It seems Bernie, the new male swan at the Glynmill Inn Pond in Corner Brook, also likes to escape as the weekend draws near.
Bernie was brought to Corner Brook within the past couple of weeks to join Miss Daisy, the female swan left widowed when an eagle attacked and killed her former mate, Big Ben, a year ago.
On Friday morning, Bernie apparently managed to fly out of the pond and into the Corner Brook Stream below. He sailed on down the brook, through downtown, past Corner Brook Pulp and Paper and out into the Humber Arm.
Bernie was halfway to the north shore of the Bay of Islands before he was turned back. That effort was accomplished by Russell Sheppard, caretaker of Corner Brook House and its resident swans, with the help of a 16-foot aluminum boat operated by provincial fish and wildlife enforcement officer Chris Wessel.
Sheppard and some mill employees tried to use a tugboat to get to the swimming swan at first, but quickly realized they needed a stealthier vessel.
The swan was coaxed back onto the banks near the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper wood yard, where it was carefully netted and taken back to the pond by Sheppard.
“He’s a pretty good flyer,” said Sheppard as he gently but firmly held the huge bird under his arms before hopping into a truck headed back to the pond.
Bernie’s taste of freedom lasted around two hours.
Hayward Taylor, the Department of Justice and Public Safety’s chief of enforcement in Corner Brook, said tracking down a swan is hardly routine for enforcement officers, but he’s glad it had a happy ending.
Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, which is responsible for the swans at the Glynmill Inn Pond, had initially planned to get a pair of new young swans to join Miss Daisy.
Prior to Friday’s incident, the paper company had said it decided to go with one older male instead and that both swans seemed to doing well together.
It seems Bernie, the new male swan at the Glynmill Inn Pond in Corner Brook, also likes to escape as the weekend draws near.
Bernie was brought to Corner Brook within the past couple of weeks to join Miss Daisy, the female swan left widowed when an eagle attacked and killed her former mate, Big Ben, a year ago.
On Friday morning, Bernie apparently managed to fly out of the pond and into the Corner Brook Stream below. He sailed on down the brook, through downtown, past Corner Brook Pulp and Paper and out into the Humber Arm.
Bernie was halfway to the north shore of the Bay of Islands before he was turned back. That effort was accomplished by Russell Sheppard, caretaker of Corner Brook House and its resident swans, with the help of a 16-foot aluminum boat operated by provincial fish and wildlife enforcement officer Chris Wessel.
Sheppard and some mill employees tried to use a tugboat to get to the swimming swan at first, but quickly realized they needed a stealthier vessel.
The swan was coaxed back onto the banks near the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper wood yard, where it was carefully netted and taken back to the pond by Sheppard.
“He’s a pretty good flyer,” said Sheppard as he gently but firmly held the huge bird under his arms before hopping into a truck headed back to the pond.
Bernie’s taste of freedom lasted around two hours.
Hayward Taylor, the Department of Justice and Public Safety’s chief of enforcement in Corner Brook, said tracking down a swan is hardly routine for enforcement officers, but he’s glad it had a happy ending.
Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, which is responsible for the swans at the Glynmill Inn Pond, had initially planned to get a pair of new young swans to join Miss Daisy.
Prior to Friday’s incident, the paper company had said it decided to go with one older male instead and that both swans seemed to doing well together.
