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Subject:

Both Night-herons at Schoolhouse Pond (plus swan origins)

From:

Fred Shaffer

Reply-To:

Fred Shaffer

Date:

Wed, 6 Sep 2006 08:05:20 -0400

I got great views of both immature Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night 
Herons during my morning walk around Schoolhouse Pond.  The Yellow-crowned 
was on the fishing platform when I arrived in the morning (along with 5 
egrets), and the Black-crowned was on the boardwalk.  It was an excellent 
chance to get close looks and compare the juv. plumage of each.  33 Great 
Egrets also continue, as well as 6 Great Blues, and 1 Green Heron.  Terns 
included 2 Caspian Terns and 2 Forster's Terns.  Large flocks of Laughing 
Gulls continue to drop in and circle around the pond.

Regarding the origin of the Trumpeter Swans, both the Oxbow Lake and 
Schoolhouse Pond swans were banded as part of the Wye Marsh, Ontario Re-
introduction program.  As they are both banded and tagged and part of the 
official Wye Marsh program, they a presumably "pure" Trumpeters. 
Trumpeter's have been reproducing in the wild since 1993 in and around Wye 
Marsh in Ontario.  Its website (with details on the program) can be found 
at www.wyemarsh.com .  The Schoolhouse Pond Trumpeter has continued at the 
pond.  At the end of last week, it was joined by a 1st year Mute Swan for 
a day, but that bird has appeared to move on.

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS