Bald eagle blamed for death of favorite swan (cassadaga NY)

[Donna]

CASSADAGA - Decades ago, Lily Dale Assembly introduced a pair of signature swans to Cassadaga Lakes.

After much discussion, the pair, a male and a female, were named Lily and Dale. In order to keep them from straying afield with the other birds that stopped at the lakes, Lily and Dale's wings were clipped. This prevented them from flying off, when the temptation rose.

According to an Internet piece written by wild life biologist Charles C. Allin, mute swans, as they are called, were introduced into North America as a decorative water fowl during the late 1870s. Their population grew and their life expectancy can reach 25 years or more.

But, that was not the case for the last of Lily Dale's swans. He met his demise in an attack by a bald eagle, which also has been seen in the Cassadaga Lakes area.

Peter George, who, with his wife Kathy, lives on what is known locally as Fern Island on Dale Drive, said he has seen an adult eagle perched in the trees along his property.

"It is definitely a bald eagle - its head is white," he said.

There's no telling if it is the same eagle that snatched the swan who went by a series of names.

Chuck Battaglia of Maple Avenue called him "Wanabe"; Mary Bernard Holton, another Dale Drive resident, called the swan Gabriel; and Emma Merrill, also of Dale Drive, simply referred to him as Him.

All these people were particularly taken with the swan who exhibited what they considered to be a gentle and loving attitude toward its human friends.

Chuck would feed it cracked corn bought with funds supplied by Cassadaga Lakes Association, Emma provided it with boxes of corn flakes and Mary fed it saltines.

Chuck said it would eat the cracked corn out of his hand and Emma said when she would shake the box of corn flakes, the swam would come to her and stick his head in the box, eating away.

Mary said her relationship with the swan was particularly deep and meaningful to her.

"He would come when I would sing to him. We had friends from Pennsylvania visiting and when we told them about Gabriel, they thought I was joking when I told them about his response to my singing," she said.

Mary took her guests to the lake's bank and began singing, sure enough, Gabriel showed up.

"It was a magical moment," she said.

Mary said she has since learned swans have a keen sense of hearing and Gabriel's response to her singing may have been an indication of that.

Chuck said "Wanabe" would "talk" to him.

"He would make noises as he at the cracked corn I fed him," he said.

He said he named him Wanabe because his mate had died and he thought he was lonely.

Chuck was making his swan corn meal run a week ago over on Dale Drive when, he said, "Out of nowhere, this eagle swoops down and grabs him by the neck, carries him about 50 feet in the air then loses his grip and Wanabe drops to the lake's icy surface."

It was obvious he was dead, Chuck said. He lay on the ice until he was discovered by a coyote.

Cassadaga public works superintendent Tom Fetter said he saw a coyote eating on the swan's carcass around 8 a.m. while he was making his rounds of Cassadaga's streets.

"Coyotes are scavengers and will eat anything that's available," he said.

Chuck and Mary were devastated by the swan's death.

But, as Chuck notes, "It's nature's way."

Mary called Gabriel's relationship with his human friends a reflection of an extraordinary enrichment.

"He touched many lives. He recognized kindness and returned it," she said.

I'm not understanding why they clipped their wings. Just to keep them there??? I'm surprised that this was allowed