christmas,” these seven swans a-swimming arrived on one of the spring-fed farms on Ozark County’s Diamond T Farms owned by Stan and Janet Taber. The swans, who seem in no hurry to leave, have made the pond their home for almost a month, says Janet, who added that she and her family were delighted to have them. She noted that a story about trumpeter swans in the January issue of <em>Missouri Conservationist</em> magazine says the swans are considered “uncommon to rare” by wildlife experts, with only a few thousand of them existing in the Midwest. The Conservationist says trumpeters are the largest swans in the world and the largest waterfowl in North America. Each can weigh up to 20 pounds and have an 8-foot wingspan.

Seven swans a-swimming