Trumpeter swan Edward Preble wrote of the decline in the hunt with the number sold annually dropping from 1,312 in 1854 to 122 in 1877. Sir John Richardson wrote in 1831 that the trumpeter "is the most common Swan in the interior of the fur-counties... It is to the trumpeter that the bulk of the Swan-skins imported by the Hudson's Bay Company belong." By the early twentieth century breeding trumpeter swans were nearly extirpated in the United States except for a remnant population of fewer than 70 wild trumpeters in remote hot springs in or near Yellowstone National Park. Surprising news came
Baby, What a Big Surprise Baby, What a Big Surprise "Baby, What a Big Surprise" is a power ballad written by Peter Cetera for the group Chicago and recorded for their album "Chicago XI" (1977), with Cetera singing lead vocals. The first single released from that album, it reached number 4 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys provided additional backing vocals on the recording while saxophonist Walt Parazaider plays flute on the distinctive flute introduction and trumpeter Lee Loughnane plays a piccolo trumpet. Although "Chicago XI" yielded two more minor singles, "Baby, What a Big Surprise" was Chicago's