I observed the Black Hill swan on Sunday afternoon from about 250 yards away.  The most significant field mark in my opinion was the lack of a "widow's peak" when I viewed the bird's head head-on - a mark one would expect to find on a Trumpeter Swan.  (Although the bird kept its head tucked into its back much of the time, I was able to get plenty of views, albeit brief, of the brow line.)  

It appears from all that has been posted that a "Trumpling" consensus is emerging.  I would agree with that consensus.

I would also love to see some photos of the bird posted.  If anyone has done so, can they send a link to MDOsprey?  

BTW, I found the following website useful:

http://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/head_bill.htm

Tom Stock
Silver Spring

> 
> From: Rick Sussman <>
> Date: 2005/01/03 Mon AM 06:42:02 CST
> To: 
> Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Trumpeter Swan - Maybe Not
> 
>  
> In a message dated 1/2/2005 8:00:21 PM Eastern Standard Time,   
> writes:
> 
> Rear  head and crown shape are somewhat blocky, suggestive of Trumpeter, 
> feather  edge along the gape seems somewhat in between, certainly not a 
> classic  
> Trumpeter shape. Bill also seems short in the photos. This bird, on  January 
> 2nd, suggested a hybrid Trumpling, as Paul  says
> 
> 
> Dave, Paul, etc.
>  I would concur with "Trumpling" at least. It doesn't apper to have  
> characteristics of pure Trumpeter. I looked very hard at all my photos again  last 
> night, and the most telling thing I could see was the bill-length is almost  too 
> perfect for Tundra Swan. It is not nearly long enough for Trumpeter. I got  
> many good shots of the birds head in profile, facing both right and left. All of 
>  my references show the bill length for Trumpeter being longer than the 
> length of  the "chin" from where it meets the base of the bill to the neck, while 
> in Tundra  Swan the bill should about equal the length of the "chin" space.  
> Also, the  birds neck is rather short(ish) and thicker than I would expect in a 
> pure  Trumpeter. Feather edge along the gape, as Dave notes, seemed somewhat 
> "in  between" and seemed to change from one photo to the next in some of my 
> shots,  but didn't seem nearly straight enough to rule out "trumpling".
>  
> My photos were shot from perhaps 75-100 yards distance.
>  
> Rick Sussman
> Ashton,MD
> 
>