Jared and all,
Trumplings actually have a bit of history in MD. I quickly pulled these 3
Baltimore Sun articles from Google by searching "Trumpling Sladen":
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-12-06/news/1992341048_1_swans-sladen-trumpeter
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-11-30/news/1993334035_1_swans-columbia-association-trumpeter
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-10-23/news/0110230045_1_swans-airlie-five-birds
I didn't think there were any more around, but we did have a suspected one
show up at Black Hills in January 2005. You can read about that in the
MDOsprey archives:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?A1=ind0501A&L=MDOSPREY&F=&S=&O=D&H=0&D=0&T=1
Birding is always interesting!
Matt Hafner
Forest Hill, MD
On Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 9:00 AM, Jared Fisher <Jared.Fisher...>wrote:
> Thanks Mikey for the very informative post. I'll admit to not even having
> heard of this hybrid combination. I had written in my ebird checklist and
> flickr description about this bird not appearing to show the classic V
> pattern of Trumpeter swan (visible in this photo
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/69746634@N02/8490200154/in/photostream).
> However with a close look (pointed out to me by Nancy Magnusson), there is
> something a little weird going on with this field mark on this bird. There
> is a discontinuity in the coloration, with the darkest black making a V
> shape and a lighter shade in the middle. We had assumed that this was
> perhaps just dirty/stained feathers? Of course, given all the other
> inconsistencies mentioned, your case for it being intermediate is pretty
> convincing. Does anyone have more information on the status of "Trumpling"
> Swans or even other photos of presumed birds?
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Jared Fisher
> Bethesda, MD
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 6:53 AM, Mikey Lutmerding <mlutmerding...>wrote:
>
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> Recently, I have become a bit uncomfortable with the swan at Cash Lake
>> being a pure Trumpeter Swan (TRUS). In the first few photos that
>> circulated of the bird, and at some angles while viewing in person, it
>> certainly did have the feel of Trumpeter, but in person and as seen in some
>> of the excellent photos that have recently been made of this bird, I felt
>> like something was a bit off. I went back and observed the bird again and
>> noted the following features that caused me to dive into the murky waters
>> of swan ID.
>>
>> - intermediate forehead shape (lacking prominent V of TRUS, not
>> smoothly rounded as in Tundra Swan (TUSW)).
>> - the concave look between the cheek and bill (too round for TRUS,
>> not quite round enough for TUSW).
>> - the pinched in look immediately in front of the eye.
>> - the overall proportions.
>>
>> I discussed the bird with a few people (Matt Hafner, Bill Hubick,
>> Marshall Iliff, Dan Small and Chris Wood) and they agreed that the bird
>> seemed off and was not a good candidate for a pure Trumpeter. The
>> consensus is that this may be a "Trumpling" Swan (a hybrid between
>> Trumpeter and Tundra (Whistling) Swans). Chris Wood has experience with
>> this hybrid combination and provided some excellent feedback on the bird
>> pointing to its intermediate features. In addition to those talked about
>> above, he mentioned another that I was unfamiliar with and that is the way
>> the tail is held; it is often held in a stronger V shape reminiscent of a
>> grackles tail on TRUS, whereas TUSW often hold theirs flat and this ones
>> seemed intermediate, he also mentioned that the bill looked big (perhaps
>> too small for TRUS, but too big for TUSW).
>> Of course there is still a lot to learn and document on this bird and
>> sound recordings would be ideal, so if anyone is planning on going to see
>> this bird, and can make recordings, please do if you are lucky enough to
>> hear the bird calling, and if anyone has any already, would you mind
>> posting or passing them along? This is a great opportunity for us all
>> study and learn about swan ID, something that I personally feel is an
>> under-appreciated ID challenge.
>>
>> Photos of Trumpeter Swans:
>> http://www.billhubick.com/photos/birds/trumpeter_swan.php
>> *
>> *Photos of the Cash Lake bird:
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeycerw/
>>
>> Other excellent photos can be found within the following eBird checklist-
>> http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13115182
>>
>>
>> Good birding!
>>
>> Mikey
>>
>> Mikey Lutmerding
>> Croom, MD
>>
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>>
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