The Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the Dungeness River Audubon Center, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road in Sequim.

The program, “Swans of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley,” will be presented by Bob Boekelheide and Kendra Donelson.

Nearly hunted to extinction in the 19th and early 20th centuries, trumpeter swans now number several thousand in Washington during winter. First recorded on the Sequim-Dungeness Christmas Bird Count in 1982, these giant white birds with their bellowing voices are now regular winter residents of the North Olympic Peninsula, thrilling birdwatchers wherever they occur.

In 2011, under the direction of Martha Jordan of the Swan Society, Shelly Ament of WDFW, and Mary Porter-Solberg of the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, a select group of volunteers began counting local swans to determine the birds’ preferred foraging locations and habitats in our area. The project began because several swans had been found dead of lead poisoning, possibly because they ingested lead shotgun pellets as they foraged in the muddy fields.

In this presentation, Boekelheide will try to answer some basic questions, like how do swan numbers change through each season and where do the swans go while they’re here.

Donelson, an OPAS swan volunteer, will share how they collect data during their regular surveys.

Boekelheide is the former director of the Dungeness River Audubon Center and current vice president and bird compiler for OPAS. Donelson is a former president of OPAS, current board member, and has participated in the swan surveys for several years.

The program is free and open to the public.