Hi Folks!
You may have noticed that the eBird reviewers have stopped validating the
reports of a Trumpeter Swan at the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge in Prince
George's Co. As noted in an earlier post, there are things that are not
consistent with a Trumpeter Swan. An alternative hypothesis is that the bird is a
hybrid of Trumpeter and Tundra, also know as a Trumpling Swan. Trumpling
Swans used to grace a lake in Columbia, Howard County. I believe there are
currently some in Airlie, Virginia. Swans live a long time and are known to
travel great distances. There was a pair of lack Swans that wandered at
through Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
Lots of images are been taken and placed on Flickr sites. The problem is
that most were taken from a distance and do not show the detail needed.
Almost all of the written descriptions include a few field marks {e.g. black
bill with no yellow spot} but not enough to tip the balance one way or another.
I would ask that if You have seen the bird and entered it into eBird to
review your report and provide the reason to support the identification.
Please note that "continuing" or "previously reported" are not really good
reasons. You can use the "Add Species" feature if You want to use "Trumpeter x
Tundra Swan (hybrid)" or "swan sp. - Cygnus sp."
Good Birding!
Jim
Jim Stasz
North Beach MD
<_jlstasz...> (mailto:<jlstasz...>)
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