Chillicothe, Mo. ? With their secret now public knowledge, two northern Missouri residents are basking in the glow of a historic blessed event – the birth of three trumpeter swans.

Bud and Debbie Neptune didn’t know the big birds had taken up residence at a pond on their property until their son, Scott, came to visit during turkey hunting season.

He spotted one of the elegant, snow-white creatures on his parent’s 1.5-acre pond.

Bud Neptune did an Internet search and found listings for the National Audubon Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He e-mailed the federal agency and reported having seen a swan with a red neck collar.

Knowing the color of the bird’s collar allowed FWS to trace it to a restoration program run by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Within 24 hours, the Neptunes received a call from an IDNR biologist, who was excited to learn that one of his birds had nested successfully.

He informed them that a pair of swans had built a nest on nearby property in 2004, but that they had failed to produce young.

In June, the Neptunes had their first glimpse of the swan family when the little ones were about a month old.

Knowing that the previous year’s attempt probably failed due to human disturbance, the Neptunes were careful to shield the birds from public attention.

They told their immediate family and a few friends what was going on, but otherwise kept it a secret.

By late August, they decided it was time to announce the news. By letting people in the area know the birds are there, they hope to reduce the chances of a goose hunter shooting one by mistake.

Debbie Neptune said watching the young swans grow has been exciting.

“They learn everything by imitating their parents,” she said. “They follow exactly whatever mom and dad are doing, eating from the bottom of the pond, oiling their feathers. It has been a lot of fun to watch.”

Trumpeter swans are North America’s largest waterfowl, reaching weights of up to 35 pounds and wingspans of 8 feet.

Unregulated market hunting and destruction of the marshy areas where they live caused them to disappear from much of their original range in the northern half of the United States.