Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2002 09:26:43 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Re: Swan documentation MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I noticed this comment in the Whooper Swan exchange: Fred Shaffer wrote: > Relatedly, when I visited Parker River NWR in Massachusetts in November, I > was surprised to see Whooper Swans included on the refuge bird list as > common. I am very familiar with the history of Whooper Swan in Essex County, Massachusetts. It was a bit over-the-top for the refuge checklist to call Whooper Swan "common" but a flock of about 3 to 5 birds has been seen there for the last five or so years. The swans spend more time in Ipswich, across the Parker River to the west, than they do on the refuge - they are usually at Stage Island Pool when on the refuge. It seems very likely the Massachusetts swans are not natural vagrants although the source of the birds has never been traced. The Whooper Swans may have bred at least once and often consort with local Mute Swans, one even acted as "godparent" to a brood of Mute Swans. The expert on these Whoopers is Jim Berry. Jim has written up the early part of the Whooper saga in the New England regional journal "Bird Observer". Needless to say local and federal game authorities have tried to discourage the birds from becoming fully established, just what we need...another Mute Swan. I hope the local sighting is not indicative of spread by the Massachusetts birds. Relatedly, does anyone know if Trumpeter Swans *ever* show yellow on the bill? Insofar as I know Trumpeters always have entirely black bills with red "lips". It seems to me the relationship of Trumpeter to Whooper is comparable to the Bewick's/Whistling pair. Just wondering. Good Birding, Walter Ellison MD/DC Atlas Coordinator Chestertown, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================