Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 22:34:11 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Sue Ricciardi Subject: Interesting Swan at Fort Smallwood Park MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Today, 5/13/03, an interesting swan visited Fort Smallwood Park from = 10-10:30 am. It flew in from the south, settled in the pond for thirty = minutes and then headed north again. It was observed by Sue Ricciardi, = Ralph Geuder, and Hal Wierenga. The white swan was very large with an extremely long neck. It flew with = a slow floppy wingbeat. Much of the time while sitting on the pond, it = laid its long neck back along its body and once contorted its neck into = a sort of figure 8. The bill was very straight along the upper edge and = there were small, pale yellow spots along the base of the bill. The = bill formed a shallow "U" shape as it left the forehead. It looked like = the back of the neck was practically bare for about 6 inches midway = down. Perhaps it had worn a collar there, but it seemed too far up the = neck. Sue Ricciardi Compiler, Fort Smallwood Park Hawkwatch =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================