Swan survives dive at Vancouver construction site

A trumpeter swan that crash-landed on a Vancouver construction site is recovering after it was rescued from a deep pit of bright yellow toxic-looking water.

The juvenile bird was discovered paddling in the pit Thursday morning, unable to take off or climb out because of the steep sides.

Site workers spent several hours draining the pit into tankers before volunteers from Wildlife Rescue were able to trap the 6.2 kg juvenile bird in a net and carry it out on a ladder.

The West 4th Avenue and Alberta Street site formerly housed an industrial chromium plating business and is currently undergoing soil and environmental remediation.

The animal did not suffer any broken bones and is now under observation at the Wildlife Rescue Hospital at Burnaby Lake.

Wildlife Rescue director Yolanda Brooks said swan rescues are not uncommon at this time of year.

"We see quite a few of them," she said. "They are migrating from the north to the FraserRiver delta."