Phil et al --

Well, I wasn't sure about the status -- I was on the records commitee when we reviewed the first (and only) accepted record and knew there had been few if any additional sightings.

Actually, it is not at all a usual bird for DC -- many of us DC listers have looked long and hard for a Mute Swan ( with a certain amount of chagrin ;-)) -- last year Barry and I were driving along the Whitehurst Freeway, saw a swan just above Key Bridge, doubled back to park near one of the boat houses and it was -- oh disappointment -- a TUNDRA swan! (Which I have myself seen at least a half-dozen times in the District).

It is also not found much above the coastal plain, one on the Sugarloaf CBC about 5 years ago was the first (and still only, I think) for that count.

DC does have a cadre of birds which, common in Maryland -- or at least, not unusual -- would cause pulses to race for DC listers -- such "cripplers" as Mute Swan, Cattle Egret, Willet, Little Blue Heron, etc -- recall the excitement over the Brown Pelican a year or so ago. (Not to mention the search for the elusive DC Cackling Goose!)

Best, Gail Mackiernan
Colesville, MD

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Phil Davis <>
> Gail, et al.
> 
> FYI. Mute Swan is no longer on the DC Review List, found here ...
> 
>          http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/dcreview.pdf
> 
> Mute Swan is one of those odd review species in DC ... If you look at the 
> MD/DCRC DC database, here ...
> 
>          http://www.mdbirds.org/mddcrc/pdf/dcdatabase.pdf
> 
> ... and search for "Mute" you will see that there is only one accepted 
> record (plus two "unreviewable" records--meaning that they were published 
> but information was not provided to the committee to permit a review). 
> After the first "good" Mute Swan record was reviewed and accepted by the 
> committee, and the species was added to the "Official List of the Birds of 
> DC" (also on our web pages), the decision was made to take it off of the DC 
> review list. The rationale being that the bird is not really unusual for 
> the coast plain and it is not reviewable on the other side of the DC/MD line.
> 
<snip>