Phil,
 
I agree that all MD Trumpeter Swans are the result of the state reintroduction programs in the midwest and northeast.  However, some of these reintroduction programs have been accepted by their local records committees as "Established."  If a swan from one of these populations wandered into MD, then I would think it would qualify under ABA rules as countable.  
 
I'm not sure if the Ontario birds are considered established, but I thought that they were.  If the Ontario birds are established and we know the Schoolhouse Pond and Oxbow Lake birds were from that population, I don't see why they would not be countable.  In fact I would consider them more countable than a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck in a Montgomery County restaurant complex ;)
 
This discussion would be different if the birds were not wing-tagged.  
 
Matt Hafner
Bel Air, MD
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: 
To: 
Sent: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 11:58 PM
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Trumpeter Swan "countability" (was: Schoolhouse Pond conditions & birds)


Kurt: 
 
You know the old saying ... "it's your list, you can count anything you want!" 
 
The MD/DCRC has a few reports of Trumpeter Swan, some banded some not. When they are reviewed, the odds are (assuming they are not hybrid "Trumpling" swans) that they will be found to be "ID OK/Origin Questionable" (for the unbanded birds) or some equivalent to "Origin Exotic" (for the banded birds). Trumpeter Swan is on the Maryland list as an extirpated species due to historical accounts of them wintering along the Potomac River in the 1700s. 
 
To my knowledge, the MOS "Locality List" reporting still has no defined criteria for counting, except (as the game of bridge) ostracism. Now, Norm has reporters over 350 MD species submit their list of new species each year for public scrutiny. 
 
So, my personal opinion (and not that of the committee as a body) is that all of the Trumpeter Swans in MD are a result of the MANY state reintroduction programs in the northeast and midwest and I would not count them on any of my lists. 
 
Digging in to the ABA rules, I think you will also not find any support for counting these birds. 
 
Lots of related links here, especially on the reintroduction programs ... 
 
  http://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/links.htm 
 
A good historical perspective is here ... 
 
  http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~insrisg/nature/swans.html 
 
Hope this helps ... 
 
Phil 
 
 
At 19:55 09/05/2006, you wrote: 
>What is the countability status of the Trumpeter at Oxbow Lake (and >Schoolhouse Pond, for that matter)? 
>It strikes me that by most criteria, they are not countable. Is the >New York population self-reproducing? 
>Yes, I realize that one's list is what one makes it, but would like >to adhere to generally-accepted criteria 
>where possible, unless it's something off base, like the Rehoboth >Monk Parakeets not being countable. 
> 
>Kurt Schwarz 
>Ellicott City 
>goawaybird at comcast.net 
> 
>----- Original Message ----- From: "jim brighton" <> 
>To: <> 
>Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 5:25 PM 
>Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Schoolhouse Pond conditions & birds 
> 
> 
>>In response to Fred's message about School House Pond, I was there >>yesterday evening and had 28 Great Egret's and an immature >>Black-crowned Night-Heron. Also, at Oxbow Lake Nature Preserve >>there was an immature Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, and a Trumpeter Swan. 
>> 
>>Jim Brighton 
>>Oxford, Md 
>> 
 
=================================================== 
Phil Davis, Secretary 
MD/DC Records Committee 
2549 Vale Court 
Davidsonville, Maryland 21035 USA 
301-261-0184 
mailto:[log in to unmask] 
 
MD/DCRC Web site: http://www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html 
=================================================== 
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