Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2001 17:27:09 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Paul O'Brien Subject: Schoolhouse Pond Swan MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ospreyers, Yesterday (2/5) Michael and I drove to Upper Marlboro for a firsthand look at the swan. Point blank study of the bird confirmed our initial reaction to the photo in last Thursday's Washington Post. There simply isn't enough yellow to call it a Whooper. I consulted eleven different references, many with photographs, and found that the yellow in Whooper Swan shows very little variation (unlike Bewick's Swan), and typically crosses over the culmen, at least on the basal third of the bill. The yellow patch extends to the nares, with a peninsula of yellow extending forward along the biting edge of the bill below the nares. Furthermore, an excellent photo in Jim Flegg's Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe (sorry for the obscure reference) clearly shows that the juncture of the forehead feathering and the bill base describes a V, rather than a uniform curve, as shown by the Schoolhouse Pond bird. So, what is it? The size (slightly larger than the two Mute Swans nearby) and the wedge-shaped bill and forehead actually favor Whooper, but the yellow patches and forehead shape betray it. We are inclined to agree with Rob Hilton that it probably is a hybrid of some sort, and may even have Whooper or Trumpeter blood in its lineage. Would that the owner would step forward and claim it. Paul O'Brien Rockville, Mont. Co., MD pobrien776@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================