(Lewis) Trumpeter Swan nesting is on the rise in Iowa. John Lorenzen, Fisheries Biologist with the Department of Natural Resources, appearing on the KSOM DNR report, stated that there was a record-setting 158 nest attempts last year in Iowa for Trumpeter Swans. Lorenzen admits the majority of these were in north-central Iowa; locally, four were documented in Guthrie County, one in Adair County, and two in Montgomery County.
The Iowa DNR went to work, releasing 1,218 trumpeter swans across 80 locations between 1994 and 2022. Lorenzen says that for years after reintroduction, nest attempts hovered around 50 annually; however, in 2020, it rose to 120, in 2022 to 140, and in 2025 to a record 158. Lorenzen says of these nests, 98 cygnets (baby swans) were known to have hatched successfully.
